An EXTREMELY cold January, with rare snow lying on the ground (briefly) marked the start of a year that was incredibly dry. Very low rainfall in a cool spring, and then a nice mini heatwave in June, but still very little rain. Two more heat spikes in mid July and late August, followed by September rains which finally allowed the vines a little moisture, and helped to swell the thick-skinned grapes. Most of the vineyards for our white and rosé were harvested before the rain, and most of our reds in a dry spell after the rainy spells. A good year for white and pinks, and a GREAT year for reds.

What a nose! An explosion of dense, plump, ripe dark fruit - layered mulberries, smoky plums, and wild garrigue. And a whiff of kirsch, and maybe chocolate.

The palate is succulent and beguiling, with incredibly forward ripe fruit, and there's loads of grippy tannins too - svelte and finely textured, yet suggesting some protein-rich food to soak them up. This is one of the best vintages we have ever made - up there with 2008, 2011, 2015 and 2017.

The year's wine is a rich red - deeper coloured than the last couple of years, reflecting the riper vintage.

Great with grilled red meat, hearty stews, barbequed food, and hard cheeses.

After pressing, all of the wine was drained into a mixture of 500L and 225L barrels, approximately a quarter of which are new, and left to mature for 16 months.

All our grapes for Domaine of the Bee were hand harvested, and then hand-sorted at the winery to ensure we only chose the healthiest and ripest grapes.

In March 2023