Minervois

I had stumbled upon Minervois wine when I was given a bottle for hosting some potluck or other back in London. One typical weeknight I was drowning my sorrows with the Minervois and was pleasantly surprised. The character of this wine was unlike any I had tasted before. I also had the good fortune of having received a very memorable bottle...it had a picture of a gorilla on it because proceeds from the sale went to some rainforest charity. Anyway, I remembered the type of wine and went looking for more...pretty rare stuff! The terroir is only 4200 hectares (don't ask me if that is big or not for wine--no clue). But the dudes at the wine shop were impressed that such a young chick knew this wine. So thanks to whoever brought the gorilla bottle! I persuaded mom and dad to crack open a very nice bottle of wine I purchased for them 3 xmases ago.
The big gun comes out: Decanter time!

Letting her breathe.

A cursory web search revealed that 2006, 2004 and 2001 are great vintages for Minervois. I chose well! This one was made with a blend of Grenache and Syrah. What really turns me on about this wine is its "mouth feel" (holy pretentious much). Nice and silky. Mmmmm. Monsieur Villerambert Julien tu es un genie!

Please note the annotated bottle, "Noel '06". I hope I have enough wine someday to feel the need to remember when it was received. These days I just feel the need to DRINK IT.