Château Jouclary, Cabardès Les Amandiers 2022

An extravagant bouquet of sweet spices and pepper, followed by a full-throttle, firm-tannined wash of ripe blackberry, menthol and minerals. A serious wine, to be treated like a comparable Bordeaux by decanting. Enjoy it alongside roast beef, mature cheeses or chargrilled vegetables.

Cabardès is a relatively small red-and-rosé appellation in the hills north of Carcassonne. Its catchment area is on the climatic border between balmy Languedoc-Roussillon and the more inclement South-West, in the foothills of the Montagne Noir. This double identity is manifested in the grape varieties which make up the appellation's wines: Grenache and Syrah from the SE; Cabernets Franc and Sauvignon, and Merlot, from the SW/Bordeaux. The result is some genuinely unique wines, the majority of which are red.

‘At this price it's a steal!’
Mary Dowey, The Irish Times