2008 Maxime AOC Minervois, Domaine Borie de Maurel
Maxime is controlled power, the interior strength, noble without affectation. Silent but formidably deep, structured but incredibly velvety, this is 100% mourvedra – the grape created by Levant – a Med. version of cabernet sauvignon. In order for this grape variety to fully express itself it has to be combined with the right land; in this case fine sandy clay huddled up in the scrub lands “garrigue,” with south west exposure, sitting on a thick bed of broken sandstone and millstone grit. The vine stocks need to be old, the yield kept low with hand picking and de-stemming. The wine spends between 20 and 45 days fermenting and then 18 months to mature in big, oak casks, containing 600 litres called demi-muids.
The result is a great wine that keeps wonderfully, dark and concentrated, with notes of spices, the aroma of fig and leather, with silky tannins which impose a voluptuous, peppery, never-ending.
Serving temperature : 17°C
Keeping : 10 years without any problems.
This is a terrific 100% Mourvèdre wine, good enough to put one in mind of Beaucastel’s Hommage à Jacques Perrin, which is praise indeed! The Mourvèdre is grown on the lower vineyards of the Estate where fine sandy clay soils are punctuated by garrigue and scrubland.
A dark and concentrated wine, this has fine savoury, almost autumnal aromas and a richly concentrated palate, with notes of fig and sousbois complementing the depth of fruit. The wine impresses especially with its finely-wrought tannins, which are very classy and elegant and act as imperious guarantors of a lengthy development.
(Simon Field MW, BBR Buyer)