CHATEAU SEGURE FITOU

Fitou, France          ABV:  14.5%

WINERY DESCRIPTION: 

The 2020 Château de Segure Vieilles Vignes Fitou (40% Carignan, 40% Grenache, 20% Syrah) is another tour de force for the Caves de Tauch. This mouth filling red exhibits a beautiful deep color and a heady bouquet of black fruits and garrigue, the heavily scented Mediterranean herbs such as thyme, juniper, rosemary and lavender that cover the hillsides and forests of southern France. Rich and expansive on the palate, the 2020 Château de Segure offers a wealth of robust flavors in the form of black cherry, plum, tobacco, and woodsy notes from a 9-month stay in oak barrels. Big in flavor but smooth in tannins, one could easily be lured into missing the 14.5%-plus alcohol in this wine. This classic, old-vine red embodies the finest attributes of Fitou: rich fruit, robust flavors, and enough grip to make you know that it means business. Enjoy the 2020 Château de Segure Fitou at cool room temperature (58°-62° F) after 15-20 minutes of aeration. Anticipated maturity: 2022-2027.

Château de Segure is produced by the excellent Caves de Tauch, which possesses 50 acres of vines and has been making wines in the rugged interior of the Fitou appellation since 1913. Château de Segure lays claim to being part of one of the oldest vineyards in France. Wine was first made in Fitou by colonists from ancient Greece and later by the Romans who occupied Gaul in the 1st century B.C. In this century, where chariots once rumbled past the tiny village of Fitou on the Via Domitia, the Roman road that passed through this region connecting Spain to Rome, tractors and truckloads of wine now traverse this rugged section of Languedoc/Roussillon.

Built on a rocky escarpment high above the village of Tuchan, the formidable Château de Segure dates from the 11th century. For much of its history it was controlled by the renowned Cistercian Abbey de Fontefroide in nearby Corbières. Today, as in years past, wine reigns supreme at Château de Segure and in Fitou as it has for millennia. Most importantly, Caves de Tauch serves as a guardian of Fitou’s traditional robust red wine in Château de Segure, unequivocally Caves de Tauch’s most prestigious offering. Château de Segure’s Vieilles Vignes Fitou has been the recipient of many awards, including the highly coveted Medaille d’Or at the Concours Mondiale de Bruxelles, Europe’s most prestigious wine fair. Château de Segure’s Vieilles Vignes Fitou emanates from Fitou’s classic old varietals, Carignan, Grenache and Syrah, which are farmed by sustainable methods.

SUGGESTED PAIRINGS:

Made to accompany fine country cooking, the 2020 Château de Segure Vieilles Vignes Fitou is the ideal wine to serve on a cold winter’s night or at a summer barbecue. It is also the perfect companion to cassoulet, southern France’s signature dish. Cassoulets are the comfort food of Fitou and the sprawling Languedoc/ Roussillon. Each region of southern France has its special rendition of cassoulets, but all are made of white beans and contain a variety of sausages in the form of pork, lamb, or other meats, typically duck or partridge. Duck Confit, Gnocchi Aurora, potato and cheese gnocchi in creamy tomato sauce, and Pasticiatte, a delicious pasta dish with a rich and creamy Bolognese sauce, all make tasty complements to Château de Segure’s 2020 Vieilles Vignes Fitou. Grilled Chicken Paillard, chicken breast topped with tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, olives, and feta or other sheep’s cheese, provides another lip smacking accompaniment to this superb Fitou. And we can attest that steak and potatoes taste all the better in the company of this fine old-vine offering, too. Bon Appétit!