When René Devine started selling barrels of wine to passing merchants in 1936, he was selling the sort of rich, full bodied and sun soaked wines that caused a sensation in Paris when railroads first connected the city to the vineyards of southern France. René’s granddaughter Agnes runs the domaine today with her husband Bertrand Burle, and they look for balance in the wines. Balance between intensity and finesse, between fruit and savory earth, between the present and the future. They have the highest organic certification available and work as sustainably as possible. Font Sarade means ‘dry district’ in the Provençal dialect, and the grapes struggle even in normal years, so sustainable practices are always part of the conversation. The 2022 edition begins with notes of dried fruits like black cherry, plum and currant. There’s a touch of cherrywood smoke and the garrigue notes: lavender, rosemary, and dusty earth. The palate is full bodied with a stewed mash of black and red berries, plum compote and cordial, with a touch of cola on the finish woven through elegant and slow arriving tannins. A hearty wine for hearty winter foods.