Domaine de Fontenille Rouge (2014)

Notes

Deep ruby color.  Earthy nose with some secondary aromas of chocolate and tobacco.  Medium body. Palate delivered mature dark fruit: cherry, blackberry, prune flavors.  At first, the wine seemed quite closed and a bit too young.    However, after an hour or so the wine came alive, squelching our earlier thoughts that we’d made a misguided decision to open it now.  While it will benefit from additional time in the cellar, once the wine opened up, it showed good balance, pleasant earthiness, chewy tannins, and a nice finish with persistent fruit accented by a little black pepper.  The blend is 70% Syrah and 30% Grenache Noir.

Domaine de Fontenille is a relatively new producer in the Luberon.  While winemaking has been evident on these grounds since the 17th century, a substantial investment was made in 2013 to revitalize both the vines and the cellar.  The wine is not available in the U.S.  If you happen to be visiting the Luberon, Domaine de Fontenille is definitely worth a stop as they have a one star Michelin restaurant on premises and beautiful grounds for an après-lunch stroll.