You can barely see the vines at La Gaffeliere for the profusion of flowers and grasses between the rows. Cover crops help prevent soil erosion, and bring biodiversity to the vineyard. They are very much part and parcel of a sensitive approach that extends as much to the winery as the vineyard. ‘We were under the radar for a long time,’ says Thomas Soubes. ‘We weren’t so popular in the Parker era because everyone wanted big wines. We never changed the way we made wine, but now fashion has returned to us.’ Which isn’t to say they haven’t been working hard to improve their wine. A long-term programme of vineyard replanting has seen the percentage of Cabernet Franc return to where it was in the first half of the 20th century. The vines are in three spots. on the limestone plateau next to Ausone, over the cusp of the slope on limestone-embedded clay, and at the bottom of the slop where the black sandy soils need careful management, but also bring very fine aromatics.

Clos La Gaffeliere was previously the second wine here, but now it is a standalone property with vineyards all its own, below Pavie and alongside the lower slope at Larcis Ducasse. It has a marked plum-and-wild-strawberry character, with fine tannins. ‘We have worked on fine tannins to make this drinkable at any age, though of course you can keep it.’ (NT 11/08/23)