Opi d'Aqui, Les Canons 2018

This is a lovely take on Languedoc classic varietals from Phillippe Formentin of Opi d’Aqui, who works around Clermont l’Hérault in Southern France’s Languedoc.  "In French wine circles, a canon refers to a wine without pretention, often light in body and tannins that’s (too!) easy to drink. Philippe put together this blend of roughly 55% organic Mourvèdre grapes with organic Syrah and in spite of the potential for these “beefy” grapes, the carbonic maceration results in something lively, aromatic and very addictive!"

Tasting: A wine that lifts Syrah and Mourvédre from something recognizably rustic into a lightness of rose and violet florality, the moment before fruit. There is something underripe in this blend, but its underripeness is not commanded by a feeling of “greenness” or “stalkiness.” This is fruit with promise and flower with a winking farewell. Prickly textured, a kind of red you’ll have a hard time not swooshing.

Vinification: Syrah and Mourvédre hand-harvested, co-fermented, and carbonically macerated. Unfined, unfiltered, zero additional SO2 at bottling. More vinification notes to come.