Domaine Danjou Banessy - Clots Dels Escounils 2023
Domaine Danjou-Banessy is one of the most unique estates in Roussillon, located in Espira-de-l’Agly, in a Catalan landscape marked by schists, limestones, garrigue, and Mediterranean influences. Benoît and Sébastien Danjou continue a family story by giving the terroirs of the Agly valley a precise, lively, and deeply rooted interpretation. The estate works in organic farming, with biodynamic practices, in search of wines of place, sincere and built on patience. Clots Dels Escounils holds a special place in the range, as this white cuvée comes from old isolated plots in a wild environment, between garrigue, forest, and rocky reliefs. This context gives the wine a very Mediterranean identity, but also a unique freshness linked to vegetal shade and air circulation. The 2023 vintage expresses this tension between solar ripeness, texture depth, and saline energy. Domaine Danjou-Banessy Clots Dels Escounils 2023 thus presents itself as a great Catalan white, rare, textured, and deeply original.
The Clots Dels Escounils 2023 cuvée is made from Grenache Blanc, Grenache Gris, and Grenache Noir pressed as white, a blend that gives the wine a particular complexity. Grenache Blanc brings flesh, breadth, and softness of texture, while Grenache Gris enhances depth, ripe fruit nuances, and a slight phenolic sensation. Grenache Noir, worked by direct pressing, adds a more structuring dimension, with relief and subtle aromatic intensity. The plots, described as very old and located in the garrigue and forests, provide concentrated material, but the estate's approach preserves balance and finesse. Fermentation is done with indigenous yeasts, then long aging in barrels or large casks refines the texture without seeking demonstrative oak. This wine is built more on patina, salinity, and persistence than on a simple fruity expression. Clots Dels Escounils 2023 ideally requires some air to reveal its complexity and can evolve favorably in the cellar.
On tasting, Domaine Danjou-Banessy Clots Dels Escounils 2023 offers a clear golden robe, bright, sometimes slightly supported by the presence of Grenache Gris and Grenache Noir pressed as white. The nose may evoke ripe pear, white peach, mango kernel, candied citrus, dried flowers, almond, Mediterranean herbs, and a slightly smoky touch. On the palate, the wine is ample, enveloping, and savory, with a Mediterranean matter well held by deep freshness. The texture combines fat, a fine bitterness, tension, and a saline finish that prolongs the wine for a long time. The long aging brings a sensation of relief and depth, without masking the energy of the terroir. This white will ideally accompany roasted poultry, a noble fish, scallops, candied vegetables, mushroom risotto, Mediterranean cuisine with herbs, or an aged sheep cheese. It can be enjoyed after aeration but will gain complexity with a few years of aging.
Grape varieties: Grenache Blanc, Grenache Gris, Grenache Noir
