JLL **** (vat, bottling April 2024) dark robe; this has a good, alert nose, clear black fruit in it, good lift and near bounce in its presentation. The palate shows a hint of acetate, gives channelled black fruits, extends with fresh/live tannins, black cherry fruit on the loose, running around. It has structure and potential. The tannins have a wee furry side but are on their way inside the wine. Menthol on the aftertaste is clear. From spring 2025. 2033-34 Feb 2024

90-100% Syrah from clay-limestone with one sandy plot at 330 metres around the domaine on Gramenon at Montbrison, 0-10% Grenache, about 50-65% destemmed, 2 week vinification, pumping overs, 20-25 mg SO2 applied after malo, aged concrete vat (until early 2010s aged 4-10 year 228 & 225-litre oak casks 6-8 months) 6-8 months, unfined, unfiltered, biodynamic grapes, organic wine

Vineyard: Medium-aged Syrah vines (20-40 years old) in the main Gramenon vineyard (planted at 350 meters clay, limestone varied with gravel, and sand) The Gramenon vineyards lie on sandstone and shell-sandy soils, making a relief on this landscape of sandy safre. This sandstone bank comes from a molasse layer left by a former maritime coastline under the influence of tidal streams circa 12 million years ago.
Winemaking: Partially de-stemmed. Grapes macerate for 12 days in cement tank. Wine ages in both tank and in barrique for 7 months before bottling

Kermit Lynch: The seemingly reserved façade of Michèle Aubèry-Laurent melts away quickly when she speaks about her wines. As a former nurse (who often favored natural remedies), she has come to treat her vines with the same care, conviction, and passion as she had for her former patients. She and her husband, Philippe, bottled their first vintage of Domaine Gramenon in 1990, in the far northern-eastern stretches of the southern Rhône, in the town of Montbrison-sur-Lez. Philippe was a talented vigneron—both creative and edgy—and he loved to push the envelope of the regulations. In 1999, in an unexpected twist of fate, he was killed in a tragic accident. Michèle was suddenly left on her own with their three children, vineyards, and a winery to deal with. Crushed but undaunted, Michèle stepped to the forefront, boldly picking up where Philippe left off. Over the years, Michèle has discovered her own creative voice in her new vocation; in so doing she has catapulted Domaine Gramenon into cult wine status. Today, she works twenty-six hectares with her talented son, Maxime François (a rising star in his own right), farming both young and very old vines alike. They employ organic and biodynamic practices in the vineyards, with a strong non-interventionist stance in the cellars.