A brilliant southern French red

france languedoc wine reviews

A brilliant southern French red

This is fantastic. It’s a blend of seven different grape varieties (Syrah, Carignan, Cabernet Sauvignon, Mourvedre, Counoise, Grenache Noir, Terret Gris), made without any oak. And it manages to catch an almost Burgundian precision and elegance, with a natural, unadorned purity to the fruit. This is the sort of southern French red that I love.

Gravillas Sous Les Cailloux des Grillons 2008 Vin de Pays des Cotes de Brian, Languedoc, France
13% alcohol. Very attractive dark fruits (black cherry, blackberry) nose with a savoury twist. Notes of earth, herbs and a tiny touch of roast coffee. The palate is dense, savoury and spicy with fresh dark fruits and good acidity. Quite grippy with a dry finish. A very natural tasting wine with real savoury appeal. 91/100 (£12.35 Green & Blue here)

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5 Comments on A brilliant southern French redTagged ,
wine journalist and flavour obsessive

5 thoughts on “A brilliant southern French red

  1. Try also their complex Lo Vielh from 100 year old Carignan vines. Had a bottle of L’Inattendu, the Gravillas white, the other day, made from a small parcel of very old Grenache Gris. It was superb.

  2. Wow, thanks Jamie (and Matthew and Doug). 2010 Grillons just pressed today (well about 3/4 of it). Hope we can live up to these sweet comments.

  3. Almost done. The 1911 Carignan tomorrow, 1972 carignan Tuesday, cabernet/mourvedre/counoise sometime soon after. Pretty easy harvest. One of the advantages of zero rain since June is that absolutely nothing has gone soft, grey or fuzzy so there’s been no need to pick out ugly bits. Good thing I got my little crawler tractors up and working and did a lot of plowing last spring. It wasn’t a year for having grass between the vines. Will keep trying.

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