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Princess and The Bear

2018 Vent d'Ouest
2018 Vent d'Ouest - View 1
2018 Vent d'Ouest - View 2
Wine Specs
Vintage
2018
Varietal
60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Grenache
Appellation
AOP Cabardès
Aging
Aged for 24 months in 600 L neutral French oak demi-muids.
Alcohol %
14

Domaine de Cabrol
2018 Vent d'Ouest

In Stock
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$34.99
/ 750ml
SKU: 7A3-DCOuest18

The West Wind blows blackcurrants, tobacco, cedarwood and spices into your senses.  The deep garnet red color with light terracotta reflections around the edge shimmer and invite.  The taste delivers what the nose promises with a fine structured mouth, fresh, soft  tannins and stewed fruit highlighted with a spicy flair.

Delicious with a golden braised lamb shank, mashed potatoes, and garlic purée gravy!

Wine Description

Fruit:
Floral:
Spice:
Wood:
Herbal:
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Wine Specs
Vintage
2018
Varietal
60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Grenache
Appellation
AOP Cabardès
Aging
Aged for 24 months in 600 L neutral French oak demi-muids.
Alcohol %
14
Wine Profile
Vineyard Notes
The estate is located about twenty kilometers north of Carcassonne and its famous medieval city. Of the 125 hectares of the estate, 21 are devoted to vines, the rest is made up of natural areas (garrigue, woods). This is where the east and west winds meet. In turn, they bring the intense Mediterranean heat necessary for the southern grape varieties (Syrah and Grenache) and the Atlantic humidity allowing the oceanic grape varieties (Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Franc, Cot and Fer Servadou) to blossom fully. The quality of the grapes, the vinifications, the blending of the grape varieties and the aging of the wines make it possible to obtain the best balance between fruit and structure, roundness and complexity, intensity and elegance. The soil is calcareous and very often stony. Here you are in the middle of thyme, cistus, lavender, and a few holm oaks rise a little above the rest of the vegetation. The vine is the only cultivated plant to have found a place in this soil and this climate. The roots weave their way through the fossils of marine molluscs and seek as far away as possible the moisture needed to withstand summer droughts, while the leaves catch the sunlight to transform the raw sap into the sweet juice stored in each grape berry. The winds are almost always present, from the east or from the west. The altitude (up to 300 meters) brings the nighttime freshness contrasting with the daytime heat which results in complexity in the wines.
Production Notes
The grapes are harvested and vinified by grape variety and by plot. The grapes are mostly destemmed and macerated in vats for a period varying between three weeks and a month. The sweet juice will gradually become alcoholic through the yeasts and be enriched with certain components of the skin which will give the wine its final color as well as its fragrance and taste. This extraction process (consisting of mixing solid and liquid matter) is done in the classic method of punching down. Vinification and aging take place in vats. A small part of the wine is reserved for aging in wood. For this, they use demi-muids (600 liters) of oak. Since the goal is not to make very oaky wines, but to use slow oxygenation, we have chosen large containers rather than the traditional 225-liter barrels. The blending of the different grape varieties begins about 10 months after the harvest.
Winemaker Notes
Domaine de Cabrol to the north of Carcassonne is in a very interesting appellation where grapes of the Continent are allowed as well as the traditional Mediterranean grapes. It is owned by the Carayol family, who took over in 1989. Unfortunately Claude Carayol, the charming and handsome winemaker for the last 35 years who was known throughout the region as an exceptional winemaker, passed away last year. Claude chose well when he began winemaking in the vineyards blending East and West Winds of the high Languedoc region.
Food Pairing Notes
Delicious with a golden braised lamb shank, mashed potatoes, and garlic purée gravy! Wow!
Other Notes
Ageability: Cellar until 2026 or 2027. Decant 1 hour prior to serving.