FAUGERES VALINIERE 2020
LEON BARRAL

80% Mourvdre 20% Syrah
Age of the vines: 30-60 years
Maceration takes place for 3 to 4 weeks with regular, manual punch-downs in cement tanks
After maceration, must is lightly pressed with an old, wooden, vertical basket press
Wine is aged for 24 to 26 months in barrel (10% new oak)
The Syrah in this cuve comes from a north-facing parcel

Tasting notes and my impressions:
Classic Mourvedre notes of spice-laden black fruit, leather, roasted rotisserie meats, and a spine of stony minerality. The palate shows the same if slightly tighter, I’d have decanted this over a day – but this is a wine for the cellar or long decanting, maybe more than a day. Full-bodied, well structured and ripe tannin on the palate, with deep mid-palate concentration that flows into the densely packed and log finish. Outstanding!