2021 Domaine of the Bee
- Retail
- £26.50
- Member
- £21.20
- Case
- £159.00
- Case (Member)
- £127.20
- Varieties
- Grenache Noir
- Carignan
- Vintage
- 2021
- Country
- France
- Region
- Roussillon
- Alcohol
- 14.5%
- Bottle size
- 750 mL
- Drinking Window
- 2023 - 2035
Awards
- Title
- 93/100
- Year
- 2023
- Event
- The International Wine Challenge
- Description
Our Flagship red is made from our best barrels of Grenache and Carignan, and this vintage (and the previous two) have been classified as Maury Sec (before 2019 we classified our wine as Cotes du Roussillon Villages, or Cotes Catalanes). The vineyards are the same three blocks we have owned since 2006, the grapes taste the same, but we've upped the Grenache component to 60%, which is the minimum permissable for Maury Sec.
- Eyes
The year's wine is a rich red - deeper coloured than the last couple of years, reflecting the riper vintage.
- Nose
What a nose! An explosion of dense, plump, ripe dark fruit - layered mulberries, smoky plums, and wild garrigue. And a whiff of kirsch, and maybe chocolate.
- Mouth
The palate is succulent and beguiling, with incredibly forward ripe fruit, and there's loads of grippy tannins too - svelte and finely textured, yet suggesting some protein-rich food to soak them up. This is one of the best vintages we have ever made - up there with 2008, 2011, 2015 and 2017.
- Body
full
- Winemaking Notes
All our grapes for Domaine of the Bee were hand harvested, and then hand-sorted at the winery to ensure we only chose the healthiest and ripest grapes. The first Carignan to be picked is fermented in a stainless steel tank. The rest of the Carignan, and all of the Grenache is cold-macerated in upturned demi-muids (500L barrels) with the ends taken out, before being warmed up, inoculated with yeast, and gently punched down 2-3 times a day. After pressing, all of the wine was drained into a mixture of 500L and 225L barrels, approximately a quarter of which are new, and left to mature for 16 months.
- Growing Conditions
An EXTREMELY cold January, with rare snow lying on the ground (briefly) marked the start of a year that was incredibly dry. Very low rainfall in a cool spring, and then a nice mini heatwave in June, but still very little rain. Two more heat spikes in mid July and late August, followed by September rains which finally allowed the vines a little moisture, and helped to swell the thick-skinned grapes. Most of the vineyards for our white and rosé were harvested before the rain, and most of our reds in a dry spell after the rainy spells. A good year for white and pinks, and a GREAT year for reds.
- Food Pairing
Great with grilled red meat, hearty stews, barbequed food, and hard cheeses.
Comments
No one has given their opinion yet.
Let us know what you think