2023 Clos Lointain The Signal Grenache IGP Cotes Catalanes 6pk 6x750ml

Todd and Carrie Alexander spent nearly two decades in the wine industry—the last ten building brands like Force Majeure and Cimento in the Pacific Northwest—before a chance encounter in 2022 led them to acquire two 60- to 80-year-old vineyards in Roussillon.

Set in the foothills of the Pyrenees, these dry-farmed, organically tended parcels on black schist and slate have become the foundation for Clos Lointain. The 2023 vintage marks their first release, and it's a statement of intent.

The Signal comes from the wind-swept slopes of the Le Falgayra estate vineyard, where low-yielding vines between 60 and 80 years old dig deep into fractured black schist. Roussillon's old-vine Grenache rivals the best of the Southern Rhone—sun-warmed fruit with mineral backbone and none of the overripe bloat that plagues the category. This is 92% Grenache with small amounts of Macabeo and Grenache Gris, partially whole-cluster fermented in concrete and aged 14 months in neutral French oak. Unfined, unfiltered, minimal intervention.

Sun-warmed raspberries, blood orange, and crushed red plum on the nose, interwoven with dried herbs, black tea, and iron-rich minerality. The palate is structured and textural—finely knit tannins, a pulse of bright acidity, serious weight without heaviness. Owen Bargreen scored it 96 points and called it "silky and refined with serious texture and weight. Complex and delicious."

This is what happens when Pacific Northwest precision meets old-vine Roussillon fruit. First vintage, 96 points, and the kind of wine that makes you wonder why you've been paying Chateauneuf-du-Pape prices for less.