Joe Jefferies

Much like the wines of Joseph Jefferies’ Herault mentor Bernard Bellahsen of Domaine Fontedicto, Jefferies has remained a pretty underground and cult-like figure, championed only by a few such as the writer Aaron Ayscough, and Bernard himself. A few years back In the early days of Canta, I had received a case of Le Pierre de Sisyphe 2018 from his previous US importer, and was completely blown away by it, but I really didn’t know much about Joe then—who was this English guy making plush Southern white wine and nuanced light reds in the Languedoc? Almost exactly a year ago, I tasted with Joe at the hectic Les Anonymes salon in Angers, France, and while almost every table was slammed, and it felt impossible to even reach my glass out for a pour, I slid right up to Jefferies’ spot and proceeded to taste through what I felt were the best wines that morning, all awakening me out of my numbed hungover state. I sampled a lot of wine that day, and while salons are not my favorite format to taste by any means, I left Angers that afternoon with the impression that this Brit was truly onto something special. The funny thing with natural wine sometimes is that it’s so easy to take for granted wines that simply feel good and nourishing, juices that feel light on the palate and that don’t weigh you down. But then all of a sudden everything you encounter feels heavy and cumbersome, and you can’t seem to find these sorts of drinks anymore. I’ve at least experienced this sensation before many times. Anyways, we like to cheer for the underdog here at Canta a bit, and Joe Jefferies is just that incarnate—an unlikely source of some of the more pleasurable bottles one is likely to encounter any time soon. Now in is a lot of both new and older releases, straight from Joe’s cellar.

Le 19/20
Grenache Gris, Blanc, Noir, Cinsault
$33



BRUTAL!!! Blanc 2019
Ugni Blanc, Terret, Marsanne
$29



Le Pierre de Sisyphe 2020
Terret Bouret / Ugni Blanc
$33



Where Black is the Color 2021
Carignan 
$32



Iris s’envole a travers le ciel 2022
Grenache Gris + Noir, Cinsault
$30