2023 L'Aberadou Pur Cinsault de Schistes IGP Pays d'Hérault, Boulevard Napoléon

• Style: Bone-dry Cinsault, high-altitude schist
• Taste: Violet, red fruit, grippy tannins, bright acidity
• Food: Game, tomato pasta, aged cheese
• Occasion: Weeknight; Sunday Lunch
• Serve: 14–16°C, 12-month neutral aged
• Vegan: Yes

In the Glass — Tasting Notes

Deep ruby and perfumed, this wine announces itself without apology. Violet and ripe red fruit dominate, framed by grippy tannins and bright acidity that demands food rather than solo sipping. The 2023 vintage carries remarkable concentration—late frost and August heat forced surgical timing, and you taste that precision. Honest, structured, alive.

The Winery — Boulevard Napoléon

Named for the street where it stands in La Livinière, Boulevard Napoléon represents the vision of restaurant owner Trevor Gulliver and winemaker Benjamin Darnault, alongside chef Fergus Henderson. They spotted potential in these vineyards and have crafted something singular in Minervois. Each release is a classic expression of its varietal, grown on dry, stony slopes where definition and vibrancy mark them apart. The fruit here springs from 61-year-old bush vines planted 400 metres high, where schist drains fast and slow ripening preserves acidity even in hot years. Hand-harvested and hand-sorted, the wine fermented gently in stainless steel, then spent twelve months in neutral fibreglass—no oak intervention, just time to let tannins settle.

At Your Table — Food Pairing & Serving

This is a wine that insists on company: roasted game, tomato-rich pasta, and aged cheese are its natural companions. The structure and grip say 'food, please,' and it will not disappoint. Serve at 14–16°C on a weeknight alongside something hearty, or open it for a more considered Sunday lunch. If you've overlooked Cinsault in favour of safer regional names, this is your reminder why the grape belongs in any serious merchant's portfolio. Explore more from this estate and our broader Languedoc-Roussillon selection—wines that refuse to phone it in. Vegan-friendly, naturally.