Miraval Red
Cotes de Provence
The wine has a ruby red colour with purple tones. There is a rich nose, complex with aromas of red fruits (strawberry, blackberry and black currant). Light touch of grilled vanilla thanks to the barrels. After aeration the grilles notes show a good complexity and an oak aging well done. The palate is rich with good structure with soft tannins with a lasting taste of red fruits and, light oak and chocolate notes.
Dating from pre-Roman times, Miraval is approached down a long winding lane through woods and vineyards with dramatic glimpses of the distant "Gros Bésillon" mountain through the trees. The magnificent cascading stone-walled terraces are now replanted with thirteen different varieties of olives. Water seems to be everywhere flowing; from fountains; along aquaducts; through hidden tunnels; into the moat and filling the lake.
The main wine cellar at Miraval was built in the latter part of the 19th century by M. Joseph Lambot, the inventor of reinforced concrete, and subjected to a complete refurbishment in 1993/1994.
The whole vinification process is organised to reduce to a minimum any oxidation of the grapes prior to entering the fermentation tanks or barrels.
Teams of local pickers pick the grapes into small containers to avoid any bruising or crushing. The grapes are then transferred to the cellar entrance and are placed on a 4m long sorting table where any rotten or green grapes and any leaves or other debris are removed by hand.
After destemming and gentle pressing in the pneumatic press the grape juice is fed by gravity feed into the thick walled concrete tanks which have been lined with epoxy resin. These tanks retain the sanitation of traditional stainless steel while delivering a more steady temperature.
In 1995 the Barrique Cellar was created in the vaulted stone cellars of the original farmhouse (dating from around 1300) to age Miraval wine in small oak barrels.
Château Miraval - A brief history
Miraval, sited close to the Via Aurelia - one of the five main roads radiating from Rome - has always occupied an important place in history.
First settled by the Ligurians and then by the Celts, who were in their turn driven out by the advancing Romans, Miraval first appears on a map in the 1200s when it was a monastery and attached to the Pignans Monastery.
In 1252, it seems probable that St. Thomas Acquinas broke his journey here en route to the University of Paris from the University of Naples.
In the 1400s the Prince of Naples joined the French Court and settled at Miraval. This was when the Domaine first appears in the Register of Noble Houses.
The Estate was in the hands of the Orsini family for centuries and then, at the turn of the twentieth century, Miraval was home to the celebrated inventor of reinforced concrete - Joseph Lambot.
In the 1970s Jacques Loussier, the well-known jazz pianist, created one of the world's foremost recording studios - Studio Miraval - where many great musicians including Pink Floyd ( who recorded The Wall here), Sting, Sade and the Cranberries have all recorded their music in idyllic surroundings.
The vineyard is currently owned by a very famous Hollywood couple.
Great review of the wine by Sunday Tribune Wine journalist Lar Veale on his sourgrapes.ie blog.
"...And this is another one of those gems. Gorgeous fruit, a rich vein of minerality and a silky smoothness. No harsh tannins, no big slap across the face, just excellent wine making. Grapes in the blend are Syrah, Grenache and Cabernet Sauvignon. Easily a 92 pointer if you care for such things."
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