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Organic

Jeb Dunnuck on a previous vintage:
A richer styled wine (I've compared this cuvée to a Chardonnay from Mark Aubert), the 2020 Novellum has a medium gold hue as well as a rich, powerful bouquet of caramelized lemon, honeyed almonds, candle wax, and toasted bread. Rich, medium to full-bodied, beautifully textured, and balanced, this is another no brainer purchase.

Organic

This is the most important wine of the estate, a serious red vinified to reflect its capacity to age. The grapes are harvested at a point of slight surmaturité which captures the profound scents and flavors of the surrounding hillside garrigue. The cuvaison continues for at least a month; then, the wine is racked into tank for aging. The wine is bottled twenty to twenty-four months after harvest. As the wine ages in bottle, it develops enticing notes of juniper, rosemary and thyme as well as the savory flavors of wild berries and a hint of the "animal" all in all, one of the more compelling values in all of France.

Organic / Biodynamic

Mas des Capitelles’ workhorse Vieilles Vignes is built on the backs of Mourvèdre (50%) and Carignan (25%) from vines up to 80 years old, with Syrah (25%) completing the blend. After a 30-day maceration with a small proportion of semi-carbonic whole clusters in the fermentation, one-fifth of the cuvée was aged in oak and four-fifths in fiberglass and enamel vats, with bottling taking place after 14 months. An exuberant nose of blueberries, violets, and warm dust evokes the sun-scorched slopes of the appellation in visceral fashion, and the palate sizzles with an almost spiky minerality, framed by rich but firm blue and black fruits. The balance of refinement and wildness here is extraordinary, with neither trait calling too much attention to itself.

Mas des Capitelles began in 1999, when ninth-generation vigneron Jean Laugé began bottling his own wine after a lengthy stint at the local co-operative, where his father's a driving force in the creation of the Faugères appellation in the early 1980's had served as president.

Organic / Biodynamic

90 points Jeb Dunnuck
Based on 70% Syrah and 30% Grenache, the 2020 Syrah La Touge has a pretty, juicy, up-front, and medium-bodied style as well as classic Minervois elegance. With complex notes of mulberries, new leather, peppery garrigue, and dried flowers, it's drinking nicely today yet should easily evolve for 4-6 years. It's a hidden little gem of a Syrah from the Languedoc

The first thing you will notice about this wine is the playful and yet confusing label, which does not get easier to decipher after a few glasses. Well, the winery is stronger in winemaking than marketing for this is a delicious daily drinker. A subtle floral bouquet (violets) graces the senses while the body of the wine is brimming with ripe blackberries and a pepper note. Although this wine is generous on the palate it is also soft texturally and very easy to drink. The tannins are subtle, no oak barrels used here, and the alcohol is mild at 12.5% abv. This extremely pleasurable red is less power and more finesse which is not easy to achieve in the Languedoc-Roussillon.

80% Grenache and 20% Syrah fermented in temperature controlled tanks with a cuvaison up to one month. Aged for 4 months in tank.

"Le Loup dans la Bergerie" loosely translates as "The wolf in the hen house".

Organic / Natural / No Added Sulfites

Grenache, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Merlot from L'Ardeche. 10 day carbonic maceration in cement tanks and aged in fiberglass and stainless steel. A full-bodied, lush red that is seamlessly put together. This is super clean for a natural wine, especially as a sans soufre wine.