Le Gneiss

About the winemaker

Joseph Paillé is a contemporary classic, a natural born winemaker who puts good farming first. His roots are in Anjou, in a winemaking family. He grew up in the vineyards of France and fine-tuned his craft in the USA and Canada. For 7 years, he was at the helm of Domaine PIthon-Paillé in the Loire which he created with his mother and stepfather. Today he works with Julie (who is also a member of the Gypsy Queen wine collective) on 12 windy hectares between mountains and sea in the Pyrénées Orientales. Its a fine climate for grape-growing. The Algy and Boulzane rivers flow down the mountains, the sun shines most of the time and the winds are the vines’ best friend. There’s Syrah, Grenache, Carignan and Mouvèdre for the reds and Macabeu for the whites, all planted between 300 and 400m on decomposing metamorphic rock: granit, schist and clay-limestone. These southern grapes love these old soils, as does Joseph. He farms organically, works with indigenous yeasts and matures his wines in neutral vessels: concrete tanks, stainless steel, 20hl oak foudres and 600l demi-muids. Joseph has been evolving with this estate since 2014 and what you get is perfect balance. His wines are complex, compelling, joyful, characterful and full of warmth. Never say no to a glass of Benastra.