In the late 70’s, there were many uprisings in the Languedoc wine region because of the economic hardship of small, independent farmers (which is still the case). The Languedoc’s vineyards were overcropped to produce cheap wine. When his generation was thinking of leaving the region, Olivier Jullien, then 20 years old, converted some of the family farm’s outbuildings into a cellar, and he started making wines under the Mas Jullien label. Inspired by Olivier’s success, his father withdrew from the co-operative and create his own winery, Mas Cal Demoura, in 1993.
Olivier revived a few plots of vineyards from 1985 in the Coteaux du Languedoc, around the village of Jonquières, 40km North of Montpellier, just below Mont Baudille, planted at up to 900 m - some of the highest altitude vineyards in the region. This sub region of Coteaux du Languedoc has now gained its own AOP, the Terrasses du Larzac. Mas Jullien’s estate now spreads on 20 hectares. The soils include clay, chalk, limestone gravel (a terroir especially appreciated by Olivier Jullien for its microbe activity), sandstone and siliceous earth. Vines are 35 years on average, with red varieties (mainly carignan, as well as cinsault, grenache noir, syrah and mourvèdre) accounting for 16 hectares and white varieties (viognier, chenin, roussanne and manseng) accounting for 4 hectares.
This wine is a blend of grenache and old cinsault, about 50/50, aged in large oak foudre for 12 months.
La Brune is a single vineyard wine first made in 2016, from the historic part of the estate and a new adjacent parcel of old cinsault vines bought recently. La Brune is a softer wine that Autour de Jonquières, more approachable in its youth, because of the old cinsault vines accounting for about 50% of the blend. Red and black fruit, spices, silky tannins and ripe fruit characters. Juicy and clean.
