Domaine d'Aupilhac, Coteaux Boda, Languedoc

Purple fruits, cherries, plums. Very inky. Leather, licorice, tree bark with blueberries, blackberries, violets, and lots of cayenne spice on the finish. As it opens up, I get more meaty flavors, along with black olives, and truffles. Very polished and the tannins are really smooth. Good acid. It’s not super exciting, but it’s a nice wine that really grew on me. It needed some time to open up and was maybe a little better on day 2.

Dark core, with vibrant ruby disk. Enticing, complex nose, meaty and animale on opening, then red fruits, crushed strawberry, leather, sweet musk and cinnamon. Layered, complex and lifted, wonderful. Sweet fruited palate, grainy tannin, dark chocolate and loads of peppery spice on the long finish, very, very good stuff indeed, best bottle so far.

Sweet red fruit overlays brooding garrigue notes on the nose. The palate is taut and serious with fine tannins and further underlying herbal edges. All is complemented by a smooth satisfying finish showing good balanced acidity.