Why it matters
The producer
Jean-Pierre Jullien re-established Mas Cal Demoura in 1993 after leaving the cooperative, putting his own name behind wines from Jonquières. Rosenthal records that he retired and sold the estate to Isabelle and Vincent Goumard in 2004; their stewardship continues through parcel-led farming and a cellar that keeps grapes and sites separate before blending.
This is not Mas Jullien, the separate estate founded by Jean-Pierre’s son. Mas Cal Demoura’s key labels instead turn Jonquières fruit into two distinct expressions: limestone-grown white in L’Étincelle, and a structured red blend in Terres de Jonquières.
Place and vineyards
Where the wines begin
Terrasses du Larzac lies inland from Montpellier, where Mediterranean warmth can ripen Syrah, Grenache, Carignan and Mourvèdre, but Jonquières receives cool air from the Larzac. That temperature shift matters at harvest: fruit can reach black-cherry depth without losing the acidity that keeps the red’s body from feeling heavy.
The place also explains why a white belongs in this largely red-wine landscape. L’Étincelle comes from limestone scree, and its six varieties are presented by the estate as a mineral white; the stony site and cooler air steer the wine toward citrus-toned freshness rather than broad, soft fruit.
In the cellar
Vineyards and cellar
Harvest is manual and parcel by parcel, with selection in the vineyard and again on a sorting table. Removing unsuitable fruit before fermentation gives the cellar cleaner raw material, allowing indigenous yeasts to ferment parcels without relying on a single uniform fruit profile.
The estate describes its extraction as infusion-oriented rather than forceful. For red grapes, that approach aims for fruit and tannin drawn gradually from the skins; élevage is then adapted to each grape-and-terroir combination in foudres, demi-muids, concrete eggs or tanks, so oak is one possible vessel rather than a fixed flavour.
Wines to know
The range in view
L’Étincelle occupies the white end of the range. It is assembled from six varieties grown on limestone scree and described by the estate as mineral, making it the bottle for dry texture, citrus-like freshness and stony notes rather than oak weight or sweetness.
Terres de Jonquières is the historic red cuvée, formerly called L’infidèle. The current official range lists Mourvèdre, Syrah, Grenache, Carignan, Cinsault and Counoise, a combination that joins dark fruit and spice with floral lift, acidity and tannin. Its older-demi-muid élevage and long cuvaison give the wine more body and grip than the white, while the estate describes the result through pure fruit and fine tannins.
A useful way in
A bottle to begin with
Start with Terres de Jonquières. It brings together the estate’s defining red grapes, hand-picked parcel fruit, indigenous-yeast fermentation, up to six weeks of cuvaison and ageing mainly in older demi-muids. In the glass, look for black cherry, raspberry, anise, garrigue, bright acidity and dry tannin; it is the clearest way to taste how Jonquières warmth, Larzac air and measured extraction meet in one bottle.