Alain Castex wines Les vins du Cabanon

Alain Castex, iconic figure in the Banyuls and Roussillon region and wine producer of another era.

He refuses to use any wine additive and produces in small volumes, his wines have always been extremely confidential, at most 5000 bottles in the best years. Such is the result of the efforts of this passionate winemaker, uncompromising and extremely meticulous. Founder of Le Casot des Mailloles, where he delighted us year after year since the beginning of the 21st century, then in 2015 the turning point, selling his 3.5 hectares of land overlooking the sea to Jordi Perez...terroir that return the love that you give them, but remains very difficult to work every day, especially when the powerful Tramontana starts to blow. Today Alain carries on the wines of his Vins du Cabanon vineyard, a hectare of vines grown in the Trouillas plain, 15 km south of Perpignan. There, he continues to produce his most emblematic cuvées: Canta Mañana, Ezo, Tir à Blanc and Poudre d'Escampette. The wines are obviously super natural and show once again that Castex is a simple and captivating vigneron...and that his bottles are always full of emotions!!!

Ezo 2019 - 29,90€; from 30-40 year old vines grown on granite soils with gravel and shale deposits here is this splendid deep and complex red wine, potentially one of the most aromatic of its kind that can be found in all of southern France. Alain Castex, one of our greatest heroes, a peaceful peasant who is immensely dedicated to creating magic in Roussillon. Its wines are full of passion, and it's difficult not to mention these without shedding a tear, because the liveliness, soul and heart here embody the spirituality of this immense vigneron!

Canta Mañana 2019 - 29,90€ blend of 7 local varieties, mostly composed of Grenache Gris, Grenache Noir, Syrah and Mourvèdre, but also from other ancient autochthonous grapes and all coming from vines aged between 30 and 100 years, grown in a very complex, transformed from the classic layers of shale into sand, clay and a sort of limestone native to the region. This is Alain's rosé, a wine that brings with it a sense of place so distinct that it's easy to get lost wandering through a landscape of sensory imagination at the end of the bottle. A mix of exotic fruits, with an excellent aromaticity, minerality and drinkability. SPECTACULAR!!!

Tir à Blanc 2019 - 29,90€; is pure terroir!!! An exceptional and rare white of Roussillon, obtained from the blend of 5 local varieties with majority of Grenache Blanc and Maccabeu, but also other very ancient native vines. Explosion of aromas that immediately leaps from the glass, vibrant and full of life. Wild flowers, fresh fruit, herbs, sweet lavender delight all the senses. On the palate, the wine quivers with acidity and flavor and its freshness does not decrease with age, rather the wine evolves with even more complexity and consistency. Absolutely exceptional!!!