Danjou-Banessy Supernova VdF Blanc 2022

• Size: 1.5 ha (3.71 ac)
• Variety: Muscat of Alexandrie
• Vine Age: Over 70 years old
• Terroir: “Les Terres Noires” slate soil
• Viticulture: Organic
• Vinification: Indigenous yeast fermentation, 1 month infusion of slightly crushed whole-clusters. Aged for 10-12 months in barrel (no new oak). Unfined, unfiltered, bottled by gravity.

Domaine Danjou-Banessy is a 17-hectare estate located in French Catalonia, just north of the town of Perpignan, and close to where the Spanish border and the Mediterranean meet. Perpignan is surrounded by the Pyrenee Mountains to the north, south, and west, and by the Mediterranean Sea to the east. The highest peak, ''Le Canigou’' reaches 9137 feet. Directly to the south of Perpignan is the ''Les Albères’ mountain range, which represents the geographical border between France and Spain. People here identify more with Spain than France, and many consider themselves Catalan rather than French or Occitan, and many speak Catalan as well. The climate is Mediterranean: hot and dry. The landscape is rugged and the vines are old and gnarly. As far as white grapes go, the region is known for Muscat.

The domaine is managed by two brothers, Benoît and Sébastien, who inherited the estate from their grandfather in 2001. For generations Rivesaltes was the focus here, but the brothers have shifted to the production of dry red and white wines, some more adventurous and experimental than others.

The vineyards are farmed biodynamically and organically and have in fact never been treated with chemicals of any kind. The average age of the vines is over 60 years, and they are all indigenous varieties such as Muscat d’Alexandrie, Maccabeu, Carignan, Mourvedre, Grenache, and Syrah. They produce multiple cuvées that reflect the distinct parcels of vineyards with completely different soils: the Estaca vineyard is comprised of marl and schist, with silica and a trace of iron. The Truffière and Myrs vineyards lie on black schist and limestone; Clos des Escounils, is a mixture of clay and limestone.

The brothers take as non-interventionist approach in the vineyards and cellar as possible, but the wines don’t make themselves, so…techniques they employ include crushing by foot, whole cluster fermentation, wild yeasts, sometimes extended elevage, sometimes elevage sous voile, or “under a veil” of yeast, like in Jura, or with sherry.

Supernova  is a finely woven, complex, lush and expressive orange wine of Muscat d’Alexandrie. The rich texture that hints at orange cream and dried fruit and herbs is backed by a tension that lifts the fruit and stimulates the palate. Supernova sees two weeks skin contact and six months maceration in barrels with a little oxidation. It’s slightly wild, in a “landscape taken back by nature” kind of way. We have a little bit of other the brother’s other cuvées…but not much.