Domaine de Longue-Toque Cairanne 2020

The Cairanne from Domaine de Longue-Toque comes from this cru of the southern Rhône Valley, in the Vaucluse, not far from the Dentelles de Montmirail. The plot is located in the south of the appellation, in the Garrigues sector. The vines are planted there on a terrace of stony alluvium covering sandy marls and Tertiary safre, under a sunny Mediterranean climate, cooled by the mistral.

The harvest, entirely by hand, was staggered from late September for the Syrah through to the Mourvèdre. The grapes are sorted, crushed and destemmed, then macerate for 24 days with frequent pumping over. After malolactic fermentation, part of the press wines is reincorporated into the blend. Ageing lasts eleven months, including eight months in French oak barrels.

This wine reveals notes of Burlat cherry, blackberry, blackcurrant, Bourbon vanilla, white pepper, garrigue, liquorice and cocoa. Beneath a deep garnet colour with violet glints, the nose is generous and finely oaked. The attack is fresh and lively, followed by a lovely balance between the fruit and soft, rounded tannins, through to a very delicious finish.

The cradle of wine culture in Western Europe, France owes its first vines to the Greeks of Phocaea, who settled around Marseille some twenty-six centuries ago, before the Romans spread viticulture along the Rhône and the Garonne and as far as Champagne. In the Middle Ages, Cistercian and Benedictine monks cleared the slopes of Burgundy and patiently mapped out the climats, laying the foundations of the notion of terroir. The 19th century brought the glory of the classifications, then the disaster of phylloxera, which wiped out the vineyards before they were rebuilt on American rootstocks; the creation of the appellations d'origine contrôlée in the 1930s then set the rules that would inspire the whole world. Today, France vies every year with Italy and Spain for first place in world production by volume and remains the ultimate benchmark of the Old World, as much for its age-worthy wines as for its winemaking models. Vineyards cover almost the entire country, from the cool north of Champagne and Alsace to the Mediterranean shores of Languedoc and Provence, by way of the oceanic climates of Bordeaux, the Loire and the South-West, continental Burgundy, the steep slopes of the northern Rhône and the high-altitude valleys of Savoie and the Jura. This mosaic of soils – limestone, schist, gravel or rounded pebbles – explains the extraordinary diversity of styles. As for grape varieties, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot dominate Bordeaux and produce structured reds, Pinot Noir is the signature of Burgundian finesse, Syrah of the depth of the Rhône, while Grenache, Gamay, Cabernet Franc and Mourvèdre cover every register, from easy-drinking wines to wines for long ageing. Among the whites, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Chenin, Riesling and Viognier offer expressions ranging from lively and mineral to unctuous, all the way to great sweet wines. A land of benchmarks and constant discoveries, France remains the compass for wine lovers the world over.