2017 Domaine de Fabrègues 'Le Coeur' Languedoc

Happy Sunday!  It's been raining her for much of the day, which is good as it's been very dry for the past month and the farmers and my lawn can use it!  After accomplishing some inside chores today, it's time to make dinner and open a nice bottle of wine.  My selection tonight serves two purposes, first to enjoy a nice wine, but second to try out a new gadget I recently bought.  You see, the wine I am opening is a magnum, which I recently bought from Wines Till Sold Out, and not wanting to drink to excess tonight, I plan to try my new Rabbit vacuum wine preserver!  So, after a few glasses tonight, I can seal up the rest of this large bottle until I'm ready to enjoy it.  Now, about the wine, the 2017 Domaine de Fabrègues 'Le Coeur' Languedoc is a blend of Syrah (80%) and Carignan (20%) from the Languedoc-Roussillon region of the South of France.  So, let's see how this wine is tasting!

The wine is a deep ruby color in the glass, as you might expect with such a Syrah heavy blend.  A gentle swirl of the glass reveals aromas of vanilla, blackberry and blueberry, with hints of vanilla and earthy mineral notes.  Take a sip and you experience a rush of ripe black fruit, blackberry, blueberry and tart cherry that ease back into some warm spice, espresso and mineral notes midpalate.  The tannins are smooth and dark, providing for a wonderfully smooth, dry finish than lingers on your palate.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 9, as it's a fine example of the wines of the south of France, and it was also a solid value at just $33 for the magnum!  This wine would pair well with a variety of hearty dishes, from braised short ribs to hearty stew, pasta with wild mushroom cream sauce, or hearty fish dishes.  Tonight I am taking the latter approach and enjoying this wine with a crispy skin salmon filet with some roasted rainbow carrots and baby beets and steamed purple asparagus with hollandaise.  Cheers!