Review of 2014 Château de Ciffre ‘Grand Vin’ Faugères Red from Languedoc, France
Score: 94/100
This Languedoc red by famous Lorgeril house from the Languedoc wine region, produced on their Chateau de Ciffre estate in the Faugères appellation, is made from 70% Syrah grapes, 20% old vines Grenache, and 10% Mourvèdre 10%.
The grapes from the elder Syrah and Grenache vines were picked manually, while the remainder wast machine-harvested. The traditional winemaking used frequent pumping-over during the fermentation to maximize skin contact, followed by a cuvaison (total time on the skins in tank) of 35 days.
The ageing/maturation was run in French oak wine barrels for 12 months.
Overall Tasting Impressions
The outstanding feature here is the mix of vibrant ripe berry flavors with powerful notes of coffee and chocolate liqueur, delivered with a somewhat restrained yet pungent expression. A clear tension between what appears like a rich and concentrated wine, and its somewhat shy, controlled delivery of sensations to your palate.
In fact, probably the kind of precision you want out of a ripe and opulent Southern French wine. Not only is it layered and complex, packed full of comforting fruity and well-integrated oaky flavors, but it feels utterly refined, deep, and dense.
A young wine this is, greatly enjoyable right now if you understand youthful wines and their qualitative potential. Uncork this wine in 5 to 10 years though, when it should be reaching its peak, and it will certainly deliver a memorable, complex sweet/savory, long and layered, powerful yet fine tasting experience.
Full Tasting Notes
This Languedoc red comes in a dense and dark red color indeed, so nearly black to the core you can hardly see through, with shiny dark red purple hues to the rim. It is looking strong, dense and youthful.
The nose confirms we seem to be here we a seriously-dense wine, and serious wine, full stop!
The aromatic profile is so densely populated by notes of dark and vibrant raspberry, fresh blackberry and gorgeously ripe black cherry. It is both deepened by coffee and dark cocoa, and lifted by a savory and meaty impression, spiced up by black pepper tones.
Deeply charming, darkly fruity and juicily meaty to smell at!
The palate delivers an uber-soft silky texture, delicately fine and granulous tannins on a coating oily body. It’s dry and opulent, full of sweet ripe red berry fruit flavors, yet savory and tasting like umami, the meaty element is obvious.
Enjoy 🙂
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