Department D66 Grenache 2015

Alcohol: 15.2%

Grape(s): 80% Grenache, 15% Syrah and 5% Carignan

Localization: Languedoc-Roussillon, France.

Tasting Notes: Vibrant red berry and fruit aromas with exotic cassis and cardamom spice. A round, rich texture and integrated tannins are balanced with ripe blueberry flavors and distinctive earth and herbal notes of garrigue, stone and schist.

Notes: Mostly from 60 plus year-old vines in Cotes Catalanes, Languedoc-Roussillon, France. The wine is aged in 30% new French oak for 18 months and then another 5 months in bottle before release.

The Domain: It was ten years ago that Dave Phinney first took friends up on their offer to visit Maury, France. Nestled in the Pyrénées-Orientales (France's department number 66), Maury is a historic agricultural village with an enduring legacy of growing grapes. Home to old-vine grenache, syrah, mourvedre and carignan, the region’s warm climate is tempered by the blustery Tramontane wind that whips across the valley. Steep hillsides, black schist and red angile soils reveal striking shades of black, gray and orange, and conspire to make Maury one of the most compelling wine-producing regions in Southern France.