JOÉ CHANDELLIER

Saint-Come-et-Mareujols, Languedoc

The Gard continues to excite, with an abundance of young vignerons attracted by a feeling of discovery, affordable vines and cellar spaces, and its stunning natural beauty. Joé Chandelier is a picture-perfect example of this new wave of young winemakers moving into the area. Since his first year in 2019, he has amassed 7.5ha of vines, planted to a mix of Syrah, Grenache, Carignan, Aramon, Cinsault, and Rolle. Everything is organic, and the only additions in the cellar are small amounts of SO2 at bottling (no more than 2.5g/l, often less), nor does he employ fining or filtration during the winemaking process.

This year we’re starting with mix of reds and a delicious over-vintaged rosé, but there should be whites for the first time from the 2023 vintage. These are affordable, and decidedly crushable wines that steer clear of any pretension, but there is a certain depth and focus to them that makes us believe Joé’s wines will have a lot more to say in the coming years.