Description

Description

Spend £20 in Bordeaux and you get a Golf. Spend £20 in the Languedoc and you get a Ferrari! Ornicar is a blend of 50% Grenache, 40% Mourvedre and 10% Cinsault and spends 6 months in oak barrels. This is a rich and spicy wine that despite its power retains freshness and elegance. Soft enough to drink without food, but great with grilled meats and spicy kebabs.

Grape

A widely planted red variety that produces supple, juicy, full bodied wines with high alcohol, low acidity and soft tannins. Grenache has pronounced strawberry, raspberry and spicy white pepper character. Grenache is blended with a variety of grapes including Syrah, Mourvedre, Carignan, Tempranillo – usually with the aim to add in a bit more acidity.

Producer

Jean-Baptiste and Charlotte Sénat have been working their fifteen hectare domaine in the heart of Minervois since 1996. They are located in Trausse-Minervois in the foothills of the Montagne Noir. The soils are limestone-clay and their mainly south-facing vineyards are set in the heart of the garrigue. They are organic and carry out all work by hand and vinification takes place with minimal intervention in a mixture of large and small casks. Only natural yeasts are used and the wines see no fining or filtration and only tiny amounts of sulphur are used in the cellar.

Region

Minervois is an appellation for predominantly reds, but also white and rosé in the western Languedoc. In general the reds are more supple than those produced in Corbières just to the south. The predominant red grape are Grenache, Syrah and Mourvèdre. Along with the rarer Lledoner Pelut they must make up at least 60 percent of the blend. Carignan and Cinsault are among the supporting cast, which can contribute up to 40% of the blend. The appellation’s white wines vary considerably in quality and style. They are made from varieties including Vermentino, Roussanne, Marsanne, Bourboulenc and Grenache Blanc. Minervois Blanc is improving and becoming increasingly aromatic and refined.

Food Pairing

Grenache Blends vary from blend to blend, but tend to be fairly full bodied and spicy. These robust wines can work with red meat, game or hard cheeses.