Le Hameau des Ollieux Corbières Boutenac 2015

When is an organic grape not an organic grape? When its bona fides haven't been certified by the appropriate agricultural body! Hmmm, needs a bit of work but, like many wineries, Château Ollieux Romanis follows organic viticulture methods yet leaves its options open should a vintage go awry.

Wine quality is the overriding priority, and the smallest possible quantities of non-organic compounds will be used to rescue a crop if it's entirely necessary. Trust us, it hurts them even more than it hurts you, and it's a tiny sacrifice for this heady blend of liquorice, spice, blackcurrant and mocha.

The estate was taken over by the Bories family in 1868, the farm having previously cultivated cereals and olives since Roman times (hence "Ollieux Romanis"). The family's first planting - the then-prevalent Carignan - was in 1896, and viticulture grew with industrialisation in the early part of the 20th century. The estate suffered after World War Two, along with the rest of the French wine industry, but was kept afloat during turbulent times by the sheer quality of its wines. The operation was taken over by Jacqueline and François Bories in 1978, and in 2001 they appointed their eldest son, Pierre, to look after the winemaking and commercial development while reassessing the vines and wine range. Control will eventually be handed on to Pierre's children, Theodore, Aristide, Capucine and Hippolyte.

Chateau Ollieux-Romanis has been growing grapes without chemical pesticides or herbicides for over ten years, without organic certification so that tiny quantities of chemicals can be used when absolutely necessary. Red Mediterranean "pudding" stones, together with some limestone, grow vines with an age range of 15-100 years.

Most of the fruit (about 80%) is hand-harvested, and following carbonic maceration the wine is aged for 12 months in French oak barrels, 30% of them new.

Black fruit and cocoa on the nose, continuing to the palate where they are met by dark, warm spice, a hint of mocha from fine, powdery tannins and a licorice texture. Rich, full-bodied and impressive.

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