Domaine Berthoumieu Madiran Cuvee Charles de Batz 2018

	From Tannat and Cabernet Sauvignon from vines over 50 years old
	Powerful and oak-matured, with notes of dark fruit and vanilla
	Wonderful with confit de canard, leg of lamb or a local pate

Description
The southwestern wine region of Madiran remains relatively under the radar. And yet it produces some magnificent, prestigious wines that rival Bordeaux in terms of power and ageing potential, but not in terms of price.

Take this magnificent wine from Domaine Berthoumieu, one of the region's references. The Cuvée Charles de Batz is a tribute to the historical and literary character better known as the musketeer D'Artagnan - just like the wine from Gascony.

It is made from the local specialty Tannat, supplemented with 10% Cabernet Sauvignon. The grapes are harvested from 50 to 100 year old vines, planted on soil rich in lime and clay. The wine matures for a year in (50% new) oak barrels.

The result is majestic. The wine has an intense dark red colour, aromas of blackberries, cherries and vanilla, a powerful but polished taste and an endlessly persistent aftertaste. Great with, for example, confit de canard or a tournedos, and also easy to keep for years.

Drinking at
Full-bodied, oak-matured red wine that makes an impression at the table, for example with oven-baked leg of lamb, venison steak with roasted garlic, sage and celeriac or hard cheeses.

Tasting note
Deep ruby red wine with an intense aroma of blueberry, plum, fig, vanilla and mocha. Mouth-filling and powerful with ripe black fruit, balanced acidity and firm, polished tannins. Impressively long finish with notes of fine oak and cocoa.

Shelf life
Beautiful now; easy to keep for up to 15 years after harvest date.