Maison Ventenac, La Muse

"What am I going to do with this Syrah?" asks Olivier Ramé on the front of this bottle.

Well, I for one think that this was probably rhetorical, as the decision to make this fragrant and floral wine seems inevitable, given the quality of the fruit that has gone into it. The wine is delicious! Savoury yet with sweet fruit and a gorgeous, refreshing texture, it is a really rewarding and delightful Syrah, representative of the South of France, but also the coolness of the particular zone in which Ventenac is based.

A lovely Muse with which to work.

Maison Ventenac is a young and dynamic project based in the vineyards of the Ramé family in Cabardès, north of the city of Carcassonne, at the (fairly wild) west of the Languedoc. Characterised by the split in place between Atlantic and Mediterranean bodies of water, their vineyards are likewise split between the Atlantic (Cabernets, Merlot and Malbec) and the Mediterranean (Syrah, Grenache, Carignan, Cinsault and Mourvedre). Limestone forms the sub-soil in the best parts of the family's vineyards, together with their dense planting of vines and the relatively wet winters in the region, there is a real sense of excitement for the future of the region.

In organic conversion, the rewards for this winery are only beginning to be seen. What we really like about them though is their honesty - they love all that they do, but what they like most is Cabernet Franc - certainly not a Mediterranean grape and the third grape of the Atlantic, this variety seems to really blossom in the hands of the Ramé family. Sorry that this variety is missing from this wine, but the stylistic traits of Atlantic winemakers is evident here - tension, freshness and terroir as opposed to sun-drenched and over-heated...

This sense of discovery and integrity is present in all they do, from respect to terroir, to the non-use of chemical sprays, to admitting their own prejudices, to celebrating underdog varieties - it's clearly a key part of their success.