Joe Jefferies

Languedoc, France

Originally from Warwickshire, England, Joe Jefferies went to the Languedoc in the early 2000s, met his now wife and winemaking partner Amandine, and never returned to his motherland. Amandine's father was a hobbyist vigneron, and at a point handed over his sites to Joe. Working with mostly basalt, or volcanic soils, from a zone that feels like a sister location to the volcanic terroir of the Auvergne, Jefferies has been quietly producing wines of pedigree that have flown mostly under the radar of even the most serious natural wine drinkers. Tasting with Joe at the slammed Les Anonymes salon earlier this year in Angers was an awakening experience for me, bringing me out of the previous night’s induced stupor. Every single bottle had both freshness and depth and felt like wines for both now and later. If you've hung out with me lately, I'm sure you've heard me complain about my inability to actually taste at a salon, but there are exceptions to this, and what I experienced with Jefferies' wines that morning spoke to the quality of the lot. Perhaps it's no coincidence that the only other winemaker whose bottles really woke me up that morning at the salon was Bernard Bellahsen of Fontedicto, Joe’s neighbor in Caux, and a bit of an informal mentor to him, whose own wines show that really learning one's own terroir is the key to limitless personal expression in the glass. Like Bernard, Joe is also aware of these facts, and it's a treat for us to experience the results.

Le Cabane de Jeanne 2020
Grenache Blanc / Marsanne
$32

Le Pierre de Sisyphe 2021
Terret Blanc / Ugni Blanc
$32

Where Black is the Color 2020
Carignan / Grenache Noir & Gris
$32

Pas de Nouvelle 2021
Grenache Noir & Gris / Cinsault
$32