2019 Lirac Rouge 'Cuvée Marie', Domaine La Lôyane, Rhone Valley, France

Produced from 150 year old vines planted in mixed soils of red sand, clay and round pebbles. Yields are kept low with grenache making up the majori-ty of the wine. Grapes are hand-harvested and vinification takes place in old wooden casks before maturation in large ‘demi-muid’ barrels for 12 months.

There is a hugely enticing aroma here with notes of chocolate with a hint of menthol which develops freshness and becomes more complex with the aromas of cherries. This complexity is replicated on the palate where red fruit come to the fore.

Created in 2001 by wine growers going back four generations, Domaine La Loyane is a family owned vineyard cultivating 25 hectares in the communes of Rochefort du Gard, Saint Laurent des Arbres and Saze.

Profiting from an exceptional geographical and geological setting, the vineyard is managed with respect for the environment with low yields from the oldest part of the property. Each parcel is hand picked and vinified separately to give the family complete control over their finished wines, with the complex geology of their vineyards gives them scope to produce wines not only that have great concentration and length but that show real complexity too.