Four Hectares of Nectar
Domaine of the Bee started when UK-based Master of Wine Justin Howard-Sneyd MW and his wife, Amanda, were on holiday in late 2003 and stumbled across Maury, an ancient winemaking village in a stunning valley in the Roussillon, in the foothills of the Pyrenees. The village seemed like the perfect place to fulfil Justin’s long-held dream to make his own wine, and the ancient vines in the village grow grapes of rare distinction. The vineyards are on steep slopes with gnarled vines between 60-100 years old, with roots searching deep into the fragmented slate soils for any moisture they can find. Justin and Amanda bought a tiny patch of vines and Domaine of the Bee was born. Justin is also a sought after speaker at events and conferences, an advocate of Regenerative Viticulture, a busy consultant advising on buying wine and planting vineyards, and a respected judge and taster.

Domaine of the Bee today is made up of just four hectares, spread across three glorious plots deep in Cathar country in Southern France.  Domaine of the Bee produces red wines made primarily from Carignan and Grenache Noir and white and rosé wines from grapes sourced from vineyards belonging to winemaking partner Jean-Marc Lafage.  As the vineyards are in the hottest and driest part of France, the grapes ripen very well, and the red wines are deeply coloured and full-bodied in style. The grapes are hand-picked, carefully selected and fermented in small batches, before being aged in a mix of new and used French oak. The first wines released were from the 2007 vintage, and Domaine of the Bee now produces between 3,000 and 8,000 bottles of red wine per year from their own vineyards.

The flagship wine is simply called ‘Domaine of the Bee’, a blend of Grenache Noir and Carignan from very old vines which has been produced every year since 2007 (except 2014). Domaine of the Bee also produces red wines made from 100% Grenache Noir and from 100% Carignan, a white wine made primarily from Grenache Gris and Grenache Blanc called ‘Field of the Bee’ and a Provence-style rosé called 'Bee Pink'. In addition, Justin makes an orange wine ‘Taronja de Gris’ in partnership with Jean-Marc Lafage. The last wine we will taste is ‘Les Genoux’ (French for ‘The Knees’) made from the best barrels from the Domaine’s oldest and finest vineyard in Maury’s famous Coume de Roy (so the “Bees Knees”).  ‘Les Genoux’ is a field blend with the majority of grapes being Grenache Noir, but with significant amounts of Carignan, Grenache Gris, and various unknown white grape varieties. For more information about Domaine of the Bee and its wines, see the Domaine’s website: https://domaineofthebee.com

Justin will lead us through the following wines:

Bee Pink 2024

Field of the Bee 2023

Taronja de Gris 2024

The Bee-side Grenache 2023

Carignan 2022

Single Barrel Carignan 2023

Domaine of the Bee 2023

Domaine of the Bee 2018

Les Genoux 2023

Some quotes about Justin and his wines:

"Although I haven’t visited, Domaine of the Bee deserves a mention. Justin Howard-Sneyd, a British Master of Wine, is another incredibly talented winemaker. The wines from the winery he founded in 2007 strum the strings of the soul of Roussillon.” Tamlyn Currin - www.jancisrobinson.com

"Domaine of the Bee mailshots are little deleted and much read, even by those who don’t buy. I’m sure there’s something that this cool, clear-headed wine creator does badly – but I’ve no idea what it might be.  If he ever goes looking for crowd-funding, I’m in.” Andrew Jefford – Decanter

Due to the generosity of Domaine of the Bee, tickets for this tasting represent excellent value with Member tickets priced at £40 and guest tickets priced at £45. If you are using the Society's website to purchase tickets for the first time, you are encouraged to register and make your future ticket purchases even easier. The Society operates an open seating policy at tastings, so if you are coming as a group please arrive early to ensure you are able to sit together.

If you have any questions, please contact the organiser, Steve Thierbach, on thierbach@btinternet.com or Duncan Holden on duncanandliz@btinternet.com