CASE PRICE = $12.99 per
bottle (12 bottle minimum purchase)(Discounts apply after adding the correct amount to
your basket)
About This Wine:Mattes-Sabran is the kind of domaine that the rest of the would would just love to discover. Located in the heart of Corbières, one of France's largest wine appellations, in the village of Sigean, Mattes-Sabran makes extraordinary wine among the hot, dry hillsides of France's Mediterranean coast.
The owner of Mattes-Sabran, Jean-Luc Brouillat, is an incredibly serious winemaker who is committed to pulling the finest wines from his impressive terroirs, and this shows in every bottle. Many of Mattes-Sabran's vineyards are located on steep hillsides, terraced into the chalky, poor soils. This tough terrain is peppered with galets roulés, the large stones found in Châteauneuf-du-Pape. Such tough conditions push these sun-loving vines to produce fruit that is very concentrated and deliciously layered, yet still retains a great balance of freshness and pure fruit.
Wines like this show why Corbieres is one of the most reliable appellations in France for VALUE. Here's a polished, ripe red from older (45 year old) hillside vines strewn with big river rocks. It is a blend of 40% Syrah, 36% Mourvedre, 20% Grenache, and 4% Carignan. Lamb chops, please.
What Does It Taste Like?
Full and pleasing, with miles of red fruit and a very spicy middle. “Dionysos” is worthy of the highest praise and devotion, a red blend that will inspire wild revelry twice over—once for its persistent, juicy flavor and twice for its amazing value. With a spicy red Burgundy soul but the muscle and punch of the rich, sunny south of France, “Dionysos” delivers on all fronts. A touch of earth, a hint of licorice, a full bushel of fresh garrigue and energy from bow to stern.
Ratings & Reviews
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate:"Ordinarily, I would not review unfinished wines for a values issue, but when I tasted it, the 2007 Corbieres Dionysis was priced and ready for bottling (of which there are normally several, unfiltered runs), and it would be a shame not to get word out about its quality. Black cherry, cardamom, and toasted pralines on the nose lead to a rich yet effusively juicy palate with satisfying notes of beef stock and chocolate mingling with ripe black cherry. A faint tannic grit in no way detracts from one’s enjoyment nor from this wine’s inevitable versatility at table.
I extolled the virtues and value of Jean-Luc Brouillat’s wines in issue 173, and the wines he will release from 2007 are especially successful." - David Schildknecht (8/2008)
