There’s some kind of weird nominative determinism going on in the tiny village of Calce. It is home to some of the most mineral white wines in the south of France, made by the likes of Jean-Philippe Padié, Domaine Gauby and Olivier Pithon, wines that seem to have a seam of limestone running through them, which is strangely echoed in the name Calce, which comes from calcium… chalk… limestone. This stunning blend of Grenache Gris and Macabeu tastes like it has been filtered through white rock, with citrus and broken slate to the fore with a satisfying depth of white-fleshed stone fruits. It has that wonderful French knack of expressing the nature of the grape, the vintage and the soil too, pinpointing it in time and place, which is probably what they mean more succinctly when they just say terroir. 12.5% alc. Drink now-2029.

The grapes come from selected plots on steep slate terraces, 15 miles west of Perpignan. The Macabeu vines are now up to 75 years old and the vineyards are cultivated biodynamically. The yield is low at 15 hectolitres per hectare and the harvest is done manually. Fermentation and aging take place over 10 months, partly in barriques and partly in 600-litre wooden barrels called "demi-muids". Annual production is 8,400 bottles.

Organic. Biodynamic.

Press review:

The Wine Advocate (previous vintage): “Light to medium-bodied, with a saline-quinine quality to its notes of lime, underripe pear and green apple. Brisk and refreshing, it would work best as an apéritif or shellfish accompaniment.”