The nose of this wine is very charming: Cherries and flowers, wild herbs and a hint of chocolate... Juicy and mineral on the palate, with elegant and powerful tannins, nestled in pleasant smoothness that flatters the palate. Structure and harmony of this wine are promising a good ageing potential for this wine, but its flavours and freshness will surely tempt you to taste it already now.

FOOD MATCHES FOR CARNIVORES:: Roast beef, Saddle of lamb with herb crust... But also Salsiccia with braised fennel and fried potatoes or a creamy goulash.

FOOD MATCHES FOR HERBIVORES: a vegetable curry (not too spicy), spaetzle with lentils and balsamico... I had it a couple of days ago with German “PILLEKUCHEN”, a potato pancake with lots of vegetables in it. Just great!

Pierre Cros settled on 25 ha of vineyards and as much olives, almond trees and truffle oaks. He is a great “winzer-artist”, a real benchmark in the Minervois, if you look look up how often we wrote about him and his wines in this guide during the last 10 years. He considers himself as a “peasant” and tells us that he learned to respect his clients from his father and grand-father, who both of them had been bakers in Badens. Besides classic grape varieties of the AOC, Pierre Cros keeps ancient, almost forgotten and even “non-beloved” (mal aimé) grape varieties (as for example the Aramon) and introduced new varieties from abroad.

The wine star of the estate shines again. This Syrah pampered and raised in barrels for one year like the previous vintages, shows its typical intense and warm scents of spices and black fruits, enhanced with notes of cedar and a touch of truffles. Roasted cocoa and mocha join in on the concentrated and mellow palate, while mild and spicy tannins emphasize an intense final, a true apotheosis. A bottle that will be perfect to appreciate young (served in a carafe), or left for years of ageing. (2016 - 2025)

Opening a bottle of Vacqueyras always announces a special moment of enjoyment, as well as a delicious dinner. In a certain way the AOC Vacqueyras represents something noble, valuable and historical. Although classified Cru of the Rhone Valley “only” 25 years ago, the wines of Vacqueyras look back on a very long history and they are closely linked to the history of the great wines and terroirs of France.

To accompany this wine, I had grilled duck breast provided by a refined figs duo: half of them grilled, the other half stewed with balsamic vinegar. What a feast! Served relatively cool in the carafe (about 14 ° C), on a hot summer evening, the bouquet was quite explosive and charming from the very beginning, full of plums, walnuts, figs and cinnamon. And on the palate? Soft and round due to the grape varieties (80% GRENACHE and 20% SYRAH), full-bodied and concentrated as prescribed by vintage, backed by pleasant cooling acidity due to the sandy and stony terroir, battered by the cold Mistral wind.

An originally wild, already somewhat tamed wine, whose aging potential should not be underestimated. The wine may indeed show an increasing amount of spice, cocoa and dried fruits over the next 4 to 6 years.

FOOD MATCHES FOR CARNIVORES: Except grilled duck breast with figs, the wine will be delighted by teriyaki beef, but will also appreciate a simple veal roast with it.

FOOD MATCHES FOR HERBIVORES: You should look for intense, concentrated food and flavours to accompany this wine. Tomato oregano tarte tatin, risotto with porcini mushrooms and Hokkaido-pumpkin or Tagliatelle with oyster mushrooms and pesto will perfectly do the job.

I particularly love this punchy red wine in summer! What really strikes when tasting it, is the liveliness and freshness that it displays. Moderately tannic, I would describe it as being crispy and vigorous, with just enough generosity as it needs. Could we call a wine from Cahors being thirst-quenching? Yes we can, as this wine is living proof! It’s is a young, enthusiastic and happy wine...

I forgot to mention its visual and olfactory aspects? Please excuse me: It’s black and purple as a real Malbec should be, having a lovely bouquet of fresh black fruit, with hints of violet and notes caramelized hazelnuts.

CARNIVORE wine-lovers among us will be delighted to discover this red wine, that strongly supports long BBQ-evenings in summer. But it will also comfort the HERBIVORE connoisseur by sublimating a fresh tomato salad with feta cheese and black olives and perfectly matches to all kind of grilled summer vegetables.

When a winegrower from Gigondas infers his expertise to the stony and sandy soils of La Crau and the Saintes Vièrges, a refreshing breeze seems to rise on these terroirs of Châteauneuf-du-Pape. Bottled since spring, the 2012 vintage is living proof!

Its color is soothing: blood red, very clear, with a slight touch of purple. The first nose is very fresh, very fruity, followed by a relatively quick opening on sweet spices, pepper and balsamic aromas. A young and tonic bouquet, that lingers for long time on the palate.
Slightly salty, the wine has a stony, chalky structure. Hard to tell if this is due to its mineral character or to its delicate, very fresh and young tannins. Hard to tell also, because this Grenache and Mourvèdre based wine, already delicious but built for the future, seems in no hurry to reveal all its secrets.

The solution? Be patient, find him a place in your cellar and make it your dinner companion for the next 10 years.

HERBIVORE SUPPORT: roast vegetables, fried mushrooms or a smooth curry made of seasonal vegetables ...

CARNIVORE SUPPORT: Veal cutlet with red wine sauce, filet mignon with mustard and guinea fowl with morels in its youth. Pheasant saltimbocca alla romana (wrapped in sage and prosciutto), roast pigeon with porcini mushrooms and matured cheese like « Epoisses » after a few years of aging.

This wine “entirely made by hand” exists since 14 years. The vineyards which he comes from accumulate almost 400 years. Its composition almost was heresy in the beginning of this millennium, as proves the story that sounded the death warrant of its predecessor: an AOC MINERVOIS from the vintage 1999, made only from PICPOUL NOIR. Sales of this product were officially banned, due to the grape variety it was made from. PICPOUL NOIR however is an official grape variety of MINERVOIS and several other prestigious appellations, such as CHATEAUNEUF-DU-PAPE. A stroke of luck, finally, because this incident aroused the envy of PIERRE to go even further and create this unique blend, entirely made from prohibited, unpopular and unloved varietals (PICPOUL NOIR, ARAMON, ALICANTE & CARIGNAN).

Today, some of these varietals almost have disappeared from the map. They were partly replaced by other varieties, so called « improving varieties ". This seems to have led to a reduction of the diversity in French vineyards and in consequence to a certain loss of variety in tastes over the last 40 years. Only 10 grape varieties now cover 70% of the vineyard area cultivated in France, with a total of 40 varieties playing an important role economically.

On Vinparleur we defend a very simple policy: we love all grape varieties, without any exception. The more, the better!

To convince those who are still in doubt, please find here our impression of PIERRE CROS’ MAL AIMÉS (THE UNLOVED) 2012:

Clear garnet color, slightly hazy due to bottling without filtration, this Vin de France (formerly Vin de Table) impresses with its intense and bright bouquet of red and black fruits, especially marked by the luscious fruity-vegetal character of Cassis and a handful of black olives. In bottles for two years, it opens in a few minutes, enriching its bouquet with aromas of pastry and a little cocoa. The mouth is rather light and smooth with a refreshing acidity. Low in tannins, this wine still has a beautiful silky structure and slight tanin grip giving length and character. Drink now, or cellar for another 2-3 years.

HERBIVORE SUPPORT eggplant lasagna, without an hesitation!
CARNIVORE SUPPORT You’ll be spoiled for choice: grilled lamb chops, black pudding, roast pork, raw ham, boar pâté, coq au vin ...

PS FOR THE CURIOUS, here are some figures for these varieties:
ARAMON: 150 230 hectares planted in 1958 - 9084 hectares in 2004.
Carignan: It covered 43% of Languedoc-Roussillon’s vineyards in 1979, against 13.5% in 2010.
PICPOUL NOIR: some residual 200 hectares planted in 1990.
If you add details of these varieties with the surfaces of CINSAULT NOIR, TERRET and GRENACHE BLANC, ALICANTE BOUCHET and MACABEU these traditional varieties of the Mediterranean vineyards add a drop of 260 000 hectares between 1979 and 2010 ...

A fifth-generation family estate. Intensely herbal and floral nose: a pot pourri of dried flowers and lavender. Full, sweet berry fruits and very fat in texture. Long, juicy, round, silky – all totally unified. A joy to drink.
18pts/20 (93/100pts) - Drink 2015-2020

Located north of the Dentelles de Montmirail, the village and the vineyards of Sablet nestles comfortably between Gigondas and Séguret. On the 340 hectares of vines, red grape varieties prevail. Thus, white Sablet is rather a rarity, a precious wine...

This blend of of Viognier, Bourboulenc, Grenache, Clairette and Roussanne comes up with a beautiful sparkling golden color in the glass, that already makes your eyes thirsty ! The bouquet continues the work of seduction by introducing a nice cup filled with fresh apricots and a huge bouquet of white flowers. Although round in the mouth, even creamy, there is no shortage of lightness and its freshness is highlighted by some delicate flavors of grapefruit peel and lemon.
This wine will be a perfect companion on your terrace, beside the pool or close to the Mediterranean Sea.

HERBIVORE SUPPORT: appreciate it with a nice green salad with sun dried tomatoes, goat cheese, candied peppers and pine nuts, or try a creamy humus or a vegetable curry with lime.
CARNIVORE SUPPORT: excellent on a grapefruit-avocado salad with spicy shrimps, on a grilled chicken with spices or a baked sea bream.