2008 Faugeres Jadis

Barral's 2008 Faugeres Jadis - which, as usual, features Carignan and south-facing Syrah and gets two full years in barrel - smells fascinatingly of grenadine, rose hip, and smoked meat. Bright blackberry and tart cherry fruit suffused with chewy tannin and an impression of crushed stone lead into a finish of mouthwatering salinity, invigorating brightness, and complex interaction of fruit and mineral. This is another instance of relative leanness conditioned by the vintage but by no means any deficiency in extract, and a sizeable bonus in vivacity. I would plan on drinking it over the next 3-4 years, though like any 2008 from the hailed-on belt of Faugeres, it should be carefully monitored for any future signs of trouble. The regimen of fermentative (and post-fermentative) extraction here, Barral points out, was little different than that for his basic cuvee, and given the effects of hail it's understandable that he wanted to exercise caution. Didier Barral - for much more about whose often singular methods consult my account in issue 183 - remains tirelessly experimental and optimistic. And while most of his attention and his passion in conversation revolves around viticulture, that doesn't mean his ambitions fail to take into account other practical matters, an example being the enormous new split-level cellar he is having meticulously built out of schist, allegedly solely for bottle-storage. The 2009s had predictably not been assembled when I visited, but were characterized by relatively thick richness, abundant tannins, sweet floral perfume, and pungent brown spices. Barral's vintage 2010 raw materials are nothing short of sensational. I would have been overjoyed to drink the Cinsault by the pitcher, and even the sweetly-concentrated, tank-raised share of Grenache and Carignan destined to inform Barral's basic 2010 bottling is as transparent to nuance as its color is opaquely dark. Importer: Kermit Lynch Wine Merchant, Berkeley, CA; tel. (510) 524-1524