Clos Saint-Joseph 2022 "Les Planches de Lunel" Alpes-Maritimes Grassenc, Provence

One hundred years ago, in 1925, vigneron Roch Sassi’s great-grandfather planted a vineyard with a smattering of local grapes on his farm near the Italian border.  A few years ago, Roch realized he had some vines he couldn’t identify, so he had them tested only to discover that his great-grandfather had planted Grassenc.  Curious about this little-known variety, Roch took cuttings from those vines and replanted a few rows to see whether they would make a worthy red in 2010.  Les Planches de Lunel is the result of that beautiful experiment. Light, floral, and peppery—you won’t taste anything else like it this year.—Tom Wolf

Roch Sassi of Clos Saint-Joseph (named for his great-grandfather) is the only grower to bottle any wine eked from these incredibly rocky slopes. His wines fall under the Côtes de Provence appellation, even though the much cooler terroir here has little relation to the rest of the AOC. Villars in fact represents an isolated enclave of Côtes de Provence that enjoys a unique microclimate, the dry heat buffered by cold air currents from the surrounding mountains. These conditions allow for full ripening at remarkably low alcohol levels, maintaining lively fruit and bright acidity in the wines.