2013 Domaine Tour Boisée "Marie Claude" Minervois

Just to the north of Cobieres and to the east of the walled city of Carcassonne, lies Minervois. The appellation has equally diverse soils like Corbieres but limestone and clay are its primary ones. This is a warm region with a very Mediterranean climate. The hills are covered with the local scrub, known as garrigue, forests and vineyards. Our newest producer from the region is Domaine Tour Boisée. The domaine dates back to 1826 and is still run by its descendants. Now farming about 200 hectares of vines, the winery was recently certified organic. The "Marie Claude" is a blend of equal parts Syrah, Grenache and Carignan. The grapes are planted on clay, limestone soils over sandstone rocks. Each variety is fermented and aged separately for 12 months before final blending.