Almost pitch black in colour. A dark, brooding nose with gamy notes. On the palate, there are intense flavours of cassis, black tea and dried herbs. Some people may be bothered by the tannic mid-palate and finish, but it does not pose any problems for me and I embrace it fully. A full-bodied wine with a very long finish and plenty of years ahead of it. Highly recommended.

Deep dark ruby with a hint of garnet on the colour & medium+ intensity on the nose.

Positives: A complex & higher end wine from the South of France. Notes of cedar, blackberry, dark cherry, mulberry, raspberry, macintosh apple, leather, pencil shaving, turmeric, all spice, arugula & radicchio on the finish. Full body, medium+ tannins, good acidity, long length & alcohol is well integrated.

Negatives: A little astringent & thus needs time to age.

If you're drinking this now, decanter for 2 hours & pair it with medium rare steak.

Tasted: 11 Mar 12

Score: 9/10, Value: 8.5+/10, Score: 18/20

Out of 5 stars, I rated this wine: 4