Description

Languedoc native Olivier Jullien has spent the past four decades in thoughtful conversation with his home appellation of Terrasses du Larzac—those high-altitude limestone terraces that flank the base of Mont Baudille—tirelessly exploring how variety and soil interact, attuned always to profundity of expression rather than overt flattery.

Olivier’s white wine—representing just 20% of his overall production—is stealthily one of southern France’s greatest. After years of experimentation, Olivier came to realize that it was the hyper-local Carignan Blanc which carried the truest expression of his terroir; other varieties may offer more overt aromatics or luscious textures, but “neutral” Carignan Blanc best expresses the underlying mineral potency of these rocky, limestone-rich vineyards. Built on the back of 60-to-70-year-old Carignan Blanc from Jonquières and Saint-Privat, Mas Jullien Blanc also contains, interestingly, 20% Chenin Blanc planted in Jonquières; decades ago, Olivier was the first in the area to plant Chenin Blanc, which some believe originated here, close to the source of the Loire. A faithful translator of limestone, Chenin also contributes overt acidity, as well as a subtle floral component less dominating than that of, say, Grenache Blanc.

Olivier’s white wine passes two winters in 600-liter oak barrels—almost entirely used, with a new cask incorporated as need be and never comprising more than 10% of the final blend. A far cry from the often blowsy and alcohol-forward white wines from the south of France, Mas Jullien Blanc speaks to its origins in high-altitude, poor-soiled vineyards with a ringing acidity; fruit takes a backseat to minerality on the clinging but gracious palate, with subtle notes of greengage plum given definition by a saliva-inducing stoniness; an inner sense of honeyed, nougat-like sweetness is counterbalanced by a perfectly rendered appetizing bitterness; and the finish swells and grips in dramatic fashion, pointing to the wine’s astonishing potential for cellaring