Domaine du Clos des Fées Côtes du Roussillon Villages Vieilles Vignes 2021
Clos des Fées
Hervé Bizeul's old-vine Grenache, Syrah, and Carignan blend from the wind-blasted Roussillon vineyards delivers intensity refined by terroir. The Tramontane wind hammers these vines, concentrating everything, and the result is a wine of genuine power that drinks with the poise of something twice the price.
Nose
Dark cherry and crushed blackberry lead, followed by dried garrigue herbs — thyme, lavender, and a hint of wild rosemary. There's a mineral underpinning of slate and warm cedar that grounds the fruit.
Palate
Dense but not heavy. Ripe berry fruit and violet florals carry the entry, transitioning into a toasted, almost charred herb note through the mid-palate. Fine-grained tannins provide structure, and a streak of green pepper adds freshness to the dark fruit core.
Finish
Medium-long, with lingering cherry, cedar, and a dry mineral close.
- Varietal
- Grenache
- Blend
- Grenache, Syrah, Carignan, Mourvèdre
- Vineyards
- Vieilles Vignes parcels across Vingrau, schist and limestone soils
- Alcohol
- 14.5%
- Organic / Biodynamic
- No
Food Pairing
The slow-roasted lamb's gamey richness complements the wine's garrigue character, while caramelized root vegetables echo the dark fruit sweetness and the cedar-tinged tannins cut through the fat.
Former sommelier and wine journalist Hervé Bizeul planted his Clos des Fées estate in the windswept schist soils of Vingrau in the French Roussillon, farming vines as old as 120 years with obsessive low yields.
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