Score: 93/100 pts
This wine is made in the extreme South of France, in the Southern part of the Languedoc-Roussillon region, from a blend of 40% Syrah, 40% Mourvèdre, and 20% Grenache.
The grapes were grown using biodynamic viticulture then machine harvested. Fermentation was run in oak wine barrels before ageing also in barrel with regular bâtonnage (stirring up the lees).
Tasting Notes
This Roussillon wine comes in a pretty dark red color, looking dense and intense, with purple hues to the rim intensifying the appearance.
The nose is just as intense and opulent, although one can smell it’s still a young and youthful wine that has to open up and reveal its full potential.
The aromatic profile at this stage is primarily fruity, yet feeling deep and serious. A wealth of ripe raspberry aromas, as well as fresh blackberry ones.
It smells like a berry bush overloaded with generous fruits roasting in the sun of the South of France!
Such vibrant fruity tones come with more savory notes of black olive and black pepper. The wine smelt very Syrah-scented at first, with hints of animal notes, a touch of reduction Syrah often brings in while it’s young. But it dissipated quickly after a few minutes of decanting.
It is deep and fragrant to smell at, with great vibrancy of fruit, yet a serious feel to it, and depth.
The palate is opulent and dense, marked by quite dense a tannic structure featuring velvety tannins with a silky edge. A round and oily body.
Yet, the outstanding feature here is the crispiness, almost sharpness, of the acidity. The latter underlines and freshens up the berry fruit flavors, revealing them in a mineral brightness.
Relatively long finish, filled with a wealth of coffee liqueur flavors, exuberant dark red fruit notes, and pungent peppery spiciness.
Overall
A Roussillon wine with much character, depth and complexity.
A world-class wine as you don’t come across that often from Roussillon, although the region now produces plethora of excellent wines, they’re not always at this level.
Powerful, dense and concentrated, it delivers big bursts of flavors, and excitingly-vibrant aromas, with a sustained fruit freshness despite the obvious ripeness of the grapes.
Pungently fruity, somewhat sweet in its dark red berry fruitiness, it is also savory by many aspects: the spiciness, the black olive notes, and the underlying earthiness.
Long and complex, a wine that seems utterly true to its terroir, a unique Roussillon personality with a very modern approach to expressing its origin and the authenticity of its fruit, leaving behind the need for overpowering and unnecessary oak, for the better.
A wine to experience it is, if you want to experience what the future of Languedoc-Roussillon as a wine region holds… The future is now!
When and How to Drink?
Decant a solid half hour, if not more, prior to serving (see a suggested wine decanter below). Serve at 15 or 16 degrees Celsius (59-61 Fahrenheit) rather too warm, and let it breathe and catch up with room temperature over time.
This is a wine that is built to age very well for a few years. Allow a couple of years to fully settle in its potential complexity and affirm its depth. From there, monitor how it evolves over time. It could probably make it through the next 10 years, bit this needs to be confirmed.
Drink between 2019 and 2025 then I would think. Perhaps beyond, TBC!
Enjoy 🙂
See the Beautiful Roussillon Vineyards of Dom. Rety in Video
Watch the Bottling Video at Domaine Rety
Learn more about the producing winery at: Domaine Rety producer profile
Suggested Spiegelau Wine Glassware
Check it out on Amazon
2 Comments
Leave your reply.