Domaine Jones: Overcoming Obstacles

Domaine Jones is made up of over twenty small vineyards scattered around the villages of Maury, Paziols and Tuchan in the western Languedoc, bordering Roussillon on the mountainous and rugged terrain that makes up Haut-Fitou.

Originally from the UK, Katie left for France over twenty years ago. She made the remote mountain village of Tuchan her new home, working at the local wine cooperative. She left the cooperative in 2009 to start producing her own wine after buying a small vineyard in the Maury Hills. She has earned an excellent reputation for her award-winning Fitou. The road to success has not been without obstacles however, as both geographical constraints and local politics have put a spoke in her wheels.

Katie is driven by a desire to save and preserve the heritage of this land. The parcels are isolated, high up with breathtaking views, making them inherently difficult to cultivate, and are planted with old vines, many over 100 years old. Soils vary from schist to clay and limestone, with each parcel vinified separately. Most of her vineyards are too small, too remote and too much hard work for anyone else to be interested in them, but she is passionate and determined. This passion clearly shows through in her wines, and they have been rewarded for it.

Katie’s beginnings were not so rosy, however. When she left the cooperative to start her own winery, the timing coincided with the recession. The cooperative’s sales slumped and unfortunately, in the eyes of some people, Katie was to blame. In addition to vine-stripping, wild boar and forest fires, there was also village gossip and sabotage. When she and husband Jean-Marc, a local, tried to purchase the old town’s train shed for their winery, the town hall attempted to block that sale, albeit unsuccessfully. Subsequently, back in 2013, her winery was vandalized, and her vats of white wine were emptied. Ever since, sporadic acts of damage, such as signposts being graffitied, have taken place. Despite all this, Katie Jones still believes in what she is doing and keeps making her wine in the beautiful Tuchan region.

All Domaine Jones wines are produced exclusively from hand-picked grapes grown on very old vines on steep mountain slopes, resulting in low yields and very high quality. Domaine Jones has gone from grit to strength and Katie now has around 25 small vineyard plots totaling about 12 hectares. Their philosophy is to vinify the vineyards separately, rather than mixing, so that they are completely knowledgeable about the quality coming from each. Domaine Jones only cultivates traditional grape varieties: Grenache, Grenache Noir, Lledoner Pelut and Syrah for the reds, and Grenache Gris, Grenache Blanc, Macabeu, Muscat and Carignan Gris for the whites. Many of these vines have been growing on site for hundreds of years and make delicious wines.

This year marks Domaine Jones’ tenth anniversary — we wish them many more!