Château Portal Cuvée Les Molières 2013

On Jancis Robinson's website, Graham Nutter describes 2013 in the Minervois as "a real surprise" and after tasting Jérôme Portal's cuvée we reckon it's every bit as delicious as his Gold medal 2012. Château Portal is one of the region's leading estates with centuries of history as evidenced by its restored 8th century Visgothian chapel. Cuvée Les Molières comes from vineyards next door to top Minervois cru La Livinière. It's crafted mainly from rich, spicy Syrah supported by raspberry rich Grenache and dark hued Carignan, whose incredibly intense flavours are due to rare, 100 year old vines. The wine is aged for a year in lightly charred French oak for added mocha complexity.