La Pèira 2020

Characteristics and Tasting Tips for La Pèira 2020

Tasting

Appearance

The wine reveals a deep purple, almost black colour, a sign of intense colouring matter and extensive extraction.

Nose

The nose is intense and generous, unveiling notes of ripe dark berries, blackcurrant, lavender, smoked meat and pepper, which open up beautifully with aeration.

Palate

On the palate, the wine is full-bodied, rich and opulent, carried by a round, expansive texture. The ripe, silky tannins provide a velvety structure in perfect balance, extending into a remarkably long finish with hints of liquorice.

Food and Wine Pairing

La Pèira 2020 will pair ideally with red or white meats and small game, and also matches beautifully with a fine selection of mature cheeses.

Serving and Cellaring

La Pèira 2020 is best served at a temperature between 15 and 17°C, opened about an hour before tasting. This wine has excellent ageing potential and will keep for 15 to 20 years under good conditions.

La Pèira 2020, a Benchmark of the Terrasses du Larzac

The Estate

Founded in 2004 by Rob Dougan and his wife Karine Ahton, La Pèira en Damaisèla is now run by this couple, on a historic terroir of the Terrasses du Larzac in the Hérault, cultivated since Antiquity. This family estate of around 15 hectares quickly established itself as a benchmark of the Languedoc, regularly compared to the greatest growths of Bordeaux and Burgundy. The La Pèira brand embodies precision viticulture, resolutely focused on excellence and the expression of terroir.

The Vineyard

Coming from the lieu-dit Bois de Pauliau, an emblematic plot of the estate, this wine draws its personality from the well-drained limestone gravels typical of the Terrasses du Larzac. The vines, aged 30 to 40 years, are rooted in soils combining limestone, clay, gravel and silt, providing natural regulation of water supply. The estate practises sustainable viticulture that respects the environment, with hand harvesting in small 5 kg crates, followed by rigorous sorting.

The Vintage

The 2020 vintage unfolded under particularly favourable auspices, with winter and spring rains replenishing the soils' water reserves. Summer rainfall, arriving at opportune moments, supported a slow, steady ripening of the grapes under a warm, sunny climate, without excessive water stress or major climatic hazards.

Winemaking and Ageing

For the production of La Pèira 2020, each grape variety is vinified separately, with fermentation carried out between 26 and 28°C in open vats, accompanied by punching down and a long maceration of 30 to 35 days. Malolactic fermentation takes place in new and once-used oak barrels, followed by a total of 24 months' ageing in barrels, 10% of which are new oak, giving the wine structure and complexity without ever masking its expression of terroir.

Grape Varieties

La Pèira 2020 is a blend of 60% Syrah, 30% Grenache and 10% Mourvèdre.