“Me donner du vin!” is French for “Give me wine!” And while it may not be the politest phrase it was definitely the most useful. And as far as this is concerned you’ll be yelling it across the table. Unfussy to a tee this is easy French drinking at its best, with a nose full of ripe red berries, forest herbs and a tang of black olives. The palate is medium of body, driven by fruit flavours and soft tannins and the colour a gorgeous brick red. It’s nice to see an influx of well-priced French red (with a screw cap no less!) hitting our shores and at this price I can’t think of a good reason not to try it.
“Well-packaged, well-presented, well-priced French cabernet sauvignon. That’s the proposition.
The reality is exactly that and more. This is a good wine in anyone’s language. Oomph, but not too much. Style, but not stuck up with it. Flavours of pencil, chocolate, blackcurrant, dry tobacco. Ribs of granular tannin. Good punch of flavour through the finish. Like it quite a lot.” - 91+ Points - Campbell Mattinson - The Wine Front
FROM THE WINERY:
After a charmed run avoiding adverse weather, the Languedoc received its fair share in 2014, in particular hail storms that cut a swathe through many regions. The damage significantly reduced crop levels but the fruit that survived is of very high quality.
Totally de-stemmed before a long, cool maceration with regular pump-overs to maximise retention of fruit colour and aroma. Aged in vats for six months with complete malo-lactic fermentation undertaken.
Parnasse is named after the mountain grass that flowers above our vineyards each spring (hence the gorgeous new label), marking the beginning of a long, languid summer. Francoise Estier weaves the character and strengths of a number of individual regions to create a wine style truly expressive of the South of France – beautifully ripe and expressive whilst softly structured and easy to appreciate.
Don't Pay: $20.00
WBW Rating: 93/100
Closure: Stelvin
Region: Aude Valley, France
Winemaker: Francois Estier
Drink now until: 2023
Alc/Vol: 13.5 %
