Olivier Jullien’s Mas Jullien is a wine domaine located in Jonquières in the Languedoc, producing white and red wine in AOC Terrasses du Larzac, available to buy online from Vignerons d'Exception.

Which Mas Jullien wines should you buy?

• The rosé wine is called "Vin d'une nuit" and is made mainly from cinsault, mourvèdre and carignan, and certified organic. It offers a wonderful introduction to Olivier Jullien’s expertise and distinctive touch. It is striking in its simplicity and originality. It is fruity, lively and saline, with captivating freshness and complexity. It can be enjoyed in its youth, but will also prove very interesting after a few years. As an aperitif or at the table, it suits every occasion. Serve chilled, but not too cold, and above all without ice cubes! The winemaker himself says it best: "The aim is to achieve the greatest possible fluidity, a balance based on lightness while preserving depth and length. TO BE DRUNK IN GOOD COMPANY WITH GOOD FRIENDS, PEOPLE YOU DO NOT KNOW, to joke, talk and get acquainted."

• The white wine is called "Blanc de raisins blancs" and is made from old white carignan vines and chenin, with a few local grape varieties added. It comes from a selection of areas with slightly higher proportions of clay and marl than the other, more limestone-rich soils. Great care goes into this unique wine: homemade compost, mineral treatments and plant macerations, ploughing, grass cover, short pruning, thorough debudding, thinning if necessary, hand harvesting and successive sorting. Olivier Jullien: "The vine must seek out the rarest minerals and trace elements deep down, the other gestures serving ‘only’ to preserve the purity of the plant-mineral balance". Another comment from the winemaker: "The whites surprise us more and more each year. Their singularity radiates far beyond our borders. Blind tastings unsettle every wine lover; the feedback is extraordinary, matching the level of surprise. TO BE DRUNK ALONE (a little every day when coming home from work or preparing dinner), sometimes a FRIEND drops by and stays to eat." In short, it is a superb white wine for ageing.

• Red wine lovers who are not yet aficionados should begin with "les nouveaux états d'âmes", the first-approach cuvée, already a fine cuvée for ageing, vinified with whole bunches and made from cinsault, grenache, carignan, mourvèdre... but not only! The vines are scattered, which is why the winemaker chose the freedom of labelling it as "Vin de France" in order to craft the perfect blend, free from regulatory constraints. Aged for a few months in stoneware jars to bring out the fruit and allow it to be enjoyed in its youth. In short, fruit, but far from fruit alone.

• The flagship cuvée of the domaine is a red wine that should be snapped up with every new vintage release. It is called "Autour de Jonquières" and is vinified for the long haul. Made from mourvèdre, carignan and syrah on limestone soils, it benefits from gentle extraction, almost an infusion, yielding delicate yet present tannins and an unmistakable scent of garrigue. It is aged for one year in demi-muids, then a further year in oak foudres, before resting an additional 6 months to refine in the domaine cellar. Speaking of the 2021s, the winemaker lets himself go: "A mischievous vintage, the court jester in a suit and tie, as serious as it is profound, as delicate as it is ostentatious; rarely where expected, never elsewhere, and always ready to challenge friends and defy time. There will be great interest in tasting this cuvée in its first year and, of course, in forgetting a few bottles to enjoy at maturity after 7 to 15 years of ageing in a good cellar. Decant just before serving, at around 14-15°C. An opened bottle kept in the fridge may be even better the next day and in the days that follow. A WINE FOR INTIMATE MOMENTS; AVOID GROUPS AND GRAND OCCASIONS."

• The single-parcel cuvée "Lous Rougeos" comes from carignan, syrah and grenache planted on high-altitude terroirs (400 metres) that had previously been abandoned. It took 15 years of work to restore them! It is vinified with great gentleness and aged for 12 to 18 months in small oak foudres. Comment from the winemaker: "Tasting this cuvée is always a singular experience, as its juice constantly shifts between vibration, spring, smoothness and voluptuousness. A concentrate of untameable, charming energy. Sometimes, even without knowing it, you recognise what is unique. The obvious! TO BE DRUNK IN A SMALL GROUP WITH CURIOUS FRIENDS AND / OR CLOSE COMPANIONS"

• The latest of the single-parcel cuvées is "La Brune". A red wine, a blend of cinsault and grenache, it has become, in just a few vintages, the most sought-after cuvée. Aged for 12 months in barrels then 6 months in foudres, it then rests for a further 6 months in the cellars before being allocated bottle by bottle to the various Mas Jullien devotees. The winemaker speaks of it in highly evocative terms: "A wide-wale corduroy, a percale duvet cover. The caress is firm and precise, lingering on the least explored parts of our palate. The journey matters more than the destination... A GREAT DEAL OF EMOTIONAL SECURITY IN THIS WINE - CHOOSE THE PEOPLE AND THE MOMENT…"

What is the history of Mas Jullien?

Olivier Jullien set up in 1985 in Jonquières with a few parcels. His domaine is located north of Montpellier, at the foot of Mont Baudille in the magnificent Terrasses du Larzac sector.

40 years later, the vines of Mas Jullien extend over almost 20 hectares, shaped by purchases and sales of parcels intended to continually improve the quality of his production.

Many cuvées have come into being, and by 2026 the range seems to have reached its full expression.

Who is the winemaker Olivier Jullien?

Olivier Jullien is, without knowing it, the spiritual guide for many winemakers who cite as an example his freedom of action in the vineyard and cellar, and above all the result in bottle of his very empirical, wide-ranging philosophy of exploration.
Wine professionals and enthusiasts are unanimous: he is an extraordinary winemaker. Blogs, guides, specialist articles … everyone has their admiring comment: Olivier Jullien, "the artist", "the wine intellectual". A "benchmark in the Languedoc", "one of the region’s most emblematic winemakers", "a monument".
And to end on a high note, a comment from RVF: "More than any other Languedoc winemaker, Olivier Jullien commands the admiration and respect of his peers".
In short, for 40 years, Olivier Jullien has been a major figure in the qualitative revival of Languedoc wines.

What are the terroirs of Mas Jullien?

The soil is predominantly limestone, with schist, sandstone and clay in places.

The climate is influenced both by the continent (and its famous westerly winds) and by maritime currents rising from the Mediterranean Sea.

The selection of the best parcels is an activity in its own right for the winemaker. Selling disappointing terroirs, acquiring the most promising ones... Mas Jullien is a scattered, fragmented domaine. But this dispersion follows a precise plan devised by the winemaker: Olivier Jullien seeks the most accurate combinations of grape variety/terroir/blend. Within this incredible geological diversity, limestone scree is the most common element. Olivier Jullien values this soil for its superior microbial life. He also seeks a certain altitude, between 200 and 400 metres, for greater freshness as well as significant day/night temperature variation, in order to optimise the wines’ aromatic expression.

The winemaker’s blending talent does the rest!

How is vinification carried out at Mas Jullien?

The winemaker changes his recipes every year and for each cuvée, according to inspiration and the lessons learned from his past experiments. He speaks of his cuvées as if they were children! It is well known that he applies the best agricultural practices to the letter, most often following organic certification and the principles of biodynamics. Hand harvesting, indigenous yeasts, destemming or not, short or long ageing depending on the cuvées, in vessels suited to each wine, always favouring quality over quantity.

When should you open a Mas Jullien? Ageing, serving...

Great wines are always good, whether young or old. This adage is particularly well suited to the different Mas Jullien wines, even if one may prefer to enjoy the rosés and whites younger than the reds, which are always very tempting to keep for a few years in the cellar. Or a few decades, if you have the patience! A red or white Mas Jullien, even 15 years on, is always delicious.

Young vintages often deserve to be opened in advance, or even decanted immediately before serving, and enjoyed at around 14-15°C (red wine) and 10-12°C (white wine and rosé wine)

mistakes to avoid:

- Using unsuitable glasses (favour a "tulip" shape, which concentrates the aromas)

- Serving too warm (the alcohol may dominate)

- Serving too cool (the tannins may mask everything else)

- Keeping bottles upright (the cork must remain in contact with the wine so it does not dry out)

What food and wine pairings with Mas Jullien?

Red wines: lamb, slow-cooked or barbecued beef, Mediterranean or exotic cuisine, mature cheeses

White: grilled fish or fish in sauce, poultry with cream, goat’s cheeses, seafood-led cuisine.

Rosé: every dish without exception; the magic of this rosé lies in its universality: salads (without vinegar), aperitif (even without biscuits!), 

Why buy Mas Jullien wines?

Because we love them, and because we believe these wines fully deserve a place in your cellar! But as some customers have told us, "we are not objective, since we tasted and chose them in order to sell them: we have an interest". That is why we prefer to "defend" our selection with comments from major guides, more objective than we are :
 

Guide RVF des Meilleurs Vins de France 2025  : 3★/4 (French excellence). "This inspired and eloquent winemaker has shown the way towards intelligent, respectful and passionate viticulture. His approach, tinged with honesty and love for the place and its nuances, rightly earns the admiration of his peers. The red wines are precise, fresh, chalky and structured, often reserved in their youth, but of a breed and brilliance apart. Never ostentatious aromatically, vertical and elongated, they speak the language of the place and age wonderfully, reaching full maturity after around ten years. They have gained still further in tactile delicacy. As for the white, it has incomparable brilliance, salinity and patina. It too defies time with insolence. A unique domaine, through its sensitivity, the wines produced and the path travelled."

Guide Bettane et Desseauve 2024 : 5★/5 (exceptional producer). "Olivier Jullien, an undisputed and indisputable benchmark, has succeeded, with intuition and intelligence, in raising the qualitative level of the region’s wines to the highest standard and has brought an entire generation of young winemakers along with him. The guiding light for the new generation of talented winemakers remains one step ahead, which leaves us with no regret over awarding a fifth star last year."  

Article from La Revue du Vin de France no. 691 - June 2025: 

"Olivier Jullien is not someone you expect in rosé. And yet his rosé delivers when it comes to elegance. The winemaker has made the discovery of high-altitude terroirs with privileged exposures his signature. Playing with the Mediterranean climate, he produces wines that defy time with insolence. The rosé is no exception. In its youth, it displays a nature that may seem simple at first glance, yet in the textured flow of its substance one senses the promise of radiant evolution."

France Inter Podcast: La Chronique Vin by Jérôme Gagnez - Les Terrasses du Larzac (31 March 2019)

For other ideas in Terrasses du Larzac, or more generally in the Languedoc, visit Domaine de Montcalmès or Les Creisses

Browse our selection of Great Wines from Mas Jullien: