Clos d'Ora Rouge 2012
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Robert -
Suckling
James
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The first vintage to be released, the 2012 Minervois la Liviniere Clos d'Ora is still going strong. There's a meaty, savory edge to the nose, adding nuance to the black olive aromas. Full-bodied and more concentrated than the 2013 or 2014, and more harmonious than the 2013, the blackberry, cola and spice flavors come together magnificently on the long, velvety finish.
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James Suckling
A complex nose of undergrowth, leather and pencil lead, with some game too. It’s medium-bodied with polished tannins. Mellow and well-rounded with a caressing texture. Harmonious with a very fine texture and focused finish. From biodynamically grown grapes with Demeter certification.
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In 1997, when he had just acquired Laville Bertrou in the heart of the Minervois, Gérard Bertrand visited the vines. At the turn of a plot, he feels a feeling of eternity, like a distant call, which regularly comes back in his dreams and becomes clearer. Everything speaks to him of an exceptional place between dry stone walls. Each time he enters this part of the vineyard, the signal is there. Gérard Bertrand realizes that these vines are located precisely on a unique contact zone: a geological fault between limestone and marl soils. The Clos was delimited in 2000. Biodynamic cultivation is an obvious choice for the soils that called for the creation of this place. Next to old Carignan and Grenache, he plants Syrah and Mourvèdre. On the culminating point, on the site of an old sheepfold, the building is constructed, again in accordance with the principles of biodynamics. It houses an open-air vat room that encourages the interaction of the wines with the stars, a maturing cellar where the sun only comes in at the summer solstice, and a meditation area.
With bold fruit flavors and accents of sweet spice, Grenache, Syrah and Mourvèdre form the base of the classic Rhône Red Blend, while Carignan, Cinsault and Counoise often come in to play. Though they originated from France’s southern Rhône Valley, with some creative interpretation, Rhône blends have also become popular in other countries. Somm Secret—Putting their own local spin on the Rhône Red Blend, those from Priorat often include Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. In California, it is not uncommon to see Petite Sirah make an appearance.
Granted its own appellation within Minervois in the Languedoc region of France, Minervois La Livinière takes its name from cella vinaria, Latin for ‘wine cellar.’ In the hilly northern end of Minervois, the altitude and dense, rocky limestone soils of La Liviniere produce quality red Rhône Blends made from Syrah, Mourvedre, Grenache and Carignan.