2021 "Thym"
- Retail
- £25.00
- Member
- £20.00
- Case
- £150.00
- Case (Member)
- £120.00
- Varieties
- Carignan
- Vintage
- 2021
- Country
- France
- Region
- Roussillon
- Alcohol
- 14.5%
- Bottle size
- 750 mL
- Drinking Window
- 2023 - 2028
- Description
A groundbreaking experiment, never seen before.
The base wine is a Carignan, but it was fermented with a submerged muslin bag of fresh wild thyme, to experiment with the flavours of our amazing valley.
Since the use of herbs in traditional winemaking is not permitted, this is technically not a wine, but a form of aromatised wine (like a Vermouth, but without the added alcohol).- Eyes
A deep, rich red.
- Nose
The aroma of thyme is quite pronounced here - and marries beautifully with the forest floor earthiness and bramble richness of the old vine carignan.
- Mouth
The ripe blackberry and dark plum flavours of Carignan is joined a clear note of thyme - like a pot of bramble jelly with a couple of sprigs of thyme infused - the earthy tannins, and savoury umami notes make this a no-brainer for winter stews and hot pots, and would complement a barbeque beautifully.
- Body
full
- Winemaking Notes
Two near identical barrels of crushed Carignan grapes were fermented, in an unusual experiment, with a bag of submerged wild herbs, picked that morning from the rugged hills around Maury. This barrel contained 200g of wild thyme (or "Thym") for about 7 days, during the main fermentation, and the bag was removed before pressing and filling a 225L barrel.
- 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
Excellent with Barbequed meat. And winter stews and hot-pots. And maybe a cassoulet.
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