2018 Fond Cypres "Syrah de la Pinede", Corbières, Languedoc-Roussillon, France

ABOUT THIS WINE

The 15-year old vines are grown at an elevation of 170–660 feet on Calcareous soil and blue marl, yet winds are just as important: the “vent Cers” from the northwest brings cold, dry weather as a counterpoint to the warm, humid air to the east, the Mediterranean “vent Marin”

After harvest the grapes are destemmed and fermented using only indigenous yeasts for four weeks in concrete. The wine is then aged for 9-10 months in barrique with gentle extractions. Bottled sans soufre.

ABOUT THIS PRODUCER

From the Brigitte Bardot of Corbières and her endearing husband come the wines of Fond Cyprès, a soulful, luscious lineup of Carignan, Syrah, Grenache, Grenache Blanc, Roussanne, Viognier, Muscat, Cinsault and blends thereof.

The couple, whose real names are Laetitia Ourliac & Rodolphe Gianesini, is intent on producing wines that express their sultry slice of the Languedoc — specifically, Escales, in the northernmost part of the Corbières AOC. Their domaine begins at the end of a road lined with Cypress trees and extends in either direction across 15ha of lush vegetation, a secret garden of olives, tomatoes, eggplants, wild herbs, and newly-born kittens.

We first met Laetitia and Rodolphe in the deep, damp recesses of Cave Ackerman on a February afternoon in the Loire, and even then their wines were singing. But when we pulled up to their home in August and were greeted by bowls of freshly grilled palourdes, mussels, garlic, and parsley cooked in the juice we were about to drink, we understood their wines had made it feel like summer all along.