La Fermade Rouge Lirac, Domaine Maby

Wine Type: Red

Grape(s): Grenache, Mourvèdre, Syrah

Country: France

Region: Lirac, Rhône

Organic: Yes

Vegan: Yes

ABV: 14%

Winemaker: Domaine Maby is found in the heart of the village of Tavel in the southern Rhône. There are some 60 hectares covering Tavel, Lirac and Côtes-du Rhône, with excellent wines produced in all three colours. The Tavel and Lirac vineyards have the same round pebbles (galets roulés) as are found in Châteauneuf-du-Pape. These are precious for the region’s winemakers as they conserve heat accumulated during the day and then restore it slowly to the soil during the night which helps the grapes attain even better ripeness.

Richard Maby, who runs the estate, took over responsibility from his father in 2005 and brought much-needed enthusiasm back to the business. Before returning to the family domaine Richard worked as a broker at the French stock-exchange in Paris before committing himself to the life of a vigneron. He is a man full of energy and resolve to improve quality and to put his stamp on production methods, respecting tradition but embracing new techniques too.

Winemaking: Cold-soaked for a few days before fermentation begins to extract as much fruit as possible from the grapes. Fermentation takes places over 3 weeks to slowly extract the supple tannins. The wine is vinified in modern thermo-regulated stainless steel vats before maturing separately by grape. Syrah and Grenache are kept in concrete tanks to preserve their fruit whereas Mourvèdre has some time in oak to moderate its tannins. After blending, it is matured for up to two years in bottle before release.

Tasting Notes: A warming red, packed with briary garrigue berry scents and flavours with a touch of violets, earthy undertones and rugged tannins. 

Food Pairing: Pair this wine with a rich beef daube, spicy Merguez sausages or chanterelle mushrooms with black garlic.