Binet-Jacquet, reds from the south of France

I forgot to shoot my own photo of the bottles, so I borrow the pic used by Caviste.

French-Swedish wine merchant Caviste put on a tasting of some wine from  Domaine Binet-Jacquet. This is a producer located in the Faugères appellation in the south of France, in the Languedoc-Roussillon wine regin. When I blogged about last year’s release, I wrote a short description of Faugères, that I won’t repeat here.

Wines tasted

2014 Domaine Binet-Jacquet Faugères
25% Carignan, 25% Grenache, 25% Cinsault, 15% Syrah, and 10% Mourvèdre. Stored one year in tank (no oak barrels).

Nose with red and some dark berries (blackberries), rather noticeably flowery, slightly herbaceous note, a hint of tar. Fruity palate, medium concentration, red berries together with some dark berries, good acidity, some tannins, a berry-dominated and tart aftertaste. Fruity, approachable now, good balance, 86-87 p.

2014 was a vintage that progressed well until it started to rain close to harvest time, and following that, the producer had to work hard during the harvest in order to sort out good grapes. The result is a pleasant wine that stylistically is more accessible than the wine sold last year, the 2013 vintage. The top wine, Grande Réserve, wasn’t produced in the 2014 vintage, which has reinforced the other wines, so there are no obvious signs that this is a “somewhat difficult vintage”.

2013 Domaine Binet-Jacquet Faugères Réserve
40% Grenache, 25% Carignan, 25% Syrah, and 10% Mourvèdre. Has spent 1 year in old oak barrels and 1 year in tank.

Nose with dark berries and cherries, some red berries including raspberries, flowery notes, tar, some powdered stone and herbaceous notes. Palate with cherries, dark and red berries, some sweetness of berries, medium(+) concentration, good acidity, medium tannins, and a berry-dominated aftertaste with tannins. Rather accessible but with firmness in combination with the sweet notes, would probably benefit from 2-3 years of cellaring, 88(+) p.

2013 is a vintage characterised by firmness, which seems to apply to much of France, so this is the least accessible of the three wines presented. On the other hand, I don’t consider this wine too closed, so it isn’t at all impossible to drink in the next year for those who prefer young red wines with noticeable tannins.

2012 Domaine Binet-Jacquet Faugères Grande Réserve
50% Mourvèdre, 25% Grenache, 15% Carignan, and 10% Syrah. Two years in oak barrels, of which 20%-25% new oak.

Nose with dark berries including ripe blackberries and dark cherries but also with some sweeter berry notes, sweet liquorice, tar, some asphalt and smoke, some spice notes with oak and flowers. Palate with ripe blackberries, dark cherries, sweet berry notes, medium+ concentration, good acidity, noticeable but fruit-embedded tannins, liquorice, some spic notes, and a long and berry-sweet aftertaste. Rather young, but still somewhat accessible now, 90(+) p.

The top wine is definitely made for cellaring, but 2012 is a vintage that generally is charming already as young.

Swedish version of this post.