Domaine Mont de Marie ‘Salve Ager’
Does it seem repetitive to speak of another winemaker who felt called to caring for the land - cultivating and producing incredible wine? one who felt compelled to flee the expected path? I don’t know but It often feels like those who aren’t born into winemaking families, but somehow find themselves drawn to the land are the ones I find inspiring! I mean come on - you must admit it is inspiring to create art from the land! And for those not born but called to it, this life often means taking a risk - a plunge that completely changes lives. So perhaps it is not a repetitive thing to speak of but simply part of this ‘natural’ wine movement. Or maybe I’m waxing a little too poetic about the reasons an IT professional would choose to pursue a life in farming and winemaking. But honestly, whatever Thierry’s reasons, he is making some pretty dynamite wines!!
Something a lot of natural producers will talk about and focus on is the health & bio-diversity of the soil. Truly, it is the most important aspect of a wine! If you’ve got unhappy pesticide/herbicide-full soil, you aren’t making lively gorgeous wines that express their terroir. So just east of Nimes in southern France you will find 12 hectares in the small village of Souvignargues where Thierry began and continues his journey.. Granite, clay and sand hillside vineyards where Aramon / Grenache / Cinsault / Carignan/ Viognier/ Ugni Blanc are grown with no pesticide/ herbicide or any other poisons, allowing these indigenous varietals to truly represent their place!
And while rumor has it that those first few years he was making pretty traditional, conventional wines full of oak and all the manipulations we don’t like, Thierry saw the light when he took the opportunity to work with Eric Pfifferling decades ago. Experiencing the truth in working the land completely naturally and in making wine that is a true representation of its place in the world changed him. And thank goodness! Cuz ever since taking my first few sips of ‘Salve Ager’ a few weeks ago, I can’t get it out of my head!!
The bright, lively plum, the bit of hot summer berries picked right off the vines balanced with bright red acidity, silky floral notes and zingy tannins!! And that bright pink/red/purple label - YES PLEASE! OOOOO and that elegant finish!! Swoon!!
’Salve Ager’ is a blend of Grenache Noir and Cinsault from 50-70 year old vines. Both varieties are co-planted in the same plot on decomposed granite and gravel soils in a forest clearing. Gently hand picked, the Grenache and Cinsault are co-fermented (so put together right off the bat to ferment together rather than fermenting separately and blending afterwards). 4 days of skin maceration gives a lovely, lighter red hue to this delectable blend. The concrete vat ageing brings that elegant finish to this YUMMMMM! There’s a lot of love here and I will be sipping (ahem - GULPING!) this for as long it’s in stock!
Did I mention there are magnums?!!!