Vindemiatrix VdF 2021

A Carignan that draws its power from the age of the vines while staying lean: dark berry fruit and cool spice at 12.5% vol., vinified dry.

The vineyard lies in the southwestern Roussillon, not far from the Spanish border, on a terrace protected by rocks, old stone walls and the adjoining forest. The subsoil is weathered gneiss, which lends minerality and depth. Georg Meissner took over the plot, which would have been grubbed up without his commitment.

Carignan from vines dating back to 1899, which form the foundation of this wine. Meissner teaches Rudolf Steiner's methods at Geisenheim University and is responsible for agriculture, cellar and research at Alois Lageder in South Tyrol; in the Roussillon, Flo Busch tends the vines, with whom he also shares the cellar. The wine is made in a tiny quantity and bottled at Moulin de Breuil in Montesquieu-des-Albères.

Dry, dense and juicy, with blackberry and black cherry, violet and black pepper, plus the herbal spice of the garrigue. The tannin is fine-grained, and the moderate alcohol keeps the wine fresh.

The name Vindemiatrix, Latin for "grape harvester", refers to a star in the constellation Virgo. Cultivation consistently follows biodynamic principles, and the label carries the Demeter logo. Since 2015, Meissner has been passing on his knowledge in the training programme of the winegrowers' group respekt-BIODYN.