Chateau Trillol

 A CHANCE BOTTLE – 2008 Corbières, Château Trillol

Rootling around our cellar yesterday evening, looking for a cheerful bottle to go with a  daube, I chanced upon a bottle of Corbières, from Château Trillol.  It was the perfect wine for the moment.  Trillol is one of the examples of bordelais investment in the Midi.  The Sichel family made their first wine in the high hills of the Corbières, in the village of Cucugnan, back in 1989. The countryside is wild, with the dramatic Cathar castle of Peyrepertuse nearby and the village of Cucugnan features in a short story by Alphonse Daudet. The vineyards lie at 400 metres.  The grape mix was a classic Midi blend of Grenache, 38%  Syrah 34% and Carignan 28%.  The wine has a lovely deep colour, with some ripe spicy fruit on the nose.  On the palate you have ripe cherry fruit from the Grenache, balanced with some peppery notes from the Syrah, and a fresh tannic streak on the finish.   The Carignan gives more backbone.  At four years old it was nicely evolved and harmonious, but with a youthful streak of freshness and was drinking deliciously.  Just the thing for a chilly winter’s evening.    And available from one of my favourite wine merchants – The Wine Society for £8.95

And this will be my last post before Christmas - and probably until next year,  so this is the moment to say Happy Christmas and Bonne Annee and to wish you lots of bottles of delicious Languedoc wine.