The 2008

This afternoon we carried out a soutirage , a racking, of our wine made from grapes harvested last September. In plain English that means that we carefully moved the wine from one tank to another, leaving behind the lees that had sunk to the bottom. Now we'll leave it to settle for a few weeks so it can clear some more.

While we were working I spotted one of the last cases of our first wines that we made in 2008. I suggested that we crack open a bottle to see how it's developed. Oh lordy, how I wish we had more. It's an utterly delicious blend of syrah, grenache, cinsault and carignan. The wine has reached the point where the acidity, tannin, alcohol, fruit, body and character have amalgamated into a smooth, luscious whole. I think we have just one case left. Dammit.