Domaine of the Bee: interesting wines from the Roussillon
Website: https://domaineofthebee.com/
Since 2007 master of wine Justin-Howard Sneyd and his wife Amanda have been part-time vignerons. They purchased some old vine plots in the Roussillon, and what started out more-or-less as a hobby has become a business (although still run on a part-time basis).
They have 4 hectares in the Maury Valley in the Roussillon, spread over three plots (although one had to be ripped up in 2024, and they may be able to replant this in a few years).
As well as owning their own vines, Justin and Amanda work with some of the grapes from Jean-Marc Lafage, a talented producer in the Roussillon who also makes their wines for them.
Justin is a skilled marketer and notably worked for many years for Waitrose and Laithwaites/Direct Wine. Hence the pricing given here: one is the regular price, and the lower figure (20% discount) is the price for members of their wine club, who sign up for 6 or 12 bottles annually (there are 450 of these, and 2000 mailing list subscribers). This is a clever way to sell wine, and the benefit of selling direct is you don’t lose a margin or two to someone else. But it takes a lot of work building up a customer base, which is something they have done very well. Their regular emails are brilliant – easy to read, and yet information dense.
[These wines were tasted from 100 ml Coravin samples which were filled under inert gas, tasted shortly after I received them.]
THE WINES
Field of the Bee 2023 IGP Côtes Catalanes Blanc
13% alcohol. From centenarian Grenache Blanc and Grenache Gris, as well as a touch of Roussane, owned by Lafage, this is bright and fruit-driven with crisp lemony fruit as well as some subtle melony richness. There’s good weight here with nice primary fruit, and an intriguing texture with a hint of fennel on the finish. Very stylish. 92/100 (£17.50/£14)
Bee Pink 2023 Côtes du Roussillon Rosé
12.5% alcohol. Grenache Noir, Grenache Gris, Syrah from Lafage. Very pale in colour, this is a dry rosé with a hint of cherry and nice sweet pear and citrus fruit. Appealing and bright with nice texture. 88/100 (£16/£12.80)
The Bee-side Grenache 2023 IGP Cotes Catalanes Rouge
13.5% alcohol. Most of the fruit here comes from Lafage, but there’s a bit of lighter red from Justin and Amanda’s vineyard in the blend. This is fruity, floral and really appealing with bright red cherry and strawberry fruit with some nice herbal hints and some liquorice and pepper notes adding a savoury framing to the sleek, textured fruit. Very stylish, offering drinkability but also some substance. 92/100 (£20/£16)
Domaine of the Bee Carignan 2022 IGP Cotes Catalanes Rouge
14.5% alcohol. Carignan from the 80+ year old La Roque vineyard at Domaine of the Bee. This is ripe, smooth and seamless with rich blackberry and black cherry fruit with complex notes of wood spice, chocolate and dried herbs complementing the lush fruit. There’s also a touch of tannic bite on the finish. Lots to like about this dense, harmonious, warming red: Carignan tamed. 93/100 (£25/£20)
Domaine of the Bee 2022 Maury Sec
14.5% alcohol. From the vineyard parcels they have owned since 2006. This is a selection of the best barrels of Grenache (60%) and Carignan (40%), and since 2019 has been classified as Maury Sec. Fermented in up-turned barrels, then aged in barrel (25% new). This is satisfyingly rich, with some spicy oak in the background providing structural support for the bold, ripe, sleek berry and cherry fruits. There’s some nice spiciness here, and more freshness than I remember from previous vintages. Smooth, complete and harmonious with nice intensity, but also a mellow side. 93/100 (£27.50/£22)
Domaine of the Bee Les Genoux 2022 Maury Sec
13% alcohol. The last ever vintage of the wine from 100+-year-old vines which have now been ripped out. It’s a blend of Grenache Noir and Carignan with small contributions from Grenache Gris and Grenache Blanc. Fermented in 6 upturned 500 litre barrels, with three being whole-bunch ferments. Fine, fresh and vivid with some wild herb and tea detail to the punchy red berry fruits. This has some cranberry in the mix, with a sweet core of red cherry, and then the bass comes from a touch of oak spice. Very stylish and quite elegant, but not lacking in power. 94/100 (£50/40)
