Domaine d'Aupilhac "Lou Maset" Languedoc Rouge, France 2022

40% Grenache, 40% Cinsault, 10% Carignan, 10% Mourvèdre

Certified organic. 50% of wine ages for 6 months in foudres, 50% in stainless steel tank.

That this soulful country red is named “Lou Maset,” a reference in Occitan to the old stone hut standing amid Domaine d’Aupilhac’s vines, is such a fitting nod to its spirit. When Sylvain and Désirée Fadat guide it through the vinification and aging process in the cellar, they are, in part, inspired by the hundreds of vineyard hands and harvesters who, over the decades, have paused in the hut’s shade for a bite of saucisson or baguette and washed it down with a few sips of fresh and vibrant red wine.

Of course, Sylvain and Désirée are inspired by all kinds of other scenarios that benefit from such a lively southern blend, too. An avid hunter, Sylvain is always in need of a chillable red to accompany the seasonal game right off the grill. And surely they must know how well suited Lou Maset is to festive gatherings, from potlucks and book club meetings all the way to weddings and holiday feasts. Blending their region’s great red grapes from young vines, they perennially aim to bottle as youthful and exuberant an expression of the Languedoc as possible.

There is a strangely beautiful harmony between earth, sun, and man.