The brooding, spicy character of Syrah is lifted nicely by the pungent aromas of acai berries and blackcurrant, as well as hibiscus and violet on the nose. The palate is hearty, deep, smoky, again with purple fruit and flowers, sprinkled with shaved liquorice and freshly cracked pepper. Brisk acidity and chalky, lingering tannins. Côte de Boeuf, cooked on the wood fire, is the thing to have here. The cuvée “Les 4 Vents” is produced from the parcel of the same name in the hamlet of La Roche de Glun. It was planted 30 years ago “a l’ancien” with the vines being trained on a wooden pole “échalas”. Hand harvested grapes are put in the fermentation vat without de-stemming and maceration lasts one month with very little manipulation (one punch down of the cap and a few pump-overs.) The wine is matured for more than a year which is split between 6 months in stainless steel and 8 months in old demi-muids (600L). The wine is bottled without fining or filtering.