Mas des Capitelles
Mas des Capitelles, Faugeres, Languedoc-Roussillon, France, Mourvedre/Syrah/Carignan, 2021
The area of Faugeres is in the south of France and when you say Faugeres to me, two grapes immediately come to mind: mourvedre and carignan. Of course a little syrah and grenache sometimes plays a part but this area of France can be unforgiving and not all grapes thrive.. Mas des Capitelles is made up of 30 hectares of higher elevation vineyards and primarily composed of schist soil. Schist is a tough customer but when you combine it with Mouvedre and Carignan it really brings out the elegance of these two grapes. The thing is, these grapes planted in other types of soils and at lower elevations or with less exposure to a diurnal shift, can feel a little stodgy and gloopy. The carignan vines in this wine are over 80 years old, that is OLD, vines run deep! The wine also undergoes a slow maceration and extraction and part of it is carbonic which is a process that reduces tannins and adds a juicy bounce. I love this wine in the snow; at the beach on a cold day; cozy by a fire but it's also so good when paired with food.
Serving temp: Cellar temp around 65 degrees, store in a dark and cool spot!
Pairing: Cheeseburgers or mushroom barley soup.