2016 Clos des Fées Vieilles Vignes, Côtes du Roussillon Villages
Sommelier turned winemaker Hervé Bizeul has earned kudos for his career change. He makes this superb cuvée from an abandoned vineyard of ancient vines he bought in a forgotten corner of the Roussillon in the late 1990s. It is a field blend of Grenache and local curiosity Lladoner Pelut, along with Carignan and Syrah. It is rich and fruity, bursting with black berry flavours, with subtle savoury notes of cured meat, and a salty drive on the palate. Structured but in no way heavy; peppery, and so, so good.