This Syrah is born on the hills of Rommani and the Aïn Brachoua plateau, at the foot of the Atlas mountains, between Casablanca and Meknes. Part of the Zenata AOG, it benefits from high-altitude plots on clay and schist soils, as well as marked night-time coolness that tempers the Moroccan climate.
The grapes are harvested by hand in August, fully destemmed and rigorously sorted. The maceration is long, preceded by a cold soak. Ageing on the lees is split equally between concrete tanks and oak barrels.
This wine reveals notes of blackberry, blackcurrant, cherry jam, dried violet, black pepper, liquorice, black olive, graphite, smoke and cocoa. The round, indulgent palate combines concentrated fruit with welcome freshness; the tannins remain supple and silky, while the finish lingers on spices and a smoky touch.
Where are we traveling?
Meknès
In northern Morocco, on the plateaux stretching at the foot of the Middle Atlas, some sixty kilometres west of Fès, the Meknès region is the historical and qualitative heart of Moroccan winegrowing, inherited from Roman Antiquity and revived in the 20th century. Lying between 450 and 700 metres above sea level, the vineyards enjoy a hot, very sunny Mediterranean climate, tempered by altitude and by cool nights coming down from the mountains, which slow ripening and preserve the acidity of the grapes. The soils alternate between sandy land, deep silts and clay-limestone slopes, offering a fine diversity of terroirs on these sheltered high plateaux. Mediterranean grape varieties dominate, Cinsault, Carignan, Grenache and Syrah, alongside Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. The region stands out for its generous, spicy reds, structured but never heavy, as well as for its fruity gris and rosé wines, which have become the signature of Moroccan winegrowing.
The little history of the country
Maroc
In Morocco, the vine is no recent fashion: it is thought to have been introduced nearly 2,500 years ago by the Phoenicians, before being widely developed under Roman rule, when the area around Volubilis, at the gates of Meknès, whose ruins still stand, was already the great winegrowing centre of Antiquity. Long confined to local consumption and table grapes, the vine really took off under the French and Spanish protectorates in the early 20th century: grape varieties from southern France and Spain were planted to produce powerful wines, shipped to Europe for blending. Independence, followed by a steep rise in alcohol taxes in the late 1970s, triggered a long crisis and the grubbing-up of tens of thousands of hectares. The revival began in the 1990s, with the arrival of investors, the replanting of quality grape varieties and the modernisation of wineries. Today the kingdom stands as North Africa's leading wine producer, with around 400,000 hectolitres a year, some fifteen guaranteed designations of origin and one controlled designation of origin, Coteaux de l'Atlas. The vineyards are concentrated in the hinterland of Casablanca, around Benslimane and Boulaouane; on the Saïss plain around Meknès, which accounts for most of the production thanks to the altitude of the Atlas foothills and its cool nights; and as far as Berkane, in the east, under Mediterranean influence. The hot, dry climate is tempered by Atlantic breezes and by the terrain. As for grape varieties, Cinsault, Grenache and Carignan make up the historical heritage, alongside Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and newcomers such as Marselan and Tempranillo. Morocco also excels in rosés and its famous light, fruity vins gris, while Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc and Clairette produce whites that are improving markedly. A wine destination still little known, but very much on the move.
