Many of you may be aware of Didier Barral’s status in France as one of the few capable of truly “making wine in the vineyard.” He definitely takes the concept to the extreme. When you cut off the main road and meander through rolling hills to find his domaine in the small hamlet of Lentheric, time decidedly slows down. With the exception of tractor technology, little has changed here in terms of viticulture since Roman times. Each time I arrive, Didier’s brother Jean-Luc will inevitably be in their tractor shed tinkering with one of their new inventions, his mother will be tending her vegetable patch next to the shed, and his son Victor will be rooting for earthworms to go fishing or minding the family’s ducks and chickens. It has been this way every visit over the past ten years, and I really don’t expect it to change much.
     Each year Didier will have new theories about harnessing the wonderful power of Mother Nature to promote biodiversity and, most important for him, vine health in his vineyards. Last year he planted fruit trees around his vineyards to allow bats to effectively hunt at night and eat predatory insects. Didier has no cell phone, television, email address, or computer, and hones his craft by observation and reflection.
     Barral wines come straight from the farm—nothing added or taken away—and you immediately taste the difference. Jadis is based upon old-vine Carignan but sees a complement of southern-exposed Syrah along with a dollop of Grenache. Didier ages it in older barrels for two years prior to bottling. –Dixon Brooke