I bought this from Bordeaux Index (BI – yes, they’ve changed their name back to the original, and frankly, I thought BI was much easier to say/remember/refer to) a few months back, and excitedly took delivery earlier this week. They loved this wine, and I think they are right!

The wine comes from 40-60 year old Grenache vines on sandy limestone soils, next door to Priorat. Fermented with whole clusters and aged in neutral oak for 14-16 months. The wine was £23 all in.

Appearance

Translucent light ruby, reminiscent of a light bodied pinot noir. I could swear it got darker as the evening wore on.

Nose

Red ripe jammy cherries, strawberry jam, cherry lollipop, cherry liqueur, with an explosive wild floral , dried thyme, oregano, dried rosemary, freshly sawn wood, and some funky deeply ripe fruit note that I’m having trouble putting my finger on. Salty blood comes out after a couple of hours. So perfumed! If tasted blind, my first impression would likely have led me to Volnay in the Cote de Beaune.

A truly spellbinding nose, I just want to sit and take in all the aromas!

Taste

Intense yet light ripe cherries, alcohol-steeped strawberries, strawberry jam, with a sharp, tart palate cleansing wash of acidity. I would say acidity in this is medium+. The taste deepens with time in the glass, developing a more broody, bloody/meaty concentration, darker cherries and plums, with that funky aroma supporting the overall taste.

Tannins are very fine, higher than I expected, medium to medium+, dusting my cheeks fully with just a little prickle of electricity.

Alcohol is a little separated from the fruit, leaving a warming flush in the mouth then throat. The finish is really long, ending sweet and savoury with that funky dark ripe fruit afterglow. I think the finish must be 1 minute +.

Conclusion

This is a super complex wine just at the start of its life, I’m not sure how I will hold onto the other bottles long enough to let them develop (especially if I tell Adam about this…..Oops)

The funky aromatics and taste (a good thing) are explained by the whole cluster fermentation, and I can’t help thinking the complex perfumed nose could also be attributable to this winemaking technique. The age of the vines likely helps explain the concentration, acidity and tannin levels which all contribute to make this a truly complete wine.

A steal at £23. Highly recommended.