Pic Saint-Loup Mas Bruguière Le Septième Guilhem et Xavier Bruguière 2003

The Brugière family's history of involvement with wine can be traced all the way back to the thirteenth century. The entire vineyard was destroyed by phylloxera in the 1870s. Today, Xavier Bruguière and his wife Marjorie, who manage the family mas (farmhouse), have converted the domain to organic cultivation. The first terroir, "Cantafaroune" (the coolest and latest-ripening), is located 5km to the north of the domain. The second terroir, "Le rocher de la bergère", in deep scree soil, is the earlier-ripening of the two because of its due southerly exposure. The latter, in the "La Plaine" lieu-dit, extends across marly clay soils bounded by the Pic Saint-Loup mountain and the cliffs of Hortus. SO2 dosage is minimised, and the red wines are not filtered.

An excellent Pic-Saint-Loup, Le Septième is composed mainly of Mourvèdre grapes, with a minority of Syrah. Its ruby-red colour reveals purplish reflections and foreshadows an elegant bouquet characterised by notes of black berries, sweet spices and vanilla – evidence of the wine's 24-month élevage in barrique barrels. The dense, rich palate is structured by refined tannins, affording not only great potential for keeping but also tasty pairings with dishes of character such as large game.