2022 ChevernyDomaine du Salvard
France | Loire
$22
Producers
I love this wine because it’s a darker counterpoint to our Côtes du Rhône. Take two parts smoky Syrah, one part ruby-red Grenache, a pinch of meaty Carignan, and a dash of violet-tinged Cinsault, then vinify them all separately in a mix of tank and barrel. This is the simple recipe our old friend Jean-Claude Zabalia uses to make our Languedoc Cabrières. Kermit picks the final blend, et voilà! Hearty southern French goodness.
—Dustin Soiseth
Wine Type: | red |
Vintage: | 2019 |
Bottle Size: | 750mL |
Blend: | 60% Syrah, 30% Grenache, 5% Cinsault, 5% Carignan |
Appellation: | Languedoc |
Country: | France |
Region: | Languedoc-Roussillon |
Producer: | Kermit Lynch Blends - Languedoc |
Winemaker: | Jean-Claude Zabalia |
Vineyard: | 30 years average, 3 ha |
Soil: | 70% Schist, 30% Clay-Limestone |
Aging: | Aged in 70% stainless steel tank, 30% wood (foudre, demi-muid, barrel) |
Farming: | Lutte Raisonnée |
Alcohol: | 14.5% |
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Ask wine drinkers around the world, and the word “Languedoc” is sure to elicit mixed reactions. On the one hand, the region is still strongly tied to its past as a producer of cheap, insipid bulk wine in the eyes of many consumers. On the other hand, it is the source of countless great values providing affordable everyday pleasure, with an increasing number of higher-end wines capable of rivaling the best from other parts of France.
While there’s no denying the Languedoc’s checkered history, the last two decades have seen a noticeable shift to fine wine, with an emphasis on terroir. Ambitious growers have sought out vineyard sites with poor, well draining soils in hilly zones, curbed back on irrigation and the use of synthetic fertilizers and pesticides, and looked to balance traditional production methods with technological advancements to craft wines with elegance, balance, and a clear sense of place. Today, the overall quality and variety of wines being made in the Languedoc is as high as ever.
Shaped like a crescent hugging the Mediterranean coast, the region boasts an enormous variety of soil types and microclimates depending on elevation, exposition, and relative distance from the coastline and the cooler foothills farther inland. While the warm Mediterranean climate is conducive to the production of reds, there are world-class whites and rosés to be found as well, along with stunning dessert wines revered by connoisseurs for centuries.
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I want you to realize once and for all: Even the winemaker does not know what aging is going to do to a new vintage; Robert Parker does not know; I do not know. We all make educated (hopefully) guesses about what the future will bring, but guesses they are. And one of the pleasures of a wine cellar is the opportunity it provides for you to witness the evolution of your various selections. Living wines have ups and downs just as people do, periods of glory and dog days, too. If wine did not remind me of real life, I would not care about it so much.
Inspiring Thirst, page 171
Drinking distilled spirits, beer, coolers, wine and other alcoholic beverages may increase cancer risk, and, during pregnancy, can cause birth defects. For more information go to www.P65Warnings.ca.gov/alcohol
Many food and beverage cans have linings containing bisphenol A (BPA), a chemical known to cause harm to the female reproductive system. Jar lids and bottle caps may also contain BPA. You can be exposed to BPA when you consume foods or beverages packaged in these containers. For more information, go to www.P65Warnings.ca.gov/bpa