Cuvée “Eve” 2022 – Syrah

Lovers of dense, woody, over-ripe Syrahs, move on. Here it’s all about fresh spices, tension, liveliness, dynamic and straight forwardness. This vintage matches these qualities exactly and best served young, for its juice and fruitiness. After harvest the grapes were sorted and fully crushed. Pre-fermentation cold maceration for 5 days at 6 degrees Celsius . Fermentation at 28 degrees Celsius in 300 hl stainless steel tanks for 30 days. No sulphite vinification and indigenous yeast with daily pump-overs and malolactic fermentation. Aged on fine lees with micro oxygenation for 3 months. This Syrah has intense aromas of violets with the trademark peppery character and freshness due to the cool Cabardès climate.

Graciano 2021

The 2019 Graciano, the first wine they produced at the new Viña Zorzal in 2007, was produced with grapes from the village of Corella, and they want to show the expression of the grape in the village, more Mediterranean than Fitero, where they have a significant percentage of their vines. The spicy character of the wine and the lively palate are the expression of the Graciano in their village, what they have been trying to express since 2015.

It fermented in stainless steel with moderate extraction and matured in used French oak barrels of different sizes for nine months. This is a very fresh vintage, and the wine is harmonious, spicy, with an herbal hint, with some dusty tannins, chalky and a bitter twist in the finish. I think the earlier harvest of the grape delivers wines that are more transparent, and this is quite stony and tasty. This is a very good value and a great introduction to Graciano.

Cuvée “Pierre” 2023

For this vintage all the work was simply focused on wrapping the authoritative power of the Cabernet Sauvignon in a velvet glove through precise vinification with no sulphur and only indigenous yeasts. After harvest the grapes were sorted and fully crushed. Pre-fermentation cold maceration for 5 days at 6 degrees Celsius. Fermentation at 28 degrees Celsius in 300 hl stainless steel tanks with daily pump-overs over a length of 25 days followed by malolactic fermentation. Ageing on fine lees with micro oxygenation for 3 months. Aromas of ripe pepper and blackcurrant with a roundness and a silky structure and a fresh and lingering finish.

Carménère 2023

Carménère was historically one of the six red grape varieties allowed in Bordeaux wine blends, alongside Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Malbec, Petit Verdot, and Cabernet Franc. It was often used as a blending grape to add color and structure to Bordeaux wines. It is very rare to find a varietal Carménère in France nowadays.

Fermented for 8 days in temperature controlled stainless steel, punching down and pumping over each day. Once fully fermented, the wine is left to macerate for a further 5-6 days before being transferred into stainless steel vats to mature. Intense fruit on the nose. Notes of strawberry and raspberry and ripe plum. Plus hints of liquorice and caramel. Dense and juicy on the palate with mature acidity and fine tannins. Lots of fruit, plum, raspberry and cherry. Long finish with spicy notes.

Le Paria 2023 – Grenache

“Once upon a time there was an unwanted grape variety planted in our regions. “Not mature enough” for some, “too austere” and “out of place” for others. “Just perfect” in our opinion. This grape is Grenache, and the result is in this bottle. An appetizing and juicy wine to be shared between free drinkers.
A free drinker”

100% Grenache and declassified as Vin de France, this is part of the limited bottled ” Les Dissidents” range.
Following a number of experiments, a whole instinctive range comprised of micro-cuvees and varietal wines, prohibited by the appellation, in truly exclusive, libertarian style with a choice of what the winemaker believe to be the best varieties of the soil, this unclassified range of French wine defies the institutions, their regulations and conventional wine.

Yield of 45 hectoliters per hectare with non sulfite fermentation with indigenous yeasts and bio-protection (by using non saccharomyces yeasts to avoid brettanomyces.) Post fermentation maceration for 10 days at 35 degrees Celsius, malolactic fermentation and aging for 3 months in concrete tanks.

A lovely fragrant nose of wild cherries, violets and pomegranate. Cured game and raspberries on the nose. But then when taking a sip, your whole mouth fills with peppercorns. Quite extraordinary and arresting! It almost distracts from the rather scrumptious, gleeful plum and raspberry wine-gums fruitiness. Again a wine you could chill and just vacuum up with a barbecue. This ends up with a trace of ink dust and crumbled dried rosemary on the finish. Made like candy, this wine is so trendy and punchy.

Les 7 Quelles

Pinot Noir & 35% Cabernet Sauvignon and , it is a selection of grapes coming from the second picking. Fermented for 8 days in temperature controlled stainless steel, punching down and pumping over each day. Once fully fermented, the wine is left to macerate for a further 5-6 days before being transferred into a combination of old 225 liter French oak barrels to mature for 8 months. It then spends another year in bottle before being released.

Bright cranberry and darker black cherry notes mingle with the classic forest floor aromas of Pinot Noir. This is a medium bodied Pinot Noir packed with crunchy red and black fruit characters balanced with a good lick of acidity which leads nicely onto savoury note of cigar box on the finish.