2019 Berry Bros. & Rudd Reserve Red by Collovray & Terrier
About this WINE
J L Terrier & C Collovray
Jean-Luc Terrier and Christian Collvray were recently hailed as Burgundy's Winemakers of the Year by the renowned Gault-Millau guide and are better known for their exemplary White Burgundies from Domaine Des Deux Roches. In recent years, however, this quality-conscious duo have been producing an outstanding range of wines from 30-year-old vines on slopes 500 metres above sea level south of Limoux in the Languedoc region.
The combination of quality, varietal definition and value persuaded us to take the important step of working with them to produce three of our House wines.
Languedoc-Roussillon
Over the last 25 years, the fortunes of Languedoc-Rousillon have been transformed largely due to the introduction of the Vin de Pays classification in 1979. This led to extensive replanting on more suitable sites, a drastic reduction in permitted yields and, crucially, reducing the dependence of red wines on the ubiquitous Carignan grape.
The new classification enabled producers not only to experiment with other grape varieties, but also to pick up the gauntlet thrown down by the New World – to give the customers what they wanted, namely clearly-labelled international varietals like Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon.
Despite a sometimes deserved reputation for its contributions to the European wine lake, this exciting region continues to see a flow of investment from the Bordelais and others, which has enabled the evolution of the qualitative pyramid to continue. Perhaps the most striking improvements have been seen in Minervois La Livinière and Pic Saint Loup, but not far behind are the wines of St.Chinian and Cabardès.
Regardless of the financial influx and the wonderful terroir of the different appellations, the increase in quality is also allied to some extraordinarily-gifted winemakers, including Jean-Luc Terrier and Jean-Louis Denois.
Other Varieties
There are over 200 different grape varieties used in modern wine making (from a total of over 1000). Most lesser known blends and varieties are traditional to specific parts of the world.
When is a wine ready to drink?
We provide drinking windows for all our wines. Alongside the drinking windows there is a bottle icon and a maturity stage. Bear in mind that the best time to drink a wine does also depend on your taste.
Not ready
These wines are very young. Whilst they're likely to have lots of intense flavours, their acidity or tannins may make them feel austere. Although it isn't "wrong" to drink these wines now, you are likely to miss out on a lot of complexity by not waiting for them to mature.
Ready - youthful
These wines are likely to have plenty of fruit flavours still and, for red wines, the tannins may well be quite noticeable. For those who prefer younger, fruitier wines, or if serving alongside a robust meal, these will be very enjoyable. If you choose to hold onto these wines, the fruit flavours will evolve into more savoury complexity.
Ready - at best
These wines are likely to have a beautiful balance of fruit, spice and savoury flavours. The acidity and tannins will have softened somewhat, and the wines will show plenty of complexity. For many, this is seen as the ideal time to drink and enjoy these wines. If you choose to hold onto these wines, they will become more savoury but not necessarily more complex.
Ready - mature
These wines are likely to have plenty of complexity, but the fruit flavours will have been almost completely replaced by savoury and spice notes. These wines may have a beautiful texture at this stage of maturity. There is lots to enjoy when drinking wines at this stage. Most of these wines will hold in this window for a few years, though at the very end of this drinking window, wines start to lose complexity and decline.
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Description
For the 2019 vintage, Jean-Luc Terrier has sourced fruit from older vines and higher-altitude plots. The addition of 10% Pinot Noir to the historically Merlot/Syrah-based blend has transformed this into a beautifully fragrant, complex and elegant wine brimming with sweet red cherry fruit and displaying super fine tannins. It is harmonious and perfectly in balance with real subtlety and a long, extremely enjoyable, refreshing finish.
Catriona Felstead MW, Wine Buyer, Berry Bros. & Rudd
Cellar Plan members enjoy a 10% saving on this wine. Reduction will be applied at checkout.
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