This is a predominantly Round & Fleshy wine, but it shares structural nuances of Tone & Backbone as described in the tasting note below.
Tasting Notes
Medium plus body, with tannin and acidity that tow the same line, this Côtes du Rhône has an extroverted personality, showing blackberry, dark chocolate covered raspberries, slight rose, and leather notes, followed by smokey minerals and black pepper in the finish.
Body is the impression of a wines weight, density, or its ‘mouth-feel’. Some wines feel weighty, or full bodied, while others feel light bodied. Wine runs the gamut from light to full, with most falling somewhere in between.
TANNIN
Low
Subtle
Balanced
Pronounced
High
Tannin can range greatly in wine, but it is necessary to some degree, and a necessary constituent for red wines to age well. In high amounts, it can cause a drying affect, which is sensed mostly on the gums and tongue. Tannin is a natural preservative extracted from grape skins, otherwise known as polyphenols that are micronutrients and antioxidants with potential health benefits.
ACIDITY
Soft
Subtle
Balanced
Pronounced
High
Acidity is a foundational component in wine. In fact, low acidity, or ‘flabby’ wine (as the term suggests) is a negative. You can sense acidity mainly on the sides of your tongue. Acidity generally ranges from balanced to high. Crisp acidity adds freshness, making your mouth water. Acidity is a necessary element and helps to balance other components.
SWEETNESS
Dry
Off Dry
Medium Dry
Medium Sweet
Very Sweet
Most wines are characterized as dry to off-dry, but there are some grape varietals, like Riesling, that run the gamut from dry to sweet. The tip of the tongue mainly detects sweetness, which is why it is often the primary characteristic detected. Sweetness is derived from residual sugar that did not ferment into alcohol.
ALCOHOL
13.5%
Alcohol is the by-product of fermentation. Differing grape varieties have differing potential alcohol levels, but regardless warmer areas result in riper grapes resulting in higher alcohol. Alcohol level is an objective number, but its affect on its palate impression is largely determined with how well integrated and balanced it is with other components.
Grenache is widely planted throughout the world but some of the best expressions come from the southern Rhone, and in Spain’s Priorat. Grenache has small berries with thick grape skins resulting in dark, tannic wine in its youth combined with an almost ripe sweetness and elevated alcohol. Often part of a blend, Grenache offers a lot of fruit, spice, with floral and herbal notes.
Syrah
See-RA
Syrah is widely planted throughout the world, but that was not so until the late twentieth century when Syrah was principally grown in the Rhone Valley and, as Shiraz, in Australia. Stylistically, the Palate Character of Syrah can vary depending on ripeness from a rich Round & Fleshy, Tone & Backbone, to a Powerful & Extracted. The flavors and aromas can also vary with a dark, sometimes sweet, fruit character, varying amount of spice, floral, and earth, and smoke, and meaty aromas and flavors.
Mazuelo
Ma-soo-WAY-lo
In the past, Carignan was responsible for a lot of bulk wine because of its high yielding potential, but in the right hands it can make quality with intense red fruit, spice, and structure. Often blended with other grape varietals, old vine Carignan can yield rich red fruit driven wines at bang for your buck price levels.
The Bernard family’s Domaine La Ligière is a biodynamic and organic 60 hectare vineyard located in Beaumes De Venise, 30 hectares of which are planted in Vacqueyras.
The Bernard family has been farming grapes and other agricultural products for 5 generations, but it wasn’t until 2008 when Philippe Bernard and his wife Elisabeth Serra decided to make wine from their own grapes. The vineyard is planted with 50 year old Grenache, Syrah, and Mourvèdre grapes.
As a biodynamic estate, Domaine La Ligière does not use any chemicals or fertilizers, only natural treatments and cover crops.
Blackberry
Smoke
Leather
Biodynamic
