Star Buy - Grenache Gris

I'm so thrilled to see my Grenache Gris 2014 selected by Rose Murray Brown MW as her STAR BUY in The Scotsman on the 23rd July.

Rosemary writes

"For those who like full flavoured whites, the intriguing Grenache Gris grape makes a lusciously rich honeyed white in warm Roussillon.  Englishwoman Katie Jones unexpectedly discovered some old gnarled vines of this unusual grape in her Maury vineyard; expect fresh minerality combined with herby spicy undertones."

There are limited amounts of the 2014 still available either at The Wine Society or online here

Full article

My journey to work

Yesterday I had the most amazing drive to work.  Work was going to fill up my pick up truck with old vines for the fire - I know not really work, more like play.  The drive was from Paziols to Maury over the top via Cucugnan and Queribus castle and it was amazing!

Mist over the Maury Valley

Queribus castle on the left, low lying cloud on the right

The Office and my Grenache Gris vines

And if you fancy doing the drive here are directions journey to work - NB 24 minutes journey time does not include photo stops.

Winter Pruning

We have now entered the major pruning season at Domaine Jones.  Pruning will last until March and here I must admit to getting a little help from my friends.  It has now become a family tradition that after the over indulgence of the festive period the Jones family get out in the vineyards and burn off calories with some energetic top pruning.

With invaluable help from Mum and Dad and my Uncle Ed we snipped our way through over 12 000 vines.  It took us the best part of 2 weeks but the fresh air, breathtaking views and frugal picnics gave us a good, healthy start to 2013.

Now the professional pruning needs to begin and I am very happy to leave this to the professionals and get on with blending the 2012s in the Vatican Wine Cellar.

The Big Prune Part II

We like a challenge in the Jones' family.  So barely had the oysters and dinde had time to go down, and we were back out secateurs at the ready in the Domaine Jones vineyard in Maury.  2.7 hectares, 8000 vines all needing a short back and sides before News Years Day.

Dad, feeling the pressure

Mum, a rayon of sunshine

The first day the sun shone and wasn't it lovely to be out in the great outdoors?  By the 5th day we had had wind, rain and rainbows but the moral never dipped.  We were chased from the vineyard by mosquitos, saw the flight of the starlings and got smoke in our eyes.  But we did it!  

We have started as we mean to go on - bring on 2012.

Katie, look no secateurs!

Christmas pruning

Yum, yum, yum Christmas was delicious but too much chocolate, cakes and Christmas pudding.  Now it's the great Christmas detox - I have 8000 vines that need top pruning at Maury so secateurs in hand and wind in hair this is the best way to get ready for the New Year.  

Woolly hatted Katie

Twigs and bonfires and lots of fresh air.

Greedy wild boar and flaming snails

Boars munch their way through the Muscat

The wild boar are not flavour of the month! In fact they need to watch out as hunting season has now started and I am a woman with a mission.  They managed to munch their way through my Muscat vines before we had time to get the electric fence up. I have lost about a third of the grapes which will make the very low production Jones Muscat even more rare in 2011.

Dripping lard into each snail

The summer heat has finally arrived and what better way to spend the time than a snail barbecue with french family and friends (actually I could think of quite a few ways).  This is a great local tradition and over 600 snails were prepared with salt and pepper, popped on a grill and lard melted into each snail.  Then they are cooked on the barbecue and eaten with home made garlic mayonnaise and french bread.  I managed to eat 5 - a feeble effort compared to my neighbour who chewed his way through 81!

Ready steady escargot!  Dribbly snails

And finally a word on the ripening grapes which after a speedy start to the growing season have now slowed down due to lack of sun and it looks like the harvest will be at about the same time as last year which is in about 2 weeks!!

Lovely ripening Grenache Gris grapes

Blooming vines

Bud burst in Domaine Jones Fitou vineyard

Lovely warm weather and a very wet March have made the vines burst into life with such determination that we have been taken a bit by surprise.  We went to have a look at the Domaine Jones vineyard last Sunday and the vines are so full of the joys of spring that they already have enough leaves and tiny bunches to warrant the first powdering of sulphur.  But you can't sulphur when its windy so we had to wait all week for the wind to drop and this morning did out first powdering by hand.

Hello leaves

Pruning en famille

So what do you do when you've got 7000 vines left to prune and not enough time to do it?  Well, Mum and Dad were looking for a bit of physical exercise after the Christmas celebrations and fed up with the snow in Ashby de la Zouch they didn't take much persuading to get on the plane, swap the snow for the sun, and come and give a very welcome hand at Domaine Jones.

Quick lesson in pruning

and off we go

And as they started snipping the long vine shoots I got on with clearing up the vineyard.   The bareness of the vineyard makes it easy to see and pick up the cuttings and bits of old vine but is was also very easy to see the damage that the torrential rain in October had done to the soil. Large gashes, that made me go ouch, cut across the vineyard exposing vine roots and layers of the black slate soils.  We stuck a superficial plaster on it by putting cuttings and stones in the trenches but a major stone wall building operation is needed to permanently sort out the problem.

Mother Jones making smoke signals

Five, six pick up sticks

My little vine bonfire

Naked vines and full tummies

Naked vines in Maury

The sun came out and so did I!  Time to get on with the pruning at Domaine Jones vineyard in Maury. There are no leaves left anywhere to be seen and I just have 8000 vines to go, so I have given up on making fagots and need to get a move on. 

Whilst I am pruning I think a lot about food in general and in particular the delicious meal we had at Les Rochons in Paris last weekend.  I had a black pudding tart with confit d'onions and ending up feeling like the man in my photo.  It is a lovely cosy little restaurant just behind Notre Dame and the food is generous, traditional french cooking.

In the Pink

Early morning Katie

Ripe Grenache Pink

Sunlight on cradle of Grenache Pink

Absolutely amazing sunrise in the vineyard this morning with soft sunshine on the Grenache gris grapes and on my friend Jane.  We checked the sugar levels of the Grenache Gris which are ready to pick tomorrow.