Domaine Danjou Banessy - Clot dels Escounils 2024
Domaine Danjou-Banessy is one of the most unique estates in Roussillon, located in Espira-de-l’Agly, in a landscape of old vines, scrubland, forests, and complex soils. Benoît and Sébastien Danjou continue a family story by giving the Catalan terroirs a precise, lively, and deeply rooted interpretation. The estate works with certified organic farming, using biodynamic practices, in search of terroir-driven wines that are both sensitive, textured, and carried by a strong Mediterranean identity. Clot dels Escounils holds a special place in the range, as this cuvée comes from a wild, isolated environment surrounded by pine trees, where vegetal freshness nuances the maturity of the South. This confidential terroir, sometimes described as a rocky amphitheater or a small parcel enclosure, gives birth to a rare, enveloping, and saline white wine. The 2024 vintage fits into this expression of depth, with a wine that combines substance, tension, and aromatic originality. Domaine Danjou-Banessy Clot dels Escounils 2024 thus presents itself as a great Catalan white of character, both sunny, mineral, and deeply unique.
The Clot dels Escounils 2024 cuvée comes from old mixed-planted vines, generally described around Grenache Gris, Grenache Blanc, and Grenache Noir. This mixed planting gives the wine a particular complexity, as it combines the flesh of Grenache Gris, the finesse of Grenache Blanc, and a more structuring nuance brought by Grenache Noir pressed as white. The soils mentioned vary according to sources, mixing pink sandstone, limestone, brown schists, or clay-limestone slopes, in an area constantly marked by wind, light, and proximity to the forest. Direct pressing preserves the balance of fruit and the pale color of the wine, while extracting a deep substance from very ripe grapes and old vines. The long aging, around 20 months in barrels or large casks, brings breadth, polish, and great stability without seeking demonstrative oak. Clot dels Escounils 2024 stands out by a serious Mediterranean white profile, enveloping and savory, built more on texture and salinity than on simple aromatic freshness. It is a cuvée of patience, deserving moderate aeration and able to evolve with elegance in the cellar.
On tasting, Domaine Danjou-Banessy Clot dels Escounils 2024 offers a clear golden robe, bright, sometimes slightly supported by the presence of Grenache Gris and Grenache Noir pressed as white. The nose can evoke ripe pear, white peach, mango kernel, candied citrus, spring flowers, almond, dry herbs, and a slightly smoky touch. On the palate, the wine is ample, enveloping, and savory, with a Mediterranean substance well held by deep freshness. The texture is one of its great markers, mixing fat, tension, fine bitterness, and final salinity. The long aging brings a sensation of depth and relief, without erasing the energy of the terroir. This white will ideally accompany roasted poultry, a noble fish, scallops, confit vegetables, Mediterranean herb cuisine, mushroom risotto, or an aged sheep cheese. It can be enjoyed after aeration but will gain complexity with a few years of aging.
Grape varieties: Grenache Gris, Grenache Blanc, Grenache Noir
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