Domaine de La Toupie

 

 

Jerome Collas worked for the INAO at Paris (the organisation responsible for administering and approving Appellations) and then for a large Cooperative in the South of France, where he was responsible for working with the growers. During this time he dreamt of having his own vines

In 2012 Jerome bought his first vines near Maury in the Roussillon, not far from the Spanish border. This is a dry mountainous area, where little except vines grow. Today he has 10 hectares and produces around 40,000 bottles a year. Most of the vines are very old bush vines, a relic of the region's history of producing sweet aperitif wines for the French market. Their age and low yields give really intense full flavours. The soil is very poor and the vines difficult to work. It takes seriously hard graft to make wine here. Jerome doesn’t care. He says that he is preserving the “patrimoine” or heritage of his land and it doesn’t matter to him that the work is hard because he has wonderful views to enjoy.

Jerome produces small quantities of fortified wine, to maintain the traditions of Roussillon, but his main efforts go into modern dry wines. Sur un Fils Rouge is a deep concentrated red wine made mainly from Grenache, under the new Appellation Maury Sec.

Jerome takes his best white grapes, a blend of Grenache Gris and Blanc and Macabeu, to produce an amazing barrel-fermented wine, Fine Fleur, in very small quantities. This is  delightful with hints of flowers, almonds and white fruits and a crisp refreshing finish.