2012 Southern France

A blend of Syrah and Carignan, black olive, pepper and bramble fruits play on the nose. Spice and garrigue add complexity on the palate. The firm, fine-grained tannins are well integrated, with juicy fruit density and a mineral backbone. Delicious.

‘Old vines’ is a somewhat nebulous term, but the Carignan vines that provide 35% of this blend are unequivocally long in the tooth – planted up to 125 years ago. The remainder of the blend is Grenache (a mere 55 years-old), Mourvèdre and Syrah, which have been cultivated bio-dynamically since 2001. Like all the domain’s wines, Vieilles Vignes Rouge is bottled un-fined and unfiltered in order to capture as much as possible of its exceptional provenance.
The 2012 is redolent of the hillsides of Roussillon: aromas of garrigue and fresh black fruit. Black fruit dominates the palate, supported by firm tannins. The finish is long and confident.
Will Heslop - Buying Department

A gorgeous biodynamic wine, an even split of Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon that spent 2 years in a combination of foudre and barrel. Seamless, elegant and layered, with fabulous cassis, lead pencil shavings, tobacco leaf and spice, this full-bodied beauty is perfectly balanced, with no hard edges, fine tannin and terrific length. Drink now, it has the concentration and balance to continue to evolve gracefully for at least another decade.
94/100 Jeb Dunnuck eRobertParker.com #216 Jan 2015