94
Wine & Spirits
"Claire Fabre, like her father Lucien Michel before her, makes only one red, focused on grenache with some syrah, mourvèdre and cinsault in the blend, pulled from the family’s 35 acres of vines. Most of those vines are very old, and this wine seems to channel the intensity of their fruit in its vividness. It’s not a big wine, but it feels expansive, hitting every hallmark scent and flavor of the south of France, from ripe figs to wild fennel, olives and even merguez. There’s no wood to speak of—it’s fermented in cement and aged in neutral foudres. Instead, it feels powerful in its nakedness, a bare and beautiful portrait of place.""
90 Wine Spectator
Very silky in feel, with lovely raspberry, bitter plum and cherry coulis flavors gliding along, laced with subtle savory, lavender and tobacco notes. Shows a lightly dusty edge to the finish, which has nice length and good underlying acidity. A little shy on stuffing, but delivers lovely range and feel. Drink now through 2024. 4,000 cases made.
–JM