Côté Nicault

The 2022 Côté Nicault blends 38% Mourvèdre, 31% Grenache, and 31% Syrah. The label sports Nicault's family coat of arms. It opens in perfumed spice, vanilla bean, and white pepper. With a gamey quality throughout, it's softly concentrated in full-bodied layers of velvety texture, the oak and tannins well-integrated (and the Mourvèdre aged in terra cotta amphorae). Drink now and over the next 10-15 years.

Sourced mainly from the Red Heaven Vineyard on Red Mountain, 38% Mourvèdre with 31% Grenache, and the remainder Syrah. Inky in the glass, this shows off smoked brisket and tar notes alongside violets, dark currants and shades of Kalamata olive tapenade. The palate is impeccably balanced with plenty of mid-palate depth and viscosity.