Domaine de l'Horizon - Blanc 2015

The wines of Domaine de l’Horizon had been on the list of wines we wanted to taste for quite some time now. We became aware of this at a trade fair, but without tasting the wines. We had drunk Matassa shortly before and somehow got into conversation with a dealer about natural wine. He recommended Domaine de l’Horizon to us. That was not the only time the name came up and now we finally have a glass of wine from them in front of us. We drink the Blanc from 2015, a cuvée of Grenache Gris, Grenache Blanc and Macabeu. The wines are the responsibility of Thomas Teibert, who previously made wine at Manincor in South Tyrol and who founded the winery in Calce in Roussillon in 2005 together with wine dealer Joachim Christ. The grapes come from older vines, which are cultivated ecologically and experience little intervention in the cellar.

The first impression of what comes out of the glass is intense immediately after the bottle is opened. Very dense, acetone, first of all I think of age tones that I would not have expected in 2015. But that is not it. With every swivel, the impression of too much age or a bad bottle becomes less and less and changes. Apple peelings, something candied is there, lots of herbs and the wine becomes fresher and fresher in the nose. Mirabelle plum comes along and above all we already have a lot of structure in its fragrance. On the palate there is a freshness that fights against the first impression of too many age tones, there is no maturity at all, but a lot of complexity. On the tongue, the wine also changes a lot with every minute of air and every little sip. In between there are floral notes, some pears, a little peach, it gets creamier and creamier and then there is a light ripe note, but now it fits perfectly. The spice on the tongue, the fruit, the oxidative notes in between, that’s great.

On the second evening, the wine appears woody on the nose, more mirabelle plum, a little bit of nutmeg. Oxidised apple peel mixes with fresh apple fruit. On the tongue it is still very clear, mineral with a strong, lively acidity and lots of spice. Then plum liqueur in the nose, followed by floral tones. It keeps on being really complex. Long, dense and far away from easy drinking. But beautiful.

The first five minutes confused me a lot. There was so much age tone that I was already worried about the bottle and the blog post. I don’t write about bottles that I’m not sure if they’re okay or not. But the cork is perfect and the development that the wine went through over the two days was quite an experience. So I think it’s okay and I’m looking forward to another vintage waiting in the cellar to put the experience to the test.

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