Christy Canterbury Sélection - MW

Award : Best Wine for Rack of Lamb

"Lamb is my favorite red meat, and I love Syrah with lamb. This wine's black olive and herbal notes sing of its Syrah component, and this wine's gamey tones made me think immediately of a warm lamb dish for the cold, winter night outside.

This big, boisterous wine smells of scrub brush, herbs, oil-cured black olives and black plums. Its structure is firm thanks to marked acidity and lightly bristly tannins. Vigorous, chunky and youthful fruit saturates the palate while notes of warm tar and game add to the wine's savory layers. " Christy Canterbury - MW

AOC Faugères red 2019

Mas Gabinèle

1. Geographic location

Nestling in the heart of the Faugères appellation, our vineyards cover just over 23 hectares on the foothills of the Cévennes overlooking the village of Laurens. The vines, planted at an ideal altitude of 180 metres, are between 30 and 60 years old and naturally produce low yields. 

2. Grape varieties

35% grenache, 30% syrah, 25% carignan, 10% mourvèdre

3. Soil type

The soil is predominantly Laurens-Cabrières sandstone schist, a neighbouring type to the Faugères hills soils. This soil type is of fragile structure, slightly acidic and can be difficult for the vines and which, when associated to adapted cultivation methods provides excellent balance for the vines.

4. The climate in 2019

The 2019 vintage started with unseasonally heavy rains in October and November 2018, followed by a rather dry winter which was quite mild from February onwards. The summer was very hot with a temperature record of 46°C on Friday 28th June and remained very dry until the beginning of the harvest. These conditions had quite an impact on the fruit: the whites retained wonderful aromatic freshness, the Syrah berries stayed small and therefore needed a high level of control during extraction. The Grenache, which is well adapted to our Mediterranean climate, resisted well. The welcome rains on 18, 19 and 20 September allowed the Carignan and Mourvèdre to ripen evenly.

5. Pruning and yield

Double Cordon de Royat pruning for Syrah and Mourvèdre, traditional goblet pruning for the Grenache and Carignan. In 2019, the harvest was generous, with 715 hectoliters from a total surface area of 23 hectares, i.e. very low yield of 30 hectolitres per hectare.

6. Vinification

Hand harvested with parcel selection for the ripest grapes (from 12 September for the first Syrah and 2 October ber for the last Mourvèdre.

Long maceration for 20 to 30 days.

The wine is matured in new or one-wine oak casks for 12 months, punctuated by regular racking off.

We have produced 62,000 bottles of this vintage.

7. Tasting notes

This 2019 vintage is probably one of the most accomplished and precise ever. The connection with the schistous terroir is perfectly respected.

A bright ruby red colour.

The bouquet relays the minerality with tantalising restraint (notes of warm slate) and aromatic concentration (black fruit, tapenade, toasted bread, pepper).

The palate adds a fresh framework to this aromatic range, with grainy, powdery tannins.

Balsamic finish (cedar, rockrose).

8. Suggestions for food matching

Grilled pork, goats cheese with ash.