2014
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Thézan-les-Béziers, 10km north of Béziers
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| Dry red - full bodied. Aged 4 years in oak barrels |
| 53% Merlot, 37% Petit Verdot, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon |
15.0%
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| Beef, lamb, game, duck, wild mushroom risotto |
Even better
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Now, or to 2030 and beyond
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The estate's top red, from 35 year-old vines, it shows a youthful dark purple/carmine with a tiny rim. It positively reeks of brambles, cassis, black cherry, polished leather, cedar and damp earth, with subtle hints of violets and iodine. If it sounds like an A to Z of all of the best wine descriptors, that's because it is - indeed, a really quite remarkably complex and intoxicating nose. As a Bordeaux blend, it smells like a top classed growth from a great year, but with a little bit of Languedoc spice and garrigue herb thrown in for good measure - and no greenness! On the palate, the fruit is beautifully ripe and rounded, almost sweet and luscious, but with plenty of tannic grip and fabulous acidity. And even after 4 years in barrel, you hardly notice the oak, which is (in my book) the sign of a masterful winemaker, at the top of his game. Even at this early stage, it has a warmth and a generosity that makes it hard to resist drinking now, whilst clearly also having the structure to age for another 10 years at least - and perhaps 20 or more. An utterly wonderful wine! |
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