Wine of the Week: Mas Belles Eaux Les Coteaux 2009

Switching it up this Wine Wednesday after a little trip to Sonoma and Napa yesterday! Today we travel to the Languedoc region in the South of France. I recently received a sample of  Mas Belles Eaux Les Coteaux 2009. I loved this wine before I even opened it; sometimes tasting notes can sway me that way, though the proof is in the bottle of course.

I don’t have a ton of experience with Languedoc wines, so I was interested first in reading up on some of the information on Mas Belles Eaux:

Mas Belles Eaux in Languedoc, South of France, is a new winery,  owned by AXA Millésimes, whose word-famous properties include Chateau Pichon-Longueville (Paulliac), Quinta do Noval (Port) and Chateau Suduiraud (Sauternes). Languedoc is France’s most dynam-ic wine region, where adventurous producers, with fewer constraints than in most other regions, are challenging tradition and improving quality with every vintage. According to Christian Seely, Managing

Mas Belles Eaux, with a building dating back to the 17th century (when Mollière and his theatre troupe were based in a neighboring town) side by side with a  state of the art winery (built in 2008) – is emblematic of the region and  AXA’s investment is an important recognition of Languedoc’s growing importance and quality.

The wine, Les Coteaux 2009 is a blend of 70% Syrah, 20% Grenache, and 10% Mourvedre, three of my favorite grapes, and it exhibits some of the richest, smoothest, most luxurious qualities they have to offer. There was so much cocoa and spice, wrapped up in notes of blackberries and dark cherries. Everything was very concentrated and super smooth; this is a perfect fireplace wine. It would pair nicely with (and be delicious in) a hearty beef stew or cassoulet. It would also be delicious in the Syrah Chocolate Cupcakes I made too many years ago. Yum. As you know I am not a huge fan of the cold and darkness that is creeping in but I do get excited about wines like this and the perfect food pairings to ward off an autumn chill.

This wine was sent to me as a sample. I was not required to review it. All opinions are my own.