Given the astounding support we received with our 20%-off sale, our first email back-in-the-saddle had to be a great value.
To reward everyone that came by the store last week, we found an unheralded wine of exceptional quality in the virtual treasure trove of Southwestern France.
Here are my tasting notes on this incredible wine:
"The Domaine Laurens Marcillac has wonderful soft texture with crushed red currant and blackberry fruit. Nicely granular tannins match its surprising purity and concentration. The nose has hints of exotic spices and dark berries. A rustic intensity, very unique to Marcillac, rounds out this excellent bottling. Ready now, but enough structure so that this wine will age in the short term for 5-8 years."
If you are one of the many fans of the true terroir exhibited by our very popular "Wine of the Year" the Clos Roche Blanche Cabernet, you will love this wine which can be counted as a close cousin. However, with the Laurens expect a fuller body, some differences in fruit character, and, of course, a separate sense of place.
Where in the World?
Marcillac is an appellation in Southwestern France in the small département of Aveyron, a subsection of the Midi-Pyrénées région.
Stuck between two more famous regions, Bordeaux and the Rhône, Marcillac doesn't garner too much attention on the international stage. Those who do notice its parent region, Aveyron, are more likely to comment on the world's tallest bridge, the "viaduc de Millau," rather than the main grape of the region, Fer Servadou, also known locally as Mansois.
It's a good thing for you that "Fer" (the wine geek name for the grape) hasn't gotten more attention. If it had, you'd be paying double or triple for this complex yet pleasant rustic wine.