Robert & Bernard Plageoles Syrah 2014

Most of the so called cépages améliorateurs (i.e., the so called 'improving grape varieties') that Gaillac growers were encouraged to plant at the expense of traditional varieties from the 60's onwards were a disaster. Syrah, however, unlike Gamay or Sauvignon Blanc for example, has certainly worked and so Bernard Plageoles has kept some in his vineyards. This is from a clay-limestone site planted during the '60s and '70s and is cropped, again, at very low levels. The winemaking is almost identical to the other reds here; the fermentations are spontaneous and the wine is aged in cement tank for a year before being bottled without fining or filtration. If medium bodied, fresh, perfumed, cherry and violet noted Syrah rocks your boat. You will absolutely love this. It's just so damn pretty and smashable, and yet there is an undercurrent of subtle, bloody, ferrous minerality that is just classic Gaillac. So, while the aromatic and flavour profile of this red is more recognisable than the more obscure Prunelart and Duras, it remains Gaillac first and foremost. Equally important, it remains damn delicious!