2019 Domaine Astruc dA Malbec

Jean Astruc, coachman in Limoux, has a dream: his own wine estate. The dream became reality in 1862, with the acquisition of 12 hectares of vineyard in Malras. His son Jean Astruc has the same ideal and continues to acquire land despite the crisis and his departure to the battlefields of the First World War. In the 1950s, his son Pierre inherited the Domaine Astruc. It then covers more than 30 hectares of vineyard and the resources to exploit it. In 1977, after completing his studies, Pierre's son, Jacques Astruc, returns to Malras to continue building the Domaine Astruc with his father. In 2003 Jean-Claude Mas comes into the picture: owner and winemaker of Les Domaines Paul Mas, a successful and independent family business in Pezenas, also in the Languedoc. He had been working with Astruc for a long time - the main source of their Vin de Pays wines - and decided to buy the Domaine. The d'A series is the first fruit of this purchase.

Domaines Paul Mas was founded in 1892. The current owner is Jean-Claude Mas and this is undoubtedly the pioneer in the field of the revival of the Languedoc as a region for quality wines. Jean-Claude characterizes his wines as 'Le Luxe Rural', rural luxury. With international grape varieties, he has given the Languedoc 'new world' allure. And with his fashionable wines from local grapes, he has made the local character of the Languedoc hip again for wine lovers. Hubrecht Duijker rightly calls Jean-Claude Mas a 'wine wizard' and at Grandcruwijnen we are the only ones in the Netherlands who also carry Paul Mas 's high end Grandcrus .

The Malbec vineyards in the far west of the Languedoc are excellent for growing Mediterranean grape varieties as well as those better known in the western oceanic areas or the Rhone Valley. One of the rare grape varieties of Languedoc, Cot, also known as Malbec, has a distinguished history in France. Winemaker Jean-Claude Mas has created this rich and velvety Malbec that offers exceptional complexity with floral aromas and notes of ripe red fruit. The Astruc dA Malbec is a blend of 90% Malbec 10% Cabernet Franc from the Appellation Pays d´Oc. The substrate is limestone and chalk for the Cabernet Franc and limestone and gravel for the Malbec. The vineyards are around 30 years old.

Each grape variety is vinified separately. The maceration takes 11 days for the Cabernet and 10 days for the Malbec and takes place in temperature-controlled stainless steel tanks (maximum 28 ° C). The right blend is made in November. 30% of the blend matures in new oak barrel for 4 months. The other 70% is aged in cement barrels.

In the glass, the dA Astruc Malbec has a deep purple color with ruby red hues. In the nose, the wine is powerful and complex with notes of plums, mocha and vanilla.
In the mouth the wine is well balanced with ripe tannins. This is a qualitatively handsome, delicious and very affordable red wine from the dA series of Paul's Domaine Astruc. The best served at 17 ° C and is a delicious glass to enjoy and a good companion for barbecues, poultry, game, terrines and strong cheeses or chocolate cake for dessert.