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The elegant Terrasses du Larzac red from Charlotte and Clément de Béarn
Some wineries are simply businesses.
Others, like the Château de Jonquières are family stories that continue from one generation to the next.
For us at The French Paradox, this domaine has a particularly special place. We have been working with the wines of Charlotte’s parents since our very first days, watching the flavours evolve over the years.
Today, we are delighted to have the wines of the next generation.
Since 2014, Charlotte and Clément de Béarn have been the 32nd generation to carry the family story forward.
And their Lansade Rouge 2024 is a beautiful expression of where that story is heading.
Thirty-two generations in one bottle
It is difficult to imagine what “32nd generation” really means.
Long before Charlotte and Clément arrived at Jonquières, generation after generation had worked these same lands.
The estate has survived changes in agriculture, generations of winemakers, changing tastes and changing times.
Charlotte and Clément are not simply starting something new.
They are continuing something very old.
But they are doing it in their own way.
Two very different paths to the same place
Interestingly, neither Charlotte nor Clément followed a straightforward path towards becoming winemakers.
Charlotte studied economics and English before completing a master’s degree at Sup de Co Reims. Her interest in wine gradually grew through internships and, of course, through years of helping at the family estate — in the vineyard, during harvest, in the cellar, at bottling and in sales.
Eventually, the idea of taking over the winery became impossible to ignore.
Clément came from a commercial and management background, working in events and banking before spending time in Australia, where he worked in a restaurant.
He considered careers in hospitality and cooking before deciding that his future was at Jonquières.
And perhaps there was always a certain inevitability to it.
His two grandfathers were themselves winegrowers around Montpellier and Béziers.
Wine, it seems, was never very far away.
Lansade: old vines, new generation
Their Lansade Rouge 2024 is a particularly elegant expression of Terrasses du Larzac.
The backbone of the wine is 80-year-old Carignan, making up half of the blend.
The remaining half brings together Syrah, Grenache and Cinsault:
50% Carignan
20% Syrah
20% Grenache
10% Cinsault
Half of the wine is raised in oak barrels, while the Syrah, Grenache and Cinsault are matured in tank.
The result is not a heavy, overly extracted Languedoc red.
It is much more refined.
The charm of old Carignan
Carignan has sometimes had an unfair reputation.
For years, it was associated with high-yielding vineyards and simple, rustic wines.
But old Carignan is another story entirely.
With eighty-year-old vines, naturally lower yields and deep-rooted plants, the variety can produce wines with remarkable freshness, perfume and character.
Here, it gives Lansade its backbone and personality.
And the other varieties fill in the picture: fruit from Grenache, spice from Syrah, and the delicate freshness of Cinsault.
Strawberry, praline and spice
The 2024 vintage opens with an intriguing nose.
Fresh strawberry gradually evolves towards praline, with delicate cocoa aromas adding depth.
Then the palate takes over.
Fine, fruity and wonderfully gourmand, with notes of morello cherry, the wine develops into a succession of spices and pepper.
There is generosity here, but also elegance.
The fruit remains bright, while the texture stays fine and supple.
It is a Terrasses du Larzac that doesn’t need to shout to make an impression.
The next chapter of an old story
Perhaps what makes this bottle particularly meaningful to us is that we have seen the family story from both sides.
We knew and loved the wines of Charlotte’s parents from the beginning of The French Paradox.
Now, years later, we are able to put a bottle from the 32nd generation on our shelves.
There is something very satisfying about that.
The vineyard remains.
The family remains.
But the people making the wine are changing, bringing their own experiences, ideas and personalities to the estate.
That is how a family wine tradition survives.
Not by standing still, but by allowing every generation to write its own chapter.
Château de Jonquières “Lansade” 2024 — an elegant Terrasses du Larzac, carrying 32 generations of history into the hands of a new generation.
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