Mas Coutelou Touch of Class 2019

Touch of Class (Classe) is a red blend from Jean-François "Jeff" Coutelou of Mas Coutelou, made from organically farmed Grenache, Syrah, and Carignan grown around the village of Puimisson in the Hérault department of Languedoc, Southern France. The 2019 vintage produced fruit that is full, deep, and vivid. Vinification follows Jeff's minimal-intervention approach: native yeast fermentation, no added sulfur, no fining, no filtration.

The vineyards sit on red clay and limestone soils in and around Puimisson, roughly midway between Béziers and the Mediterranean coast. The estate has been certified organic since 1987, one of the first in the Hérault to receive that distinction. Jeff farms 13 hectares by hand and has planted olive trees and hedgerows throughout the property to support biodiversity and buffer against neighboring conventional farms.

In the cellar, Jeff adapts his approach vintage by vintage — maceration length, destemming, and vessel choices vary by grape and growing season rather than following a fixed formula. The result is a wine that reflects the specific character of the year. The 2019 is drinking with depth and energy, carrying the signature garrigue and dark fruit character of the Languedoc alongside the freshness Jeff's farming consistently delivers.