Domaine Boucabeille Les Orris Rouge 2014

The wines of the Boucabeille estate are produced mainly on the Forca real hill 15 km northwest of Perpignan. It promotes biodiversity around the vine by planting forest and scrubland but also creates ponds and places dozens of beehives. The Forca real hill is made up of slate schists that date back 450 million years.
The schist allows the vine to penetrate deep in order to find all the elements it needs (water and minerals). The altitude of the vines (505 meters) brings freshness. This terroir also brings roundness and length in the mouth, as well as a lot of finesse and complex aromas.

2014 was a good vintage, but less intense than some, making for elegance. Unusually this cuvée is dominated by Mourvèdre, which performed particularly well in 2014. In contrast Syrah was less successful. So the blend is 30% Syrah, 45% Mourvèdre and 25% Grenache with an élevage in fut. Jean talked about élevage in barrel; he has 25 years experience, having started working with barrels in the 1990s. Good young colour; youthful fresh peppery fruit. Quite tight knit. Dry youthful finish. Nicely balanced. Firm black fruit. -Rosemary George MW