2016 Coteaux du Languedoc La Clape L'Ancely

The final blend of the 2016 La Clape L'Ancely is about 85% Mourvèdre, 10% Grenache and 5% Syrah. It's perfumed and floral on the nose, with additional notes of ripe raspberries and pencil shavings. Full-bodied, ripe and supple, it's not as dense as the la Porte du Ciel, with redder fruit and a more forward personality. Hints of cocoa show up on the long, silky finish.

Black cherries and roasted rosemary. Sweetness and fragrant woody herbs and charcoal and jam skins. Thick with texture and concentration, sweetness twisted into bitterness, wild and hand-wringing tension. Tannins dry and smoky like a campfire in the morning. You need rare dirty steak or duck breast with this. And star anise. Edgy. (TC)