Cave de Roquebrun – Les Fiefs D’aupenac 2013 – Saint-Chinian Roquebrun

Very deep red colour, really black centre, almost opaque, with a ruby purple rim. Fine intensity on the nose, nice mix of ripe dark fruits, spices, dried herbs, finely roasted notes, fine wood here. Attractive nose, with already a hint of complexity. Nice balance on the palate, already well rounded, good concentration of fruit, and the tannins are well-treated, they’re quite grainy, integrated. We get some roasted and meaty notes from the oak, but it’s not really dominating. I would call this meaty with sweet spices like clove, black pepper, and those lovely ripe dark black berries; it raises my mind very much to ripe Syrah. Good density of fruit, fine concentration, keeps lingering on the palate, definitely a long aftertaste. Still a bit younger on the palate than on the nose, that I found complex, but certainly a well-balanced wine that will develop very nicely over the coming years, a very fine example of what Southern France is capable of producing.

Tasted by the Best Sommelier of the World, Andreas Larsson.