Wine Article

A blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Carignan and Cinsaut, one third of each. The vintage 2012 in Beqaa began cool and snowy, followed by a rainy April, a promising May and a hot summer, starting with a hot June and a heatwave in July. Normally the grapes are harvested variety by variety, but this year the harvest was done vineyard by vineyard. Fermented spontaneously in concrete, aged in oak barrels for a year. Blended together in February 2015, left to marry for a few years and bottled in summer 2015. 14,5% alcohol, 4 g/l residual sugar and 6,7 g/l acidity. Decanted for a few hours before tasting the wine.

Dark and almost fully opaque blackish red color with a little bit of developed figgy brown hue. The nose feels dusty, ripe and somewhat sweet-toned with aromas of peppery spice, some sweet balsamic VA, a little bit of ripe figs, light raisiny tones and a hint of wizened black cherry. Thew wine is full-bodied, very ripe and enjoyably bright on the palate with flavors of juicy dark fruits, some sour cherry bitterness, a little bit of lifted nail polish VA, light strawberry jam tones, a hint of ripe cranberry and a touch of peppery spice. There seems to be a touch of residual sugar sweetness here, accentuating the sweeter and jammier fruit tones. However, the wine is surprisingly fresh and structured at the same time, due to the high acidity and medium tannins that slowly pile up on the gums. The finish is rich, long and slightly sweet with moderate tannic grip and juicy flavors of strawberry jam, some boysenberries, a little bit of sour cherry bitterness, a lifted hint of nail polish and a touch of dried figs.