Mas Jullien Les Etats d'Ame Coteaux du Languedoc

The Wine... Reds at this address are aged in mid-sized older barrels known as demi-muids. Jullien was dissatisfied with experiments in micro-terroir bottlings from his land: today he prefers to make only two reds, a flagship bearing the estate name and “etats d’ame” (moods, or states, of the soul): a fruitier and more aromatic red for early consumption. Balance, not flash or excess, is the emphasis here. All of Jullien’s wines improve with time in bottle.

The Man... Olivier Jullien's land has been worked by his family for generations. He was born when the Languedoc was at its winemaking nadir. Quality in the region had sunk. Hard-to-love wines were being made on a vast scale and in a slapdash fashion by cooperatives that dominated the Languedoc’s economic landscape. Olivier, however, saw clearly the potential of his region's terroir. At twenty, he began farming some of his family's vineyards and searching the region for the best vineyards to purchase. He made a cellar from outbuildings on his property, and started estate-bottling under the Mas Jullien label. As a sign of his accomplishments, in 1993 Olivier’s father followed his lead and began to estate-bottle wine for the first time. Olivier said, "with this courageous and highly symbolic action, he quite simply became himself."

The Estate... Today Jullien farms 15 hectares of vines near Jonquieres, a region known as Terrasses de Larzac. He used to cultivate more land, but reduced his production to plant trees and work in the direction of a more balanced ecosystem around his vines.