Laetitia Geraud has been doing the winemaking at her mother’s domaine the last few years, learning from her grandfather, Joseph Geraud, and from winemaking apprenticeships both in France and Australia. The family’s cellars are located right down in the center of the old part of Collioure (a truly picturesque village on the Mediterranean) and their vineyards are scattered in Collioure, in Banyuls, and some in Cotes du Roussillon. Laetitia has won The Bacchus Award at the annual competition in Perpignan for her Collioure. A Chateauneuf recipe for the blend, with 70% Grenache and the balance 20% Mourvedre and 10% Syrah, it is big, chewy wine (bottled unfiltered for us), with a gloriously long finish. Very limited.

The cuvee Mediterranee, celebrating Banyuls proximity to the sea and its climate, is 100% barrique aged and made entirely from Grenache. It has a purity and delineation of fruit not commonly found in Banyuls.

Laetitia is a very careful, knowledgeable, and creative vigneronne, and that shows in her wines. She is also a delightful, cheerful and dedicated person, which, too, shows in her wines.