Quick, I’m going to test your memory of high school French.  What does tire bouchon mean?  Corkscrew!

And you will want your corkscrew for this – so you can drink it all by yourself.

Certified organic and located in Vacqueyras, this is an IGP wine made from 60% Grenache with Carignan, Syrah and 10% each Aramon Noir and Oeillade Noire.  This is the reason it’s an IGP and not a Vacqueyras AOC wine – the last two grapes are not approved in the appellation.

The domaine is named after Adrien Roustan’s 450-500m high vineyards located in Gigondas on the south side of the Dentelles de Montmirail.  The name, ‘Ourea’ comes from the Greek god of mountains.

Adrien Roustan inherited some of his 18ha from his grandfather, but then went on to oenology studies in Beaune which culminated in an internship at Domaine de la Romanée-Conti.  He then worked at Turley in Paso Robles, California before returning to France to create his wines.  These top notch work experiences should give you some sort of idea as to how well made this wine is.

The grapes for this wine are from 4.5ha in Vacqueyras.  They were fermented together in whole bunches with indigenous yeasts.  Translucent violet, the wine has seriously delicious aromas of blackberry, garrigue and minerals.

The palate is fruit forward, elegant, and dry with easy-to-take tannins.  Flavours include plum and ripe berry with dried herb, and violets, all on a bedrock of black licorice.

An absolutely delightful, WSET Very Good plus wine.