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When Ben first launched this mouthwatering Grenache in 2018, it was only supposed to be a one-off. A special parcel he’d sourced from a Languedoc mate. But when Angels tasted it, they fell in love at first sip, and pretty much demanded a second vintage. So we gave Ben the freedom and the funds to make this wine his own, and make it even better.

With its hardy ancient vines, warm Mediterranean sunshine and cooling windy hillsides, the Languedoc has ideal conditions for producing juicy, late-maturing fruit that’s full of flavour. And Ben was painstaking in his search to find and use only the cream of its Grenache crop.

Finally, he went to work in the winery, combining his skills as a master blender with his intimate knowledge of Angel tastebuds to create this rich and silky red that’s become a must-have for fans of Ben and his wines. It’s packed full of juicy fresh raspberries and strawberries with a dark delicious undercurrent of sweet spice. As close as you’ll get to Chateauneuf-du-Pape quality in the Languedoc.

Charles and Ruth Simpson’s richer, more refined style of Grenache uses 65 year-old vines from their Languedoc vineyards. The low-cropping old vines “from two of the most coveted vineyard blocks on the domaine” deliver super-concentrated fruit, and the resulting wine is packed with rich red fruit flavours and delicious herbal notes from the wild thyme, rosemary and lavender growing in the vineyards.

Taking it up a notch, Charles & Ruth added extra power and punch by leaving the grapes to concentrate on the vines for an extra week before harvesting. And they used a greater proportion of whole bunches in the blend, while keeping the wine on skins for longer, to extract more soft ripe tannins. They then aged 25% of the juice in the poshest French oak Taransaud barrels, to provide extra complexity.

On the nose, you get lovely oak spice notes of clove and nutmeg, with sweet red fruit aromas coming in behind. More of that lush fruit comes through on the palate with red plums and cherries in balance with some powerful oak influence and more clove spice. A special wine with lots of staying power.