Jean-Benoît Cavalier’s family has been farming the family vineyards for thirteen generations. The family’s existence is bound to the land across a timeline that reaches back beyond the World Wars and the French Revolution. The vineyards seem to exist outside of time, in an isolated 25-hectare pocket of land surrounded by 350 hectares of old growth forest and the garrigue that is so important to the Languedoc.

Lascaux is sandwiched between the mountains of the Languedoc and the Mediterranean Sea. The great winds of the Mistral rip across the Rhone valley – and on their journey they pass right through Jean-Benoît’s land. The winds of the Tramontne – winds that drove Victor Hugo to the edge of sanity – also howl across these vineyards as they pass between the Pyrenees and the Massif Central. This is terroir. This is history. This confluence of nature; this gathering of forces – of wind, rain, fog and sun – over the ancient, fractured limestone soils of vineyards that have been farmed by generations of Cavaliers.

The ‘Carra’ is made from Syrah and Grenache farmed at the northern extremity of the Pic Saint Loup appellation. Here, buffeted by wind, surrounded by garrigue, and growing atop ancient limestone deposits, Syrah and Grenache ripen slowly. Jean-Benoît ages the wine in cuve (oak vats) for 14 months and bottles it without fining or filtration. The result is a wine of great purity – a wine that expresses the place with precision. There’s plenty of garrigue in here – rosemary, thyme, a bit of mint, even. The wine is fresh and mouthwatering – it sets of an instant saliva bomb . It tastes of red cherry, cranberry, and blackberry. The minerally, minty, red currant finish is non-stop.

Folks, this is one to load up on. I rarely put out the hard sell when it comes to club wines, but at $20 a bottle, this would be a total steal. With your club discount, it just can’t be beat. It’s a real gem.