2022 Château d'Oupia, Minervois Rouge

50% Carignan 40% Syrah 10% Grenache. This bottling comes from the older vines of the estate, with some of the Carignan being up to 100 years old. The vines are planted on Minervois hillsides of clay soils rich in limestone and are sustainably farmed. The varieties are vinified separately, fully destemmed, fermentation is with selected yeasts in concrete vats, and aging takes place in vat as well. The wine is bottled without fining or filtration and very little sulfur.

Château d'Oupia, located in the Minervois region, is known for producing exceptional wines from hillside vineyards in AOCs like Minervois, Corbières, and Coteaux-du-Languedoc. André Iché, who inherited the estate, initially sold his wine in bulk but began bottling and marketing his production after a Burgundian winemaker encouraged him to do so 15 years ago. Following André's passing in 2007, his daughter Marie-Pierre now runs the estate with oenologist Laurent Batlle, continuing to craft wines in André’s traditional style.