Mourv Dre in Languedoc

Dry · Medium-bodied · Medium tannin · Medium acidity · Elegant · Fruity

Old-vine Carignan-Grenache-Mourvèdre from Brigitte Chevalier's organic Faugères vineyards at 300 metres. Elegant, fresh, mineral-driven.

Dry · Medium-bodied · Medium tannin · Medium acidity · Rustic · Easygoing

Syrah-led Pic Saint-Loup entry red blending young-vine Hortus fruit with selected lots from neighbouring growers. Built for five-year drinking.

Dry · Medium-bodied · Firm tannin · Medium acidity · Rustic · Savoury

Syrah-Mourvèdre cuvée from Château Coujan's calcareous parcels. Peppery notes and leather; structured Saint-Chinian.

Dry · Medium-bodied · Medium tannin · Medium acidity · Rustic · Easygoing

Sunny Pic Saint-Loup Syrah-led red, partly oak-aged. Spicy, peppery, supple - built for the dinner table rather than the cellar.

Dry · Medium-bodied · Medium tannin · Medium acidity · Rustic · Easygoing

Four-grape Languedoc red from Saint Martin. Approachable, garrigue-driven; retail around €14-20 across French independents.

Dry · Full-bodied · Firm tannin · Medium acidity · Contemplative · Elegant

Syrah-led flagship of Ollier-Taillefer, four-grape blend. Aged in French oak with only 15% new wood to preserve terroir over wood character.

Dry · Medium-bodied · Firm tannin · Medium acidity · Elegant · Savoury

Syrah-led mid-tier Saint-Chinian from Mas Champart's argilo-calcareous Bousquet plateau. Precise and controlled style; rewards 90 RVF points.

Dry · Full-bodied · Firm tannin · Medium acidity · Rustic · Savoury

Syrah-Mourvèdre-Grenache from selected Faugères schist plots at 250-350m. Velvety, deep, powerful but fresh. Cistus refers to the rock-rose plant emblematic of the schist garrigue.

Dry · Full-bodied · Firm tannin · Medium acidity · Contemplative · Elegant

Mas Champart's flagship cuvee since 2000: 65% Mourvedre from massale selection originating at Domaine Tempier (Bandol), blended with 70-110 year-old Carignans and Grenache, aged 85% in demi-muid.

Dry · Full-bodied · Firm tannin · Medium acidity · Contemplative · Savoury

Gabrielle de Spinola is Château Coujan's barrel-aged flagship Saint-Chinian. Syrah-led with Grenache and Mourvèdre; long-aged in French oak.

Dry · Medium-bodied · Medium tannin · Medium acidity · Fruity · Elegant

Mas Champart's entry red, a five-grape Saint-Chinian blend on clay-limestone hill. Fresh fruit, herbal lift, fine tannin.

Dry · Full-bodied · Firm tannin · Medium acidity · Contemplative · Rustic

Mourvedre-Syrah from Hortus's two opposing terroirs at the foot of the limestone cliffs. The Orliac family's flagship cuvee at Domaine de l'Hortus since the early 1990s.

Dry · Full-bodied · Firm tannin · Medium acidity · Contemplative · Elegant

Cébène's flagship and the only cuvée to age in oak. Mourvèdre-led for the long haul, from north-facing Faugères schist parcels.

Dry · Full-bodied · Firm tannin · Medium acidity · Contemplative · Rustic

Mas Bruguière's flagship Pic Saint-Loup red. Syrah-led with Mourvèdre lending structure, aged in French oak. Built for the long haul.

Dry · Medium-bodied · Medium tannin · Medium acidity · Elegant · Savoury

Grenache-led tribute to the family home's yellow facade. Supple, syrupy, with a fine spice and leather register from 15 months in foudres and Burgundian barrels.

Dry · Full-bodied · Firm tannin · Medium acidity · Rustic · Elegant

Syrah-dominant cuvée from Cazeneuve's clay-limestone scree soils. Ample and harmonious; rewards 2-5 years of cellaring before optimal drinking.

Dry · Medium-bodied · Medium tannin · Medium acidity · Easygoing · Fruity

Entry red of Château La Liquière from the Les Amandiers vineyard. Unoaked, fresh, four-grape blend that captures the Faugères schist signature.

Dry · Full-bodied · Firm tannin · Medium acidity · Elegant · Contemplative

Syrah-led cuvée from Les Bancèls - the old Occitan word for the terraces. North-facing 1ha vineyard blended with south-facing Mourvèdre. The symbol of Cébène.

Dry · Full-bodied · Firm tannin · Medium acidity · Contemplative · Savoury

80% Syrah from old altitude vines on Faugères schist. Aged 18 months in barrel with 30-40% new oak. Spicy, structured, classic.

Dry · Medium-bodied · Medium tannin · Medium acidity · Rustic · Easygoing

Syrah-led red from Cazeneuve's hard limestone parcels. Built for early drinking with a three to four year ageing arc.

Dry · Full-bodied · Firm tannin · Medium acidity · Contemplative · Elegant

Syrah-led cuvée on Crès terroir - round pebbles with neutral pH, excellent draining quality. Built for the cellar.

Dry · Medium-bodied · Medium tannin · Medium acidity · Rustic · Fruity

Saint-Chinian Classic from La Madura: Grenache-led with the four traditional appellation varieties. Aromatic complexity and supple tannin.

Dry · Full-bodied · Firm tannin · Medium acidity · Contemplative · Elegant

Flagship Grand Vin from La Madura, blending Syrah-Mourvèdre-Grenache from the estate's best parcels. Bordeaux-trained Cyril Bourgne's Bordelaise approach to Saint-Chinian.

Dry · Full-bodied · Firm tannin · Medium acidity · Contemplative · Savoury

Prestige cuvée of Domaine Canet Valette, named after the medieval Arab poet Omar Khayyam who celebrated wine. Concentrated, spice-led, structured.

Dry · Medium-bodied · Medium tannin · Medium acidity · Easygoing · Rustic

The everyday Mas Olivier Faugères, the entry red of the Faugères cooperative. Approachable, schist-driven, available in bottle and bag-in-box.

Dry · Full-bodied · Firm tannin · Medium acidity · Rustic · Savoury

Mid-tier Mas Olivier Faugères, the cooperative's barrel-aged cuvée. Generous and warm with smoky and vanilla notes from a year-long barrel ageing.

Dry · Medium-bodied · Low tannin · Medium acidity · Refreshing · Fruity

Mourvèdre-led rosé from Château Coujan. Fruity with red fruit notes; ideal summer-table Saint-Chinian rosé.

Dry · Full-bodied · Firm tannin · Medium acidity · Contemplative · Rustic

Mourvèdre-dominant cuvée from due-east-facing deep scree soils. The flagship long-ageing red of Cazeneuve; built for over a decade.

Dry · Full-bodied · Firm tannin · Medium acidity · Elegant · Savoury

Five-grape blend traditional to Saint-Chinian. Refined, concentrated, with silky tannin and garrigue lift. Long maceration (70-90 days).

Dry · Full-bodied · Firm tannin · Medium acidity · Contemplative · Savoury

Domaine Léon Barral's flagship cuvée. 80% Mourvèdre dominant from 15-30 year-old vines on 4.3 hectares of schist; aged in barrel (10% new). Built for two decades.