Domaine Danjou Banessy - La Truffière 2023
The Domaine Danjou-Banessy is one of the most unique estates in Roussillon, located in Espira-de-l’Agly, in the Agly valley, north of Perpignan. Benoît and Sébastien Danjou continue a family story by giving the Catalan terroirs a deep, lively, and very sensitive interpretation. The estate works with certified organic farming, using biodynamic practices, in pursuit of terroir-driven wines that are precise and stripped of any artifice. The red La Truffière holds an important place in this approach, as it comes from an area marked by schists, marls, and limestone, within the Terres Noires. This cuvée is named after the proximity of a truffle ground, which further enhances the image of an earthy, dark, and deeply Mediterranean wine. In a region often associated with solar power, Danjou-Banessy here signs a more infused, floral, and mineral expression. Domaine Danjou-Banessy La Truffière 2023 thus presents itself as a Catalan red with character, both fine, spicy, and rooted.
The La Truffière 2023 cuvée is made from Mediterranean black grape varieties, mainly cited around Grenache and Carignan for this vintage. Grenache brings flesh, ripe red fruit, brightness, and natural generosity, while Carignan reinforces tension, tangy energy, structure, and spicy character. General data available on the cuvée also mention Mourvèdre, which can contribute to depth, darker notes, and aging potential. The vines rest on black schists and marls, with a limestone base that contributes to the wine’s freshness and persistence. Vinification is based on whole cluster harvest, indigenous yeasts, and extraction by infusion to preserve the delicacy of the fruit and avoid over-concentration. Aging for 20 months in used barrels accompanies the wine without marking it with dominant oak. La Truffière 2023 thus expresses a precise reading of Roussillon, where the depth of the South remains guided by finesse, freshness, and sapidity.
On tasting, Domaine Danjou-Banessy La Truffière 2023 shows a deep, bright red robe with dark and luminous reflections. The nose may evoke raspberry, black cherry, blackberry, violet, pepper, licorice, dry herbs, and a smoky touch linked to the schists. On the palate, the wine is ample but infused, with a silky texture and fine tannins. The fruit remains precise, carried by a mineral freshness that balances Mediterranean ripeness. The finish is long, spicy, and slightly saline, with an impression of depth more than power. This red will ideally accompany roasted herb lamb, aged ribeye steak, duck with mild spices, Catalan stew, roasted pigeon, or mushroom dishes. It can be enjoyed after aeration in its youth but will gain complexity after several years in the cellar.
Grape varieties: Grenache and Carignan
