The local villagers believe the name originated from the place outside the village where meetings were held, under the “L’arbre de Moscou” the “Moscow Tree”. This tree was used as a navigation beacon by pioneers of the Aéropostale service flying out of Toulouse on their way to Perpignan, Spain, North Africa and eventually South America. Stories of these flights have been immortalised by Saint Exupéry in his many books about his exploits. The tree, an enormous pine, was struck by lightning and burned to the ground over 20 years ago. The quality of the grapes guaranteed by our vines gives us a continuity of exceptional product for vinification. Estate bottled at Domaine Gayda.
The deep garnet color, with violet hues tinged with bluish undertones, heralds an intense and elegant vintage. The nose, particularly expressive, blends black cherry, blackberry, licorice, and black pepper into a fresh and luscious bouquet. Upon aeration, delicate notes of lilac and a subtle hint of eucalyptus add great complexity and refinement. On the palate, the lively and fresh attack gives way to a full-bodied texture where sweet spices and black fruits express themselves with intensity. The beautiful acidity structures the wine and suggests excellent aging potential. The generous and persistent finish is delicately underscored by smoky notes resulting from perfectly controlled barrel aging.
Low yielding vines – Hand picked – Hand graded selection – One third of Syrah whole bunch fermentation, two thirds de-stemmed without crushing – De-stemmed – Berry selection – Traditional vinification with 2 weeks post-fermentation maceration.
Syrah : La Livinière (Limestone plateaus), Latour de France (Gneiss), Calce (Schist), St Martin de Fenouillet (Granitic sand) & Brugairolles (Calcareous sandstone) - Grenache : Tautavel (Schist) & La Livinière (Limestone plateaus) - Cinsault : La Livinière (Limestone plateaus)
21 months in French oak : 1/3 of the Syrah in ‘Burgundy’ new oak for 9 months. Grenache and Cinsault in 500 litre ‘demi-muids’ and 2000 litre ‘foudres’ for 9 months. Blending of the best barrels of each variety followed by a further 12 months maturation of the final blend in the same barrels.
