Château d'Anglès - La Clape Classique 2016

Éric Fabre is no novice: he first cut his teeth in the Médoc, serving as technical director at Lafite-Rothschild for eight years. In 2001, he moved to the Mediterranean with his wife Christine—and later his son Vianney—to the Clape massif, a region already cultivated by the Romans and bathed in sunshine 300 days a year. The grapes are harvested by hand, meticulously sorted, and the entire production is bottled on the estate. Powerful reds are produced here, but the château’s specialty is unquestionably its whites—one of the Languedoc’s most original wines, dominated by Bourboulenc.

On the nose, aromas of bay leaf, rosemary, eucalyptus, and red fruit jam; on the palate, a warm, dense profile supported by firm tannins.

Éric Fabre, after a long career as technical director at Château Lafite-Rothschild in the Médoc, settled in La Clape. This terroir was already covered with vineyards in the time of Julius Caesar, and he has been working to showcase it since 2002. The vineyard covers 42 hectares.

Another sure bet from the south of France is the 2016 Languedoc La Clape Classique, which comes from an estate owned by a former winemaker at Château Lafite-Rothschild. The blend consists of 40% Grenache, 40% Syrah, and 20% Mourvèdre, aged in concrete tanks for 18 months. It is full-bodied, concentrated, and velvety in texture, with intense notes of blueberry, black cherry, and plum.