Les Traverses is drawn from the estate’s younger vines. It’s a blend of roughly equal parts Grenache, Syrah and Mourvèdre, hand-harvested from 11 parcels surrounding the cellar in the heart of Cesseras within the La Livinière Cru of the Minervois appellation. As with all Claux’s wines, the fruit is farmed biodynamically and natural whole-bunch fermentation occurs in concrete vat with minimal sulphur. The grapes are gently foot-stomped, followed by six months in concrete. Bottled at 13%, this is cracking value, as always: a supple and juicy red with spicy brambly fruit and delicious plum-skin tanginess. A wine that tells us something of what the finest Minervois wines were once known for, and a wonderful introduction to this exciting domaine.