Domaine de l'Argentier Cuvée Speciale Hommage a André Martin 2018 IGP Gard

From some of the estate's oldest vines, this is a blend of Carignan (planted in 1935) and Cinsault (planted 1968), and is a tribute to the original winemaker, André Martin, whose first vintage was produced more than 80 years ago. As with all of the other wines in the Argentier range, this is aged in concrete vats - so no oak influence. But make no mistake, this is a wine of great breeding and class. Aromas of crystallised red and black berries and currants mingle with notes of desiccated citrus peel, tobacco, sous-bois, exotic spices and fine eau de vie. All of which carry through in the mouth, with all of those lovely dried fruit and spice flavours melding together beautifully, in a wine of genuine elegance and restrained power. Ripe, tea-like tannins and mouth-watering cherry skin and citrus acidity make for a beautifully rounded wine, with a long, cool, minty/peppery, tangy finish. I make no secret of my love for both Carignan and Cinsault (especially made from precious old vines like this), so to taste a wine that incorporates both of them is a real treat. A genuinely classy, sweet-sour delight of a wine, to drink now, or keep for another 5 to 10 years.