Château Villerambert-Moureau Château Villerambert-Moureau Minervois Cuvée des Marbreries Hautes, France, Languedoc Roussillon, Languedoc, Minervois

Damn, took the 2004 by mistake, my last one. I was supposed to take a bottle of the 2006, since I knew it would be drunk from paper cups after the sauna. Oh well, I was surprised by how good the wine was despite the suboptimal conditions.

Nice and spicy wine that went very well with leg of lamb. The spiciness really stood up well to the garlic and rosemary of the lamb.

Decanted for a couple of hours. Appearance: a dark brooding red with the edge starting to turn garnet (4/5). Nose: most interesting nose, quite cinnamony! The previous bottle was flawed and had this same aroma but much stronger. Here it was nice and gave an interesting twist to the wine. Otherwise there were dark fruits coming through, like blackberries (11/15). Palate: quite fruity, dark plums with a spicey taste also coming through. Quite hot and a bit harsh, but interesting …

ChTR kokous 7.5.2008 (SKO-toimisto) : The cork had leaked a bit, but we tasted it anyway, as it wasn't obviously oxidized. Very strange perfumy smell to it, and the taste was very cinnamony and peppery! It was drinkable, some even liked it, but certainly not a normal bottle of Villerambert-Moureau. Not scored.

Colour: very dark, purplish red. Aroma: after 1 hour in the glass, opening up very nicely, fruity - cassis, fresh-cut grass. Taste: earthy, reminds me of the cellar, soft - tannins not very evident, a hint of fruit on the back of the tongue. Aftertaste: medium, leaves a bitter taste. Overall: an enjoyable wine with dinner