Nose
In the nose, one scents both the savage and the refined: a bloody raw meat quality, but tempered with the uplifting candied raspberry nose of a Framboise liqueur. And then of course, there is licorice/anise in spades. The meaty/bloody quality of the wine recalls the sort of iron-filling like impression of a Cornas, but the slightly more perfumed quality of licorice hints at Hermitage.
Palate
The wine is exceptionally well balanced, moderate in alcohol (13.7%), with a good acidity, ripe tannins and a finish that goes on at excruciating length.
Winemaking
In the most recent vintages, we had taken the habit of air-drying of the fruit post-harvest for a few days before crush, so as to totally lignify the stems, minimizing the vegetal impression. With this practice, we’ve been able to utilize 100% whole cluster fruit, get a slower, more even fermentation and thanks to the tannic contribution of the stems, ultimately create a wine with a much more muscular structure, truly built to last.
Food Pairing
Bacon wrapped Monkfish with Beurre Rouge. Cracked pepper rolled salami. Lamb sausage with lentils. Pepper crusted ahi tuna. French Camembert. Mushroom ragout with Pecorino polenta.
