Villa Symposia Coteaux du Languedoc L'Origine

A Syrah/Grenache blend. Not decanted, but bottle open overnight. An intense purple colour, almost opaque, with only the slightest pinking toward the rim. Powerful nose of blackcurrants and blackberries, also mint; almost Cabernet-like. But with something more spicy too. Some oak notes on entry, but mostly big, ripe, dry fruit. Spicier notes of Syrah now. Lovely texture and weight of fruit, very open, almost like Aussie Shiraz. The fruit is very pure and ripe, but not at all baked or …

(Enjoyed with dinner - no formal notes taken at the time). Not decanted. Powerful nose of spice, pepper and dark fruit - still quite primary. Full-bodied, unctuous palate (14.5% alcohol I think): good depth of flavour; tannins well masked by depth of fruit and fleshy, rich texture (again partly due to alcohol probably); however there is sufficient acidity to avoid any hint of "flabbiness". Good Languedoc fare. A great wine with food, not massively complex (arguably even a bit one-dimensional, …