Le Cartel, Alicante-Henri-Bouschet, Languedoc, France

Fredi Torres makes some of the Spanish wines we get really excited about - Lectores Vini Priorat Classic for one - and is busy with many projects there so hadn't really meant to get involved in something else but... when his friend Jean-Remi Mourad persuaded him to have a look at some old vineyards over the border in France he saw the extraordinary potential and couldn't help but get involved. 

This red is made from very old Alicante Bouschet vines growing on the hillsides of the Massif de la Clape, just north of the town of Gruissan, close to the Mediterranean coast. A very arid climate and poor, thin, stony, limestone soils give the wines a racy, focused style. And Fredi's careful, sensitive winemaking coaxes amazing complexity and almost delicacy from a grape variety that can produce wines that are more than a touch overpowering!

Great to drink with some typically Mediterranean style food - herb aromatic stews, grilled vegetables or meat, or some great charcuterie.