Exploring Lirac (2) Clos du Jas
Grégory Sergent (pictured above) is the man behind Clos du Jas. He spent 15 years as a paratrooper in the French army before turning to winegrowing. His approach is to farm organically. He has 5 hectares of old vines, as well as some newer plantings.
First we look at bush vines on sandy soils with some limestone pebbles. These are beautiful vines. First of all there’s some old Grenache Blanc planted in 1921 (this makes a remarkable, distinctive wine), and then there are some more modern plantings of close-planted Marsanne and Roussanne on a high trellis: the idea is that the canopies of one row will provide shade for the next. He also has some Carignan planted on galets roulés planted in 1919 at a density of 3200 vines per hectare. Lilian Bérillon, the famous nurseryman in Avignon, takes some of these for propagation. He uses a horse to farm some of these old Carignan vines: it’s more gentle and doesn’t damage the vines.
We also see some of the new plantings from last year: sur echalas bush vines at 6000 vines per hectare.
A short film of the visit:
Grégory also has a plot of Clairette planted in 1901. He only works with selection massale. ‘I only want selection massale,’ he says. ‘It is impossible for me to make wines with clones.’ He likes the natural variation that this brings. ‘It is great for the equilibrium of the wine.’ He has some massale selection Syrah from Cornas, planted in 1950, and also some old Grenache near the village. And he’s also got a small old vineyard in Tavel. His neighbour uses herbicide and fertilizer and gets 50-60 hl/ha. His yields are much lower: the old Carignan gives just 10-15 hl/ha.
2019 was his first vintage. The red is made from Grenache and Carignan and mixed varieties for the white. Production is just 4000 bottles a year because of the small yields. ‘It’s impossible for me to make another wine: it is my spirit.’
Jas Lirac L’Aspre Blanc 2021
Grenache Blanc harvested 1 November with some botrytis. 5-7 month fermentation. Ageing in 300 litre barrels, and some in stainless steel. Full yellow colour. Powerful and lively with intense citrus and peach as well as a touch of apricot. Lovely acid line here with a salty edge. So crystalline and focused. Such a beautifully expressive wine. 95/100
Clos du Jas Lirac 2020
40% Carignan, 30% Grenache, 10% Mouvèdre, 10% Cinsault and 10% others. Co fermented 4-5 weeks, no extraction, whole bunch. 36 months ageing in 10 000 litre foudre and demi muids. Such focus and concentration with a core of sweet black fruits, with pepper, spice, roast meat and iodine. Brooding and dense with power but also great balance. Lively acidity adds freshness. Tapering finish. 95/100
DOMAINE CLOS DU JAS
Domaine Clos du Jas, 8 rue de Tourtouil – 30126 Tavel
+33 6 59 95 41 68
EXPLORING LIRAC
