I am not an expert, just a discerning wine lover or amateur de vin (as the French say), but everyone has a different palate, likes and dislikes so it must be understood that any of my recommendations are personal. I just hope that you find them useful or at the very least - interesting. I also hope you enjoy my photos. It is more fun sharing then keeping them backed up on a hard drive.

Sunday, January 1, 2012

A visit with the 'Wizard' and some sublime wines...

They call him 'the wizard of Félines', Michel Escande is certainly a charming and intriguing character, but as engaging as a visit with him is, his wines are the real prize. It was hard to decide which of these Minervois wines held most appeal, and even though we had some lovely rosés I narrowed it down to five selections:


Esprit D'Automne - 2010 - Syrah/Carignan/Grenache blend -  $16.42
Fresh, red fruit, cherries & a hint of licorice on the nose. Palate follows through but add some savoury spice.
http://www.boriedemaurel.fr/english/espritdautomnegb.html
http://www.saq.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?catalogId=10001&storeId=10001&productId=73441&langId=-1&parent_category_rn=&top_category=
http://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=1235976

La Féline - 2009 - Syrah/Carignan/Grenache blend -  10.00 E
Red fruit, black pepper & herbs on the nose. Red cherries on the palate, black olive savouriness. Lean, with mouthwatering acid and long intense finish.
http://www.boriedemaurel.fr/english/felinegb.html
http://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=1258836

Cuvée Maxime - 2008 - Mourvedre -  16.00 E
Possibly my favourite at the moment because it was so intense. This is a voluptous wine full of spicy black fruit, pepper & leather. Very long finish. Michel recommends up to 10 years in cellar.
http://www.boriedemaurel.fr/english/maximegb.html
http://www.vinopedia.com/wine/Domaine+Borie+de+Maurel+Minervois+Cuvee+Maxime+2008

Belle de Nuit - 2009 - Grenache -  16.00 E
Red fruit and spice galore! A wonderfully elegant wine that has minimum 10 more years of life. http://www.boriedemaurel.fr/english/belledenuitgb.html
http://www.vinopedia.com/index.jsp

Cuvée Sylla - 2008 - Syrah -  24.00 E
Intense smoky, garrigue on the nose. Elegant black fruit and herbal dustiness. Beautiful wine!
Michel recommends up to 15 years in cellar.
http://www.boriedemaurel.fr/english/syllagb.html
http://www.vinopedia.com/index.jsp?country=All&keepdata=true
 

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