Laguzelle 2020

The Wine: Laguzelle 2020 This from master winemaker Benjamin Taillandier is one of the best examples of red wine from Languedoc, Southern France. Laguzelle is made from Cinsault, Syrah, and Carignan grapes which are farmed following a biodynamic approach. All grapes harvested by hand. Few days of cold maceration, spontaneous fermentation with natural yeast, unfined, unfiltered, aged 6 months in stainless steel. The wine is savory with notes of garrigue - Mediterranean bushes characteristic of the area. Medium-bodied but very easy to drink and relatively low in alcohol content. Definitely not a warm mouthfeel, but rather a refreshing one. You just want to revisit it a few times as it evolves in the glass. The Producer: Domaine Benjamin Taillandier from the producer's website I live in the Minervois region (south-west of France) since 2007. I do not come from a family of winemakers, so from day one, this commitment has been a great challenge. At this moment, my domaine thrives by the Black Mountain (most south relief of the Massif Central) and stretches on twenty hectares which represent sixteen vines flourishing on south exposed terrace fields in a Mediterranean climate, growing on mostly clay-limestone soil, with occasional schist, sand, and marble. Since the very beginning of my establishment, the whole vine process is organic. The grape variety is totally Mediterranean. Grenache, Carignan, Cinsault, and Syrah for the red. Grey Terret, Grey Grenache, White Grenache, and some Muscat for the white. The non-vine land of the domaine is olive trees, fields, and garrigue. The grape harvest is manual through twelve-kilo crates which are gravitationally emptied in the containers. All yeast and lactic bacteria are indigenous, as the only input to my wine is a minimal dose of sulfur necessary during bottling.