Léon de Pins grew up at Château de Montfaucon. Roc des Pins is his own project, and the first two wines are deliberately contrarian: a Tavel dark enough to pass for a light red, and a Cinsault bottled on its own rather than hidden in a blend.
Read MoreKeith Mabry has been buying Château de Montfaucon for more than two decades. The estate is now fully organic, the range runs from the returning $15.99 La Côte to the late-released 2020 Baron Louis, and Léon de Pins has a project of his own.
Read MoreEven though they are an historic property, Mas de Libian still falls a little under the radar. For me, though, they check a lot of boxes. They have long practiced organic farming and are now Demeter-certified biodynamic. They make fresh, vibrant wines that are accessible, quaffable, sumptuous, and compelling. It doesn’t hurt that the property’s terroir is a dead ringer for that of Châteauneuf-du-Pape, with its calcareous iron-rich clay soils and galets roulet (the rolled stones) sitting on the surface and radiating warmth back to the vines. With all these pluses, it is hard to believe that not a single one of their delicious wines retails for north of $30!
Read More
