Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
Muddled blackberry, black cherry and boysenberry are the initial aromas on the nose of this wine, with supporting notes of sweet spice, toasted oak, crushed lavender and bay leaf. The palate is plush and juicy, with ripe fruit flavors that are framed by accents of licorice, toasted peppercorn and mocha. Drink now–2018.
Editors' Choice -
Wilfred Wong of Wine.com
Oh how I really love grenache, but sometimes the grape is too much for me and how I sometimes enjoy carigane, but oft times the wine is too little for me. So, how about this: Fitou! The 2011 Gerard Bertrand Fitou marries these two grapes into one superb wine! Juicy red fruit and a bite on the palate that invites another glass. This red wine is so good, I'd pair this one with roast pork and be one happy camper.
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.
Established in 1948, Fitou is the oldest AOC in the Languedoc; appropriately enough, Greek colonists planted the first vines in France here in the fifth century BCE. Celebrated by Rabelais and served at Louis XIV’s table, Fitou wines have long been prized for their meaty, full-bodied character, their friendliness with food and their aging capacity. As with all quality Languedoc wines, they give great value for money.
This red-wine region is divided into two parts: one on the warmer plains near the sea, the other in the limestone, clay and schist hillsides of the Corbières massif. Heat-loving Carignan provides a briary backbone to Fitou wines, while Grenache adds berry fruit and softens its tannins. Together these grapes must make up 60% of any blend, which are filled out with plummy Mourvèdre along the seaside and brighter Syrah in the hills. In both seacoast and hillside vineyards, the garrigue blends savory herbal character into the wines, which can ripen over the course of years into complex, truly spectacular bottles.