Good Pair Days - La Pèira 'Obriers' Cinsault 2013

La Pèira is a small domain located in the well-drained limestone gravels of famous region Les Terrasses du Larzac, in the Herault department in Languedoc. The domain is owned by expatriate Australian composer Rob Dougan and his French Mauritian wife Karine Ahton (a lawyer who grew up near Montpellier). The wines are made by Jeremie Depierre and the consultant oenologist is Claude Gros, who consults to many of the regions top producers.

Together the four of them are crafting some of southern France's most complex and though-provoking wines. Only grapes they grow themselves are used, which in itself is a rarity for the region, where buying from local farmers is the norm. The vineyards are also nearly 50 years old, producing grapes of great flavour and elegance. Intensive work is done in the vineyards and the soil is worked manually to produce a small crop each year. Quantities of all their wines are therefore very limited, with less than 900 cases of wine produced by the estate each year.

Varieties grown include the indigenous varieties of Cinsault and Carignan, together with Grenache and Syrah for the top wines, and Viognier and Roussanne for the white wine. Winemaking is done with a light touch and minimal oak. The aim is to preserve the freshness and purity of each wine with as little interference as possible - let the vineyards shine!

Made from a blend of Cinsault and Carignan, aged in large wood. Leading off the 2013s, the 2013 Terrasses du Larzac Les Obriers is a fresh, elegant red that shows the cooler, later style of the vintage. Dried herbs, black currants, black cherries and liquorice all give way to a lightly textured, balanced 2013 that’s ideal for drinking over the coming 3-4 years.

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