Coupe Roses Minervois Rouge Bastide 2022

Fresh Black Cherries, Black Raspberries, Dried Lavender, Sage, Thyme

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"Moving a little east from where Cote Est is produced for this feature, we arrive to the sprawling appellation of Minervois. Frequently, examples from Minervois can be alcoholic and over-ripe, but you know I would never select a wine like that, right? In my opinion the example from Chateau Coup-Roses is exactly what Minervois should be, and just like Lafage Cote Est, it has to do with elevation.

Most of the vineyards for the appellation of Minervois lie at low elevation, just above the vast stretch of land where large scale viticulture gives the Languedoc a bad name. However the vineyards of Coup-Roses sit high above this, on two stone outcroppings called Le Causse and Le Petit Causse. The soil on top of these plateaus is almost pure limestone rock, supporting little vegetation except vines, a few spartan olive trees and scrub brush. In such inhospitable conditions the vines eek along, producing small crops of grapes that are harvested almost two weeks later than the warmer sites in the valley below. 

The family produces several cuvees of red wines, La Bastide is their entry level bottle, but even at this price there are no shortcuts. In fact, the family is close friends with François Serre, who works as their consultant as well as Chateau Rayas in Chateauneuf-du-Pape, so he has a reputation to protect. La Bastide is basically half each of Grenache and Carignan, with 5% Syrah thrown in for color." - Tim Varan