Make sure to try this wine
Cuvée Sextant, Les Celliers d'Orfée, 2020
4,0 NJP of 5,0 NJP
Cuvée Sextant, Les Celliers d'Orfée, 2020 (18 EUR/18 USD in Sweden) red dry blend wine, Corbières, Languedoc-Roussillon, France, 4,0 NJP of 5,0 NJP (90 points of 100 points) (11-06-2023 by Robert Jonasson, Wines We Love, and Nenad Jelisic)
The wine of the month for June 2023 takes us to the southern parts of France and a wine region that goes from strength to strength, namely Languedoc-Roussillon. The wine in question has, for us Swedes, the somewhat equivocal name Cuvée Sextant (Sextant is similar to a lady that loves sex) and is produced by the cooperative Les Celliers d'Orfée. The wine is produced from grapes that come from the Corbières appellation, which is located near the Spanish border along the Mediterranean coast. Corbières is known for producing mostly powerful, full-bodied red wines. Cuvée Sextant is no exception. The wine has a dense dark blue color which already at the first visual impression gives a premonition of what awaits in aroma and flavor. On the nose the wine is rich and complex with open dark fruit in the form of plums and dark cherries. Add herbs, dark chocolate, roasted notes and a cool breeze of Finnish tar tablets. Finnish tar tablets in a wine might sound negative, but not in this case as it contributes to the complexity of the wine. On the palate the wine is young, full-bodied, powerful and the dark fruit and the roasted notes are also found here. The tannin structure is velvety, and the finish is long. A well-balanced wine that is very easy to like.
This wine has a lovely drinkability that really longs for a lamb roast steak with potato gratin and red wine sauce. Or why not serve it with grilled flank steak with herb butter and roasted potatoes. Serve the wine at 16 to 18°C in a glass with a large bowl, for example Riedel's Bordeaux glass or Syrah glass or similar. The wine is very nice to drink now but can be aged for 2 to 3 years.
According to the Systembolaget (a government owned chain of all liquor stores in Sweden), Cuvée Sextant 2020 has been produced of a blend of 50% Syrah and 50% Carignan. According to the producer's website, the blend is 70% Syrah and 30% Carignan. In this case, and all other similar cases, I choose to trust the information from the producer. The vineyards, which the grapes come from, have a production area of 100 hectares and the average age of the vines is about 8 years. The vines grow mainly in calcareous soil. The grapes are fermented as whole clusters and undergo maceration carbonique, carbon dioxide fermentation, for 15 to 21 days. After vinification, the wine is aged in 225 liters French oak barrels, known as barriques, for 12 months, before being bottled.
