2016
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Gabian, north of Pézenas
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| Dry red, full-bodied, aged 2 years in oak barrels |
| 70% Syrah, 30% Mourvedre |
14.0%
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All manner of lamb, beef, duck and mushroom dishes
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Still fine
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Now to 2026 and beyond
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This is the estate's flagship red. The grapes are given an extended 3 month maceration on the skins, and the resulting wine is aged for 24 months in 500 litre oak demi-muids (30% of which are new). Everything is turned up a notch or two in comparison to Le Rouge, and there is a lick of very classy oak, but once again the overall balance is impeccable, with an abundance of ripe tannins, nicely offset by more than ample acidity and so much fruit, one wonders just how they managed to cram it all into a 75cl bottle. It really is packed with beautifully ripe black cherry, raspberry, redcurrant and bramble fruit aromas and flavours, with further notes of garrigue herbs, damp earth, tobacco and soy. On the palate, it is more at the herby/saline/umami (rather than meaty) end of the savoury spectrum, again with masses of black fruit flavours and a hint of kirsch. It really is a wonderfully sweet-sour wine, with a long, cool, slightly minty finish. A wine of genuine elegance, which is good to drink on its own, but really comes into its own with food. And although it is approachable now, it definitely has the structure and more than enough fruit to age for a decade or more. A serious - and seriously delicious - red wine, which is up there with the very best the Languedoc has to offer. Biodynamic. |
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