While tasting wine, I rarely get distracted by its colour. But for this almost black Touriga nacional from the Minervois I have to make an exception. It shows deep purple hints and it seems to stick to the glass like thick ink. After this impressive visual introduction, the diffidence of its bouquet made of black fruit, ink, tar and fresh fern somehow surprises me. After a while though it opens up, showing quite some aromatic power. The black fruit divides into cassis and blackberry, tar becomes smoke and sweet spices raise from the centre of the glass: Vanilla, cinnamon, chocolate…

Fresh and mellow on the palate, with few tannins and maybe a little bitterness towards the end, due to its youth. Tasty and very seductive, excellent with a piece of young Cantal cheese.

Later in the evening, I am going for some chocolate with chilli and other spices. The result is amazing. While the spices lower the sweetness of the wine (without making it taste harsh), they push the fruity and spicy aromas out of the glass, adding laurel and rosemary to the smell of fresh fern.