He was one of the most passionate advocates for Roussillon that day. But William Jonquères d’Oriola was not able to present his own wines. Those were the rules. Only winemakers who did not exhibit their own wines were allowed to present and network. What a stroke of luck that William was my neighbour at dinner that followed, together with Erik Aracil, the vice director and export manager of the industry association. That same evening, I knew I had to taste his wines. And a few days later, a selection of his best cuvées was on my desk.
A Catalan with Scottish blood
The Jonquères d’Oriolas are celebrating 540 years of winegrowing this year. In 1485, the family took possession of the Corneilla del Vercol castle, built by the Knights Templar in the 12th century. Since then, wine has been grown here continuously, with William Jonquères d’Oriola now representing the 27th generation. In the 20th century, however, the family’s winemaking tradition was overshadowed by another passion: sport. In fact, the family produced some of the most important French sporting legends of the 20th century. William’s great-uncle Christan-d’Oriola was a four-time world champion in individual foil fencing and a two-time Olympic champion, and was named ‘Sportsman of the Year’ in France in 1947. His cousin Pierre Jonqueres d’Oriola is France’s most famous equestrian and is the only show jumper in the world to have won two Olympic gold medals in individual competition.
William, who inherited his blue eyes and red hair from his Scottish mother, is a strapping man and was a passionate rugby player. But he is primarily dedicated to wine – albeit via a detour into the wine trade, which he initially pursued after completing a management degree in Nancy. In 2011, after a 20-month trip around the world, he joined his father Philippe at the family-owned winery. In 2020, he finally took over the management of the 42-hectare business.
The winery and its lines
William invested an enormous amount of time and effort in the winery. With the help of the organisation Ver de Terre Production, he converted the vineyards to agroecological farming with ‘living soils’. Central to his own portfolio are the areas around the winery in the Roussillon subzone Les Aspres, but he recently took over the Col de Mollo winery at 231 metres in the neighbouring appellation Collioure with the Tourane family. He has divided the portfolio into a whole range of different lines, some of which follow the appellations. For example, ‘Villa D’Oriola – Les Terrasses’ (predominantly) consists of single-varietal IGP Côtes Catalanes wines. ‘Château de Corneilla – Héritage’, on the other hand, brings together Côtes du Roussillion AOPs as classic blends. The white wines include Macabeu, Grenache blanc and Rolle (Vermentino), while the reds feature Syrah, Grenache Noir and Carignan. There are also a few ‘Pleasure Wines’ such as the “Canaille” range and the popular Rosé Gris-Gris. Not to mention the two sulphur-free Indigène wines.
The upmarket range begins with the ‘Cavalcade’ line. This is the only one in which the winery uses the sub-appellation ‘Les Aspres’ to indicate the Côte-du-Roussillon Villages origin. And that only for the red, because the AOC regulations exclude its use for white and rosé wines. This trio is complemented by the wines from Col de Mollo in the Collioure AOC. Red and white wines under the name ‘Altitude 231 Mètres’ come from black slate soils in the immediate vicinity of the sea. Finally, the two top wines also originate from ‘Les Aspres’ but are not labelled as such for various reasons. The red Les Candelles is dominated by Mourvèdre, William’s favourite grape variety, which accounts for 80 per cent of the blend, compared to Syrah. This does not comply with the appellation’s specifications, which stipulate a maximum of 50 per cent. In the case of Icône (40 per cent Grenache, 30 per cent Syrah, 30 per cent Mourvèdre), this would be technically possible. However, similar to Bordeaux, ‘Château de Corneilla’ is intended to be the focus of this Grand Vin.
The tasting
The Cavalcade line from Château de Corneilla presents wines typical of the terroir at a fair price. Cavalcade Blanc from 2024 (60% Grenache Blanc, 20% Macabeu, 20% Rolle) shows classic white stone fruits, some herbs, a hint of wood and beeswax. Surprisingly creamy on the palate, still quite young and not overly complex (88p) Cavalcade Rosé from the same year (60% Grenache, 40% Mourvèdre) is dominated by rosehip and red berries on the nose. The delicate but not overly sweet fruit aromas continue on the palate. The texture is generous but not heavy. On the contrary, the wine is fresh and quite elegant, well made but without being overly pretentious (87p). Cavalcade Rouge from 2022 (50% Syrah, 25% Grenache, 25% Mourvèdre) smells of black fruits, but also reveals floral aromas such as violets. It is elegant, almost aristocratically reserved, and only opens up with a little air. The beautiful tannin structure even gives it some structure (89-90p).
Collioure Blanc 2023 (Grenache Gris and Blanc as well as Roussanne) is the only wine in the tasting that I did not understand. Significantly cooler than the white Cavalcade, but aromatically closed. Some notes of maquis on the nose, with a sparse texture on the palate (86p). Its counterpart, Collioure Rouge 2022 (Mourvèdre, Grenache, Syrah), offers a completely different picture. Dark purple in colour with notes of tart black fruit, it is wonderfully fresh and transparent on the palate. Silky, complex and with good length (92p). The Les Candelles 2020 is exceptionally good. A wine with an irresistible meaty, spicy juiciness. Sensual and intellectual at the same time, it is a wine from Roussillon and a great Mourvèdre through and through. But it transcends both its origin and its grape variety (94p). The Icône 2020 adds a little more density and intensity. However, this comes at the expense of balance and drinking pleasure. Perhaps the coffee notes from the oak ageing also mask the terroir somewhat. Nevertheless, an excellent wine (93p).
Image rights
Stefan Pegatzky / Time Tunnel Images
