Domaine of the Bee 2018

In 2004, Master of Wine Justin Howard-Sneyd and his wife Amanda founded Domaine of the Bee, purchasing four hectares of old vines near the village of Maury in southern France, a personal passion project as much as a business. The Maury Valley is a dramatic fold in the landscape, formed when the Iberian Peninsula collided with France, creating the Pyrenees. Its walls are limestone, and its floor is largely black schist, the same prized soil found in the Mosel, Douro and Priorat. The vines, Grenache and Carignan, many over 60 years old, are farmed by Richard Case, owner-winemaker of Domaine de La Pertuisane, while Justin and Amanda remain based in London. With production kept small, these wines are genuinely rare.