P & M Chabbert, Domaine de Petit Causse, Griotte de Ventajou, AOP Minervois, Aude, Occitanie, France, 2017
This wine: lot No. LG17 (on rear label), a blend of syrah, grenache noir and carignan; oaked with some percentage of new, I suggest; Diam 5 agglomerate cork closure, 14.5% abv, Adrian Mould, €9.80 (07/19)
Consumer tasting note: youthful, with rich red then black fruits, smooth, sympathetically oaked with just a touch of vanilla, the whole morphing towards warm black liquorice. Full bodied, with high(ish) but well integrated alcohol. A medium length. Drink now – RTD, and will hold for up to 2 years – Wait. No need to decant.
WSET style tasting note
Appearance: clear and bright, deep intensity ruby, showing tears [no sediment].
Nose: clean, medium (+) intensity, youthful, with aromas as they come, of red plum juice, ripe red cherry with a creamy lactic edge, black liquorice, squashed ripe black berry, black cherry, a delicate whiff of vanilla, warm candle wax.
Palate: dry, medium (+) acidity, ripe fine grained medium (+) tannins, high alcohol, full body, medium (+) intensity, a smooth velvety texture with a sense of sweetness in mid-palate, with flavours of ripe black cherry, black berry, black plum boiled sweets, touch of oak, hint of vanilla. A medium length, with a clean finish of ripe black fruits ,with just a touch of oak on the end.
Quality: good, well balanced fresh acidity and ripe tannins with the well integrated high(ish) alcohol; a quite strong intensity throughout with slightly lesser concentration; showing a rich youthful moderate complexity, with evidence of time is deftly used oak, some percentage being new; finishes soundly medium.
Drinking readiness/ageing potential: drink now, unsuited to ageing, but will hold for up to 2 years – a sound acid-tannin structure and balance, a decent intensity and concentration, with a fairly simple youthful complexity, a medium length, made for consumption in youth.
