Wines

Chateau Ollieux-Romanis
Cuvee Prestige, 2008

AOC Corbieres

A new vintage of this blend of old vines Carignan, Grenache, Mourvedre and Syrah. It is a lovely rich complex and balanced wine with aromas and flavours of black cherries, plums, mocha, spice and a lovely touch of complex dried herbs like bay leaf and thyme.

A full tasting note to follow

Maturity: Drink now in a youthful more fruit driven style, or keep for a few years and let it mature and develop into something even more complex and thought provoking

Alcohol: 13.5% or 10 units per bottle

Varieties: Carignan (>50%?), Grenache, Mourvedre and Syrah

Vinification

Grapes harvested at very low yields
Vinified slowly using traditional methods
Aged in old oak barrels for 15 months before bottling

Food: will be lovely with any richer and more flavoursome meat dishes, particularly a roast rib of beef, or game. Alternatively try it with grilled aubergine with a tahini dressing, or a rich wild mushroom caserole.