Cameron Douglas: Les Muretiers Collection Privée Réserve Syrah, 2024

The Wine: Les Muretiers Collection Privée Réserve Syrah 2024, France   RRP from $24.99   Grown and produced in the Languedoc-Roussillon in southwest France – this wine delivers a warm bouquet of dark plums and raspberry, and there’s a light peppercorn spice and gentle wood smoke quality. Fruity, dry, with some tension from fine tannins and medium+ acid line. With a low oak expression, it’s a wine ready to drink on its own or with food. Balanced and well made, a reliable salivating, fruity and earthy style.     The Food:   This wine presents an opportunity to pair with myriad dishes, from earthy pastas with mushrooms and leeks to a casserole made with red meat, such as lamb, with lentils, carrots, and kumara, and even a Sunday roast. Just keep the flavours earthy and simple – a sauce with some cream or jus-style from the juices released from cooking meats.     The 2024 season for France:   Historically challenging due to severe weather, leading to a drop in production and volumes. The overall issue was rain forcing many growers into using more antifungal products than typical through a season. Unexpected hail and frost in some places caused some severe damage.     The 2024 season for the Languedoc-Roussillon:   For this extremely large wine area the opposite happened, with continuous drought causing lower yields some places. The wines however delivered on concentration and higher than normal quality. That means overall the wines from this region are rather good.    LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.