It’s a beautiful day in the neighbourhood, a beautiful day for a neighbour…Raquel from the BCLB is my neighbour. Let me just say how thankful I am that Raquel is my neighbour. She had the presence of mind (mostly because she knows I’m an easy mark) to let me know there was a manager’s sale on last weekend at the store located literally downstairs from our condo.

Knowing nothing about this wine, I had a feeling I’d be very pleased with it as everything Raquel suggests is pretty much ‘wonderful’. It’s a GSM blend from Languedoc-Roussillon and these full bodied, fully flavoured wines are amongst my favoured treasures.

What a treasure this wine is. I’m already thinking “Why didn’t I buy more!?” A blend of the dominant Syrah with Mourvèdre and Grenache blended in on top, it hails from Saint Chinian, located between Minervois and Faugeres (all north of Limoux) and located close to the Mediterranean. The summer of this vintage was, from all accounts, terribly unusual. The winter was cold and even snowy, followed by a very wet spring. However, the summer was exceptionally dry and warm; there was no rainfall at all between May – September. Yet harvest was successful and the wine produced, absolutely outstanding. There must be something in that ‘struggling vines produce the finest wines’ argument.

This wine is clear and bright with even legs and a deep, rich ruby. On the nose, it’s clean and developing with pronounced aromas of raspberries, red plums, liquorice, cigar box, tea leaves, a resinous character and herbs. Amazing.

The palate is dry with a juicy medium + acidity and the wine has velvety tannins with just the right amount of grip. Alcohol is relatively high at 14% but not readily obvious and the body is medium plus. The flavours on this wine are bountiful – cassis, smoke, violets, raspberries and damson plums, crushed rosemary and sage, some juniper and rocks. The finish is very long.

This wine is solid. Outstanding. Stunning. Drink now and often – may certainly be aged for 5-7 years if not more. If you can find it, buy it. It should be at your local BC Liquor Store, so run. Gorgeous fruit, length, body, tannin and acidity, all rolled into a beautifully balanced, integrated and structured package.

If I can get there first, I’m buying them out.