Grenache, Syrah, Mourvèdre and GSM!

by Shirley Deng October 20, 2021

For red wine lovers, Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz, Merlot, Pinot Noir are popular. As we introduced Domaine Montrose in early 2021, We had discovered a few charming 'old world' varietals. They are surprising suitable for the warm weather in Singapore and the rich international palate of locals.

Let's have a look at Grenache, Syrah, Mourvèdre, which are common red wine varietals in the South of France.

Grenache ( pronounced as "gruh-naash"), Syrah (pronounced as "sai·ruh") and Mourvèdre (pronounced as "mohr-ved-dra") blends are known as the holy grail of "GSM". The blended red wine of Châteauneuf-du-Pape is so famous that it has earned GSM a status of class on its own. These three varieties have the Mediterranean coast as their homeland:

Grenache, which contributes spice, red fruit and alcohol to the blend, is widespread in southern France and also in Spain;
Syrah adds structure and longevity, a very much French native variety that has grown internationally renowned. Shiraz is the twin of Syrah in Australia.
Difficult-to-ripen Mourvèdre gives tannins, colour and length to the wine. It can add an exotic gamey, almost animal note. Mourvèdre is also known as Monastrell in Spain and Mataro in America and Australia.

The GSM blend reminiscent of the heat, opulence and spice of the South. We're excited to bring you Château des Adouzes Frère et Sœur, AOP Faugères, a GSM blend!

Two concepts central to the better French wines are the notion of terroir, which links the style of the wines to the locations where the grapes are grown and the wine is made, and the Appellation d'origine contrôlée (AOC) system, replaced by the Appellation d'Origine Protégée (AOP) system in 2012. Appellation rules closely define which grape varieties and winemaking practices are approved for classification in each of France's several hundred geographically defined appellations, which can cover regions, villages or vineyards. AOP defines the elite of French wines. Château des Adouzes is located in AOP Faugères.

Faugères is a small appellation that's entirely made of one of the rarest and most sought out soil types in the world -schist. The 42-ha vineyard of Château des Adouzes is planted with many old vines of Carignan Noir, Grenache, Mourvèdre and Syrah. Some vines are 90+ years old.

Château des Adouzes Frère et Sœur is a reserve wine, made of 70% grenache noir, 25% syrah, 5% mourvèdre, a fruit from the best plots of Adouzes. The wine is a symbol of the Brother & Sister owner : Olivier Coste and Jeanne Coste. An extremely small amount of Frère et Sœur is produced. The current available vintage is 2019.

A 100% Mourvèdre, literally called "illegal" has also arrived. It's illegal to talk about its origin & terroir. Taste to find out, especially if you're fond of red wine.

Grenache & Syrah are commonly used in the wines of Domaine Montrose & Château des Adouzes. From the emblematic Montrose Rosé to the red wines of Domaine Montrose Rouge & Château des Adouzes le Tigre, Grenache adds happiness to a bottle of wine with its lower tannin, higher alcohol and fruity aroma.

All wines from Domaine Montrose/ Château des Adouzes / Olivier Coste are certified as "carbon neutral".

Explore the "Buy Six Get One Free" to add the 7th bottle of Domaine Montrose Viognier FREE when you purchase six bottles of regularly-priced Domaine Montrose, including these October new arrivals! Promotion code "Tiger22".

You can also use "Buy6" to mix-match 6 bottles to receive 6% off, in addition to the purchase reward points.

Cheers (Tchin Tchin)!