Gorgeous, fragrant Syrah, raised in amphora and showing that elevated, diffused perfume that often comes hand in hand with this vessel. Again, striking a characteristic balance of light and shade, here we have some appealing density of fruit, all salty black olive tapenade and charry blackcurrant, offset by lifted floral and spiced aromatics that float over a deep body of Mediterranean ripeness.
Silky and elegant with a fine granular texture, there is much to unpack as the wine passes through to the finish. Coffee grounds, ground toasted peppercorns, bitter chocolate and black berries all whilst remaining an uplifting freshness. A wide open wine of pristine fruit, and sanguine, mineral tones that makes for a unique expression of the grape.
From 20 year-old vines planted over sandy limestone and clay, the grapes were de-stemmed, crushed and on the skins for 15 days in amphora before being pressed off and put back into the same vessels for one year. The wine was then bottled with no additions at any stage.
Born in Morocco, now residing in the tranquil isolation of the mountainous Pyrénées-Orientales, Fatim initially trained as a herbalist before fulfilling her long-term goal of making wine. After a lot of searching she was able to acquire her own ‘Mas’ – an old remote farm - that comprised 3.5 hectares of vines aged between 20 and 80 years of age and a place to live, in the Aspres region at the foothills of the Canigou mountain range.
Sitting in the valley floor, the vines sit in complete seclusion and were tended to by a grower practising organic farming before her who wanted to ensure that the land fell into the right hands before retiring. Using her previous training, Fatim works in the vineyard with her own brand of biodynamics, using homemade fermented plant extracts from the diverse flora of the hillsides. The arid soils are treated with copper only when absolutely necessary.
