Bordeaux may hold the crown for best Cabernet Sauvignon in France but don’t underestimate the potential of the Languedoc’s top vineyards.This is a dense, luscious red, packed with cassis and toasty spice.
Chai winemaker Mark Hoddy reserves the Belle Roche label for a red wine made from the best parcel of grapes of the vintage. In 2021 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 of 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.
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A wine from Ludovic Roussillon, the winemaker behind the generous ripe fruit and velvety tannins of Château Le Coin. In Moulin du Prieur, you’ll find the same appealing style. This 2020 has creamy blackberry and plum notes.
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Le XV is known to thousands as our ‘King of the Big Reds’. It owes its intensity to Grenache from vines, some over 100 years old, that grow on the rocky slopes of the Pyrenean foothills in the Montagne Noire and yield only tiny quantities of grapes. Le XV also benefits from the painstaking care of self-confessed southern French wine aficionado Mark Hoddy, whose draconian selection process sees him earmark in advance every vineyard he intends to harvest and micro-manage every stage of the winemaking. This takes time, but you can taste the result in every delicious glass!
Richly textured, with layers of ripe bramble fruit kept smooth by warming alcohol and soft, ripe tannins, this is a red to enjoy with roast lamb, steak or a hearty stew.
Winemaker had the idea of blending Malbec with a parcel of gorgeous, ripe Alicante from the Cévennes. The former provides firm, textured, ripe black fruit, while the latter is juicier and more fruit forward.
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