Belle Roche Cabernet Sauvignon 2023

Dense, ripe, cassis-laden, southern French Cabernet, with claret-like suavity. The Belle of 2023 Winemaker Mark Hoddy reserves the Belle Roche label for a red wine made from the best parcel of grapes of the vintage. In 2023 he found just the ticket in a few rows of dark, thick-skinned Cabernet, grown in high-up Languedoc vineyards close to Carcassonne. There the climate benefits both from Mediterranean and Atlantic influences, hence a wine that echoes both the warm ripeness of the Med with the structure of Bordeaux. It's a densely flavoured red, its colour almost black – the reason he calls it his precious ‘black diamond’ of the vintage. Meticulously crafted by Mark at the cellar, Belle Roche is best decanted an hour before serving, just like a claret. It’s ideal with a juicy steak, a rich lasagne or a hearty casserole. Decant.