Clos St. Jean
This is new estate for Lay & Wheeler and one which has been the recipient of strong positive comment for a number of years now already. Before 2002 the wines were very much in the traditional style, but a number of years working with leading Rhône oenology consultant Philippe Cambie in the late 1990s resulted in a dramatic paradigm shift with the 2003 vintage (it would have occurred in 2002, but the decision was taken to bottle no wine that year due to the impact of the harvest deluge). It was clear from our visit to the property that attention to detail is near fanatical. The domain is moderately large at 44 hectares, with a wealth of old vine Grenache, much of it planted at the beginning of the twentieth century. None of the Grenache sees any wood, but is all aged in concrete tanks. Meanwhile the wines from Syrah, Mourvèdre, Cinsault and Vaccarese may spend some time in barriques but for the most part only of one to three years age.
