Winemaker Notes
Nicely complements cold cuts, red grilled meats or in sauce, cheeses.
Blend: 40% Syrah, 40% Grenache, and 20% Mourvedre.
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
A blend of 40% Syrah, 40% Grenache and 20% Mourvèdre, the 2015 Languedoc-La Clape Classique from Chateau d'Angles sports a deep purple color to go with a unique bouquet of ripe cranberries, blueberries, licorice, white pepper and bay leaf. Fresh, lively and clean, with lots of fruit and texture, it has no hard edges, sweet, sweet fruit, bright acidity and a great finish. It should keep for 4-5 years.
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.
Essentially a mountain on France’s Mediterranean coast, La Clape's vineyards vary in elevation by as much as nearly 1,000 feet. This tiny region also boasts some of France’s highest total hours of sunshine and produces aromatic whites from the Bourboulenc variety as well as full-bodied red blends from the usual Rhône suspects.