Domaine Viret "Les Colonnades" Vin de France Rouge 2016 750ml

“Les Colonnades” is planted to 100-year-old Grenache and Mourvèdre from a single vineyard of pebbly red-clay and limestone. Philippe picks purposefully late so that the Grenache teeters on the brink of over-maturity, but it remains adamantly on the fresh side of the divide, and this tardy harvesting imbues it with a wealth of autumnal character and spicy, tobacco-y depth. The articulation of iron-inflected minerality here is truly profound, and it blossoms as the wine ages. “Les Colonnades” spends four years in concrete vat with no added sulfur at all after a 45-day maceration.