Château Vieux Moulin Corbières 20/21 Red Wine France 75cl

Château Vieux Moulin is a 200-year-old estate located in the Languedoc appellation of Corbières. This is the largest appellation the Languedoc with a range of terroirs, and a climate that benefits from the warmth of the Mediterranean, tempered by the cool Atlantic “Cers” wind. The main grape variety here is Carignan, which can sometimes be quite rustic, but comes into its own when cropped from low-yielding old vines, producing wines of richness, spice and concentration.

After he finished military service nearly 20 years ago, Alexandre They came to help out at the family wine estate. Soon afterwards he was given the opportunity to take over the estate despite having very limited experience of winemaking, but the choice was either take on the responsibility, or sell. Alex dove in headfirst and learned on the job, making him the 7th generation of his family the run the domaine.

Vieux Moulin was being farmed largely along organic lines, but now all 28 hectares are fully certified. Alex is unafraid to challenge the status quo and explore new angles of winemaking, but never at the expense of what’s in the glass, and the wines always represent their origins in the vineyard. The range includes both conventionally made wines and some very on-trend natural releases. The wines are made with natural yeasts and at most low levels of SO2, but in some cases no additions at all. All the wines are strikingly packaged, and the zero sulphur wines are clean and very technically and precisely made – just delicious wines which happen to be natural.

Château Vieux Moulin Corbières is an organic blend of Carignan, Grenache, Mourvèdre and Syrah from a vineyard at 150 metres above sea level, with 2 metres of limestone above a rocky base. Fermented with natural yeasts, the wine stays in contact with skins for around 40 days post-fermentation to extract the maximum material and allow the tannins to fully integrate into the wine. Minimal oak influence and sulphur additions.

Deep red with a pronounced aroma of red fruit compote, cherries and a touch of liquorice. After a smooth attack, the tannins come into their own, dense, but controlled. The warm and spicy finish adds to the personality of this superb red wine.