'Mort Aux Cons' La Cave Aux Fioles 2021

“Mort Aux Cons” is a new comic-label from La Cave Aux Fioles, with a name that sounds halfway between a battle cry and a curse: “death to idiots” is the delicate and fairly literal translation and is a reference to a page of medieval history. It is said that in the year 1478, when George Plantagenet, Duke of Clarence, of precarious mental health, was accused of witchcraft and conspiring against his brother, Edward IV King of England, he was sentenced to death by drowning in a barrel of Malvoisie: this episode is recounted by Shakespeare in his Richard III.

La Cave Aux Fioles produces its “Mort Aux Cons” with a blend of two black grape varieties: 75% Lledoner Pelut, a Catalan grape with extremely limited distribution that represents a mutation, more vigorous but very similar in winemaking results, of Grenache Noir; 25% Carignan, a classic grape of Mediterranean areas, generally devoted to an expressive structure. Both come from old vines trained as bush vines in the tiny plots that make up the estate vineyard, which is very fragmented over a scarce 4 hectares of surface area. These soils are characterized by a clay-limestone matrix and the climate is essentially Mediterranean, with the high annual sunlight values typical of this area of the Eastern Pyrenees, in the territory of Rivesaltes. The grape harvest is done by hand and in the winery, destemming and skin maceration take place for 3 weeks during the simultaneous spontaneous fermentation, carried out by only indigenous yeasts. The final pressing is done using a hand-operated wooden press, to then transfer the wine into French oak barriques where it can age for 12 months. Bottling is done by hand, without invasive operations such as filtration or clarification.

while in the background there are toasted wood references. The sip is rich and full-bodied, rightly tannic and of good freshness, with a finish that evokes Mediterranean aromas. A substantial red made to accompany grilled or braised preparations.