2010 | Domaine de Baron'Arques | Limoux | France

A Rothschild estate in the high Languedoc — Merlot-led Limoux with fifteen years of bottle age.

Domaine de Baronarques is the Languedoc estate of the Rothschild family of Château Mouton Rothschild. The property dates to the 17th century, when it belonged to the Abbey of Saint-Polycarpe; Baroness Philippine de Rothschild and her two sons acquired it in December 1998 and rebuilt the vineyards and winery from the ground up. The 2003 vintage — "Year 1" — was among the first awarded the newly created AOC Limoux rouge. This 2010 is a Merlot-led blend from high-altitude Pyrenean foothills, now fifteen years on and drinking in its mature window.

A Rothschild Limoux is Bordeaux know-how in the high Languedoc. Mouton Rothschild family, Merlot-led, high-altitude Limoux, 15 years of age → polished, savory, mature → you're drinking a southern grand vin at maturity.

• Merlot-led blend (Syrah, Cabernet Franc, Malbec, Cabernet Sauvignon)
• Limoux — Languedoc, France
• Domaine de Baronarques — Rothschild (Mouton), acquired 1998
• 17th-century estate · high-altitude terroir · 2010 vintage

Blackberry, cassis and plum softening into licorice, pencil shavings, toasted spice and gentle earth, with silky, resolved tannins and a long, savory finish. Translation: a mature, Bordeaux-like southern red — dark fruit giving way to licorice, graphite and earthy complexity over tannins that have softened with time. Ready now; the tertiary notes are the point.

A mature Rothschild Limoux. Exactly the bottle for lamb, beef, duck, or mushroom dishes — no cellaring needed.