Mas Sinen Negre Priorat 2015

Mas Sinen Priorat Petit Mas Sinen is made from 45% Garnacha, 30% Cariñena (also called Samsó), 10% Cabernet Sauvignon,  10% Syrah, 5% Merlot.
Aged in oak barrels for 6 months.
Maceration for 21 days. ML in stainless steel tanks.
Clarification with white egg and soft filtration.
The wine shows great spice and leather components, some minerality and a lot of  ripe red fruits aromas as well.
This wine is certified organic.

Mas Sinen Coster Reserve Priorat is made from 50% Grenache and 50% Carignan.

he Priorat DO was created in 1954. But it is only in the 1990 that the quality of the wines were able to compete internationally. It is now a DOCa (The highest qualification level for a wine region according to Spanish wine regulations, alongside Rioja DOCa). Total acreage for the entire appellation is 4,400 acres. Intense red cherry color with garnet reflections. Black fruit, compote fruits, hints of balsamic. The mouth is ripe and intense, fresh and powerful. Strong and flavorful.

50 year old vines planted on Llicorella soil (decomposed black and reddish Slate, mixed with Mica and Quartz). Light filtration.

Mas des Capitelles Vintage Faugeres 40% Old Vines Carignan, 30% Mourvedre and 30% Grenache

No oak.

This wine has a purple intense color.
Aromas are reminicent of Mediterranean character with blackberry, garrigue, thyme and some herbal spice.
The mouthfeel is rich and fresh with some mintiness and a great length to the finish.

We called this new cuvée "Vintage" because this wine represents for us both tradition and modernity.
Tradition because in French, this term is used to designate old products having a style and excellent quality.
Modernity because we also wanted an international name, open to the world and understood by all wine lovers.

"La Catiede" is the name of the "Lieu-dit" where the vines are planted. It has been in the Laugé family for many generations and naming a Cuvée La Catiede represent the heritage and an hommage to their ancestors.

Grown on Schist soilsThe Carignan and the Mourvedre are aged in French Oak barrels for 24 months.

Minimum use of Sulfites
Traditional vinification with 30 days skin contact maceration.
The Grenache was vinified with delicacy, the Mourvèdre was harvested at optimum maturity and the Carignan was selected from our oldest vines
Average yield of 20 hl/ha.
Unfiltered wine

Pairs with delicious with lamb and grilled vegetables.

Review:

"The most expensive release in the 2015 Faugères Vintage, which comes from very old vine Carignan, Mourvèdre and Grenache, with the Carignan and Mourvèdre brought up barrel, and the Grenache all in tank. It shows some oak influence yet has wonderful fruit, notes of white flowers, vanilla, and pepper, medium to full body, and an elegant, seamless texture. Give bottles a year or so and it should keep nicely through 2025. It’s another beautiful wine from this estate."
- Jeb Dunnuck (March 27th 2019), 92 pts

Charles Thomas Chateauneuf du Pape Rouge 60% Grenache, 20% Syrah, 10% Mourvedre, 10% Cinsault.

The wine is produced from vineyards located in the town of Orange. The soil is made of rolled pebbles and sand.
Charles Thomas Chateauneuf-du-Pape rouge displays a very deep garnet red color. On the nose it reveals a bouquet of small red berries and hints of spices. The palate is round, full and rich.

Right after harvest, the grapes are destemmed and sorted at the winery. Then, the grapes are gently crushed and goes into fermentation tanks for 15 days in controlled temperature tanks. It is then pressed slightly and matured for a few months in order to preserve the richness of the aromas.

Charles Thomas Châteauneuf-du-Pape is sourced from different grape growers in the AOC. The idea is to have a wine made with grapes coming from all the different soils type found in Châteauneuf. As a matter of fact, soil and subsoil can be very different. 
To generalize, one can say there is limestone soil in the (rocky) western part of Châteauneuf-du-Pape; sand and clay soil covered with large stones on the plateaus; mixed sand, red and grey clay, and limestone in the northern part of the appellation; less stony soil alternating with marl in the east; and shallow sand and clay soil on a well-drained layer of gravel in the south. The large pebbles contribute to the quality of the vines and grapes by storing heat during the day and holding water. Our Charles Thomas Châteauneuf-du-Pape is using grapes coming from all these soil types in order to offer a broader approach to what this AOC is all about.

Game, duck, guinea fwl, pigeon, osso bucco, eggplant quiche and flavorful cheeses.

Xavier Vignon, along with Philippe Cambie, are probably the two most highly renowned oenologists in Chateauneuf du Pape as well as some of the surrounding Cotes du Rhone regions. Vignon’s office and laboratory are next to the Auto Route A7, in the same complex as Chateau Husson. He is the consultant for such well-known domaines as Raymond Usseglio, Jerome Quiot, Beaurenard, La Nerthe, Mont Redon, Marcoux, Grand Veneur and La Gardine. I tasted through the new and upcoming Xavier Vignon releases. The blend of Xavier Vignon’s Chateauneuf du Pape can vary considerably. Vignon told me that it is a selection from nearly 120 different parcels in the appellation. Fashioned from the best fruit from old vines planted in the finest parcels is the Chateauneuf du Pape Cuvee Anonyme. Xavier Vignon is not going to release the 2007 Anonyme (his greatest Chateauneuf du Pape to date) until 2013 so readers have a chance of getting some of this production. I tasted three vintages of this cuvee with Vignon.

Review:

The 2015 Châteauneuf-du-Pape started out slightly reticent, yet blossomed with time in the glass. Cassis, leafy herbs, lead pencil/graphite and earthy notes all flow to a ripe, full-bodied, beautifully balanced 2015 that has sweet tannin. Made from 65% Grenache, 20% Mourvèdre and 15% Syrah, aged in very old barrels, it’s a terrific base cuvée in 2015 that’s going to drink nicely for a decade. -Jeb Dunnuck 93 Points

SALE!

Mas des Capitelles Faugeres Vieilles Vignes  is made from 50% Mourvedre, 25% Carignan and 25% Syrah

Deep inky color in the glass. Aromas of raspberry, cherry and hints of vanilla round out the nose. Medium to full-bodied and very well structured with ripe chewy tannins. Flavors of peppery humus, cherry and hints of leather flow towards a lengthy & spicy finish.

Manual harvest. 
Unfiltered and minimum use of SO2. 
Long vating 30 days 
Average yield is 25 hl/ha.
The Carignan vines are 80 years old in average.

Delicious with lamb and grilled vegetable.

Review:

Even better, the 2016 Faugères Vieilles Vignes checks in as 50% Mourvèdre and 25% each of Carignan and Syrah, brought up in 80% tanks and 20% French oak. Deeper colored, with a powerful bouquet of dark fruits, plums, crushed rocks, and licorice, it hits the palate with medium to full-bodied richness, loads of fruit, a stacked mid-palate, and a great finish. It’s not the most elegant wine out there, but it has loads of character and is a joy to drink. Enjoy bottles over the coming 7-8 years. - Jeb Dunnuck 92 Points