PRESENTATION OF THE DOMAINE VIRGILE JOLY
What they think about us…
Jancisrobinson.com – The Tale of the other Joly
“A bit of Languedoc celeb, having featured as the handsome young vigneron in Patrick Moon’s beautifully written book Virgile’s Vineyard , Monsieur Joly should probably be much more famous for his wines. […] Accolades , medals and awards have poured in : Guide Hachette, Gault Millau, Solar Organic Wine Guide, Wine report, Wine Europy and the IWC”
Howard Hewitt - www.redforme.blogspot.fr
Every region has its up-and-coming star, even if not everyone agrees on who that might be. Virgile Joly s certainly one of those rising stars (if not already established as a leading winemaker) in the Languedoc.
Harpers Wine & Spirit - Very Important Producer
“Run by Virgile Joly and his wife Magdalena, the company has been producing a range of quality organic wines since 2000 which have a penchant for elegance rather than “fruit upfront” wines. “
Revue Objectif Languedoc-Roussillon (n°116)
Virgile Joly, Vigneron du bio
« Ses vins bio sont une référence en Languedoc, Virgile Joly vinifie 15 ha sur des sols argilo-calcaires extrêmement profonds et drainants. »
Magazine Terre de Vins
La Cuvée Virgile Blanc 2005, n°1 du palmarès Bettane et Desseauve « La bio-diversité du Languedoc »
Virgile Joly & Cie 6 Bis Place de la Fontaine, 34725 St. Saturnin de Lucian (France) Tél : + 33 (0)4 67 44 52 21 Fax : + 33 (0)4 99 91 09 69 Courriel : [email protected]
Domaine Virgile Joly : a passion for terroir wines
Virgile Joly represents a new generation of wine-growers. For him, the vines are a way of life and he works his magic to play on the senses of amateurs of fine wine.
For the last 10 years, armed only with his courage and passion, he has extracted from the soil wines which combine his attachment for the land with the subtlety of his expertise, with total respect for the environment.
Having spent his childhood in the Rhone Valley, between Avignon and Vaison-la-Romaine, where his grandfather was a wine-maker, Virgile’s attachment to the land is as strong as ever. After finishing his studies in oenology and management, he gained further experience in wine cooperatives and smaller individual wineries.
But his strong sense of independence meant he had only one idea in his mind: to create his own winery. Hence in 2000 he set himself up in Saint-Saturnin, in the Terrasses du Larzac area, where he rented one hectare of vines. Ten years on, he has fifteen hectares of organic vines in the heart of this wild land. Welcome to the Domaine Virgile Joly....
Les Terrasses du Larzac
The terroir of Saint-Saturnin
The Domaine Virgile Joly is situated in one of the best areas of the South of France: the Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée (AOC) Coteaux du Languedoc – St Saturnin, which includes the communes of Saint Saturnin, Jonquières, St Guiraud and Arboras.
The grape varieties include Grenache (white and red), Syrah, Carignan and Cinsault, all of which are cultivated organically, with an average natural yield of 30 hl/ha.
Combined with the richness of the Mediterranean climate, the land is worked with total respect for the environment, which allows the Domaine Virgile Joly to produce straightforward and sincere wines with a rich palette of aromas.
Virgile Joly & Cie 6 Bis Place de la Fontaine, 34725 St. Saturnin de Lucian (France) Tél : + 33 (0)4 67 44 52 21 Fax : + 33 (0)4 99 91 09 69 Courriel : [email protected]
Working the land
Special attention is paid to the ecosystems. Preference is given to manual work in order to allow the vines to express themselves as naturally as possible. Weeding is done manually without chemicals and organic fertilisers are used. Treatments are the same as those used by our ancestors (sulphur and copper sulphate). All this allows the vines to build up a natural resistance. This painstaking work provides the ideal conditions for development and optimal maturity.
Harvesting the grapes
Respect for the grapes, as well as respect for the vines, implies that certain principles need to be adhered to. For this reason, the grapes are picked and sorted by hand. They are then transported to the cellar in small crates where they are destalked and vinified in a traditional way.
Once they have been blended, the wines are then raised in vats or French oak barrels.
There are no strict rules at the Domaine Virgile Joly: attention and adaptation are the key elements for assuring continuity from one year to the next, hence the date of harvest (based on the maturity of the grapes), the relative acidity and the maturity of the tannins are all closely monitored. The result is a range of well-balanced, authentic and natural fine wines.
Virgile Joly & Cie 6 Bis Place de la Fontaine, 34725 St. Saturnin de Lucian (France) Tél : + 33 (0)4 67 44 52 21 Fax : + 33 (0)4 99 91 09 69 Courriel : [email protected]
WINE LIST
VIRGILE ROUGE VIRGILE BLANC AOC Languedoc Saint- Saturnin Vin de pays de l’Hérault Grape varieties: Grenache, Syrah and Grape varieties: 100% white Grenache Carignan Ageing and wine-making : 18 months in Ageing : 18 months in tanks, 12 500-litre oak vats. months in oak barrels Serving information : between 11 and 14°C Serving information: between 17 and ready to drink 2 to 5 years after harvest. 18°C, ready to drink 4 to 12 years after harvest. Available vintage : 2005
Available vintage : 2002, 2006, 2007, 2009
SATURNE ROUGE SATURNE BLANC AOC Languedoc Saint- Saturnin AOC Languedoc Grape varieties: Grenache, Syrah, Grape varieties: white Grenache and Carignan, Cinsault Roussanne Ageing : 18 months in tanks. Ageing : 9 months in tanks. Serving information : between 17 and Serving information : between 10 and 12°C, 18°C, ready to drink 3 to 8 years after ready to drink 1 to 4 years after harvest. harvest.
Available vintage : 2010/11 Available vintage : 2012
LE JOLY ROUGE LE JOLY BLANC AOC Languedoc AOC Languedoc Grape varieties: Grenache, Syrah, Grape varieties: Grenache blanc and Carignan, Cinsault Roussanne Ageing : 12 months in tanks Ageing : 8 months in tanks. Serving information : between 14 and Serving information : between 10 and 12°C, 17°C, ready to drink 1 to 3 years after ready to drink 1 to 4 years after harvest. harvest. Available vintage : 2013 Available vintage : 2012 CARTHAGENE EAU DE VIE Vin de liqueur fortifié à l’eau de vie Alcohol from grape skins of the wine Grape varieties: Cinsault and Syrah « Virgile Rouge » Ageing: 9 months in tanks Double distillation of MrFrecon Serving information : between 8 and 12°C, Ageing : severalyears ready to drink 2 to 20 years after harvest.
Available vintage : 2013
Virgile Joly & Cie 6 Bis Place de la Fontaine, 34725 St. Saturnin de Lucian (France) Tél : + 33 (0)4 67 44 52 21 Fax : + 33 (0)4 99 91 09 69 Courriel : [email protected]
VIRGILE ROUGE
Vintage Awards
2009 Decanter World Wine Awards 2014 Silver
Guide Gilbert & Gaillard 2015 Gold 87/100
Concours des Vins de la Vallée de l’Hérault 2014 Gold
Tasting note Jancis Robinson 17.5/20 2007 Challenge Millésime Bio 2013 Silver Concours Signature bio 2012 Gold Concours des Vins de la Vallée de l'Hérault 2012 Gold Decanter World Wine Awards 2011 Bronze International Wine Challenge 2011 Bronze Tasting note Jancis Robinson 17+/20
2003 Signature Bio 2009 Bronze Guide Gault et Millau 2011 Guide Gilbert et Gaillard 2011 86/100 VIRGILE BLANC
Guide Gilbert et Gaillard 2011 92/100
2005 Tasting note Jancis Robinson 17,5/20 N°1 du palmarès des vins bio du Languedoc: une sélection du magazine Terre de vins / Bettane&Desseauve 15,3/20
SATURNE ROUGE
Hachette Guide 2015 1 Star
2011 Challenge Millesime Bio 2015 Bronze
Decanter World Wine Awards 2014 Bronze
Tasting note Jancis Robinson 16+/20 2010 International Wine Challenge 2013 Bronze Decanter World Wine Awards 2013 Bronze International Wine Challenge 2012 Bronze
Virgile Joly & Cie 6 Bis Place de la Fontaine, 34725 St. Saturnin de Lucian (France) Tél : + 33 (0)4 67 44 52 21 Fax : + 33 (0)4 99 91 09 69 Courriel : [email protected]
International Wine Challenge 2011 Silver Signature bio 2012 Silver 2009 Challenge Millésime Bio 2012 Bronze Decanter World Wine Awards 2011 Commended SATURNE BLANC 2012 International Wine Challenge 2013 Commended International Wine Challenge 2012 Silver 2011 Decanter World Wine Awards 2012 Silver
2010 Tasting note Jancis Robinson 17/20 2010 Signature Bio 2012 Silver Challenge Millésime Bio 2011 Bronze Tasting note Jancis Robinson 16,5/20 2009 DecanterWine Awards 2010 Commended Guide Gilbert et Gaillard 2011 85/100 LE JOLY ROUGE International Wine Challenge 2013 Bronze 2012 Decanter World Wine Awards 2013 Bronze Signature Bio 2013 Bronze 2011 International Wine Challenge 2012 Commended International Wine Challenge 2011 Bronze 2010 Tasting note Jancis Robinson 16,5/20 Decanter World Wine Awards 2011 Commended LE JOLY BLANC
Guide Gilbert & Gaillard 2015 Gold 87/100 2013 Challenge Millesime Bio 2015 Silver Tasting note Jancis Robinson 16/20 Challenge Millésime Bio 2013 Silver 2012 Signature Bio 2013 Bronze 2011 Signature Bio 2012 Silver
Virgile Joly & Cie 6 Bis Place de la Fontaine, 34725 St. Saturnin de Lucian (France) Tél : + 33 (0)4 67 44 52 21 Fax : + 33 (0)4 99 91 09 69 Courriel : [email protected]