Using Bordeaux grape varieties, this wine is characterised on the palate by great aromatic complexity, dominated by preserved black fruit. It is fleshy, structured and has a long finish. A must!
Wine characteristics
- Vintage : Roi Patriote
- Year : 2013
- Appellation : Vin de France
- Colour : Red
- Grape types : 50 % Cabernet Sauvignon, 25 % Cabernet Franc, 20 % Merlot, 5 % Tannat
- Soil : chalky-clay
- Harvest : manual
- Type of viticulture : organic
- Contenance : 75cl
Tasting - Cellaring
- Appearance : deep red
- Nose : preserved black fruit
- Mouth : fleshy and very long
- Serving temperature : 16 °C
- Cellaring : 7 to 10 years
- Drink from : 2015
- Winemaking process : fermentation for 4 weeks
- Maturation : in casks
Food-matching
- Food-matching : tajine, rabbit with prunes, slow-cooked dishes
Domain :
The 19-hectare estate is an island of vineyards among the scrubland at the foot of Pic Saint Loup. Local grape varieties, plus Bordeaux, grown on biodynamic principles create a diversified range of wines with very small yields (25 hl/ha) and a controlled power.
Appellation :
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This is the wine-growing area that has made the greatest progress in terms of quality over the past 30 to 40 years, morphing from coarse reds into a multitude of quality wines with very distinctive characteristics. For some time now, the whites have also kept pace with the reds.
There are 245,000 hectares of vineyards, producing 1,245,000 hl of wine, mainly reds.
The region is situated between the Massif Central, the Corbières and the Mediterranean, covering a wide range of ‘terroirs’ and appellations. There’s shale, sandstone, pebbles, limestone and alluvial deposits.
The climate is very much mediterranean, with hot summers and irregular and poorly distributed rainfall.
The grape types currently planted, apart from carignan, often date from after the Second World War, in line with the subsoil. This makes for complex, exciting wines.
Reflecting this dynamism, many of the vignerons produce wines that are non-AOC (vins de pays, table wines, etc.) as they keep on searching for quality and originality.
The Languedoc has 11 AOCs, the main ones of which are Coteaux du Languedoc, Saint-Chinian, Faugères, Minervois, Minervois-la-Livinière, Fitou, Corbières, Limoux and so on.
Recent vintages
- 2011: good year for whites, which are well-balanced and fresh. The reds are more even.
- 2012: the reds are mature and fresh, with lower alcohol content. The whites are fresh and fragrant.
- 2013: the finest vintage since 1998. The reds display freshness, quality tannins and fragrant finesse. The whites blend good balance with maturity and acidity.
- 2014: fresh, tender reds to be drunk young. Tonic, aromatic and fresh whites.