Syrah Le Barroux VdF 2018

The Syrah Le Barroux 2018 thrives on the balance of freshness and ripeness: firm yet ripe tannin, a wave of vibrant acidity and that violet-black hue characteristic of the variety. A wine of uncompromising intensity that remains dense and cool at once.

The vines grow in Le Barroux at the foot of Mont Ventoux, on soils of limestone and gravel. Philippe Gimel has farmed some 16 hectares here since 2003, 12.5 of which under vine, the rest forest and orchard. His parcels lie between 300 and 500 metres and are interlaced with hedges, fruit trees and aromatic herbs; the vines average over 40 years of age. The cool nights at 400 metres give the wine its freshness, with yields of around 20 hectolitres per hectare.

Pure Syrah, harvested in September 2018, 75 % destemmed and fermented for over 20 days in concrete vat. Then aged 18 months in enamel-lined vat. Oak plays no part in the cellar. 13.5 % vol., dry.

At first the wine seems slightly reductive, with a touch of flint. Then come violet, pepper, raw meat, peat and cold smoke over ripe, crisp blackberry, blackcurrant and plum. Juicy and meaty, with charcoal, aged beef, beetroot, olive tapenade, earth and stone, along with light roasted notes of coffee.

Aubergine miso gratin, grilled octopus with black olive tapenade and grilled red peppers or stir-fried pork with cabbage Shanghai-style.

Gimel abandoned his pharmacy studies to become an oenologist and, together with geologist Claude Bourguignon, searched Provence for the right vineyard. Up to six geological layers lie beneath his parcels.