197- Domaine de la Serre Hypogee 2002

Domaine de la Serre Hypogee 2002
Côtes de Roussillon Villages (France)

Made from 40% Carignan, 40% Syrah, and 20% Grenache, all from 60 year old plus vines. Rich, heady, and complex, this full-bodied red is a true find. Aromas of blackberries, black plums, and blueberries are balanced by white pepper, tar, smoke and a pleasant, sweet oakiness. The texture is silky, with powerful tannins, perfect acidity, and so much flavor that the first sip is disarming. This wine is just beginning to show off its character, and needs another 10+ years to really shine, so try a bottle know, and save the rest for 2012-2018. This wine is from the Fenouilledes, a region in the North of Roussillon with legendary black schist soil that has historically created the inky, powerful wines used to add body and character to thinner wines from other places (i.e. Burgundy & Bordeaux). Though such practices have long been illegal in France, it is not hard to imagine that just a little of this wine would be enough to make even the most insipid red taste interesting.