Domaine Borie de Maurel Cuvée Murielle 2012 Minervois, Languedoc, France 75cl

Domaine Borie de Maurel, run by the Escande family, is one of the reference estates of the Minervois in the Languedoc, and an early champion of organic growing there. Its wines are known for depth and authenticity rather than polish for its own sake, and the family have farmed here since the late 1980s.

This cuvée blends Syrah and Grenache, the workhorse pairing of the sunny south, grown on the estate’s hillside vineyards. The style is full and savoury, built to capture the wild, herb-scented character of its Mediterranean home, the scrubland the French call garrigue.

The 2012 vintage in the Languedoc gave ripe, concentrated reds, and with a decade behind it this wine has had time to soften and gain complexity, trading youthful fruit for more savoury, mature notes.

Expect dark berries and plum, black pepper, liquorice and garrigue herbs, on a full-bodied, earthy palate with ripe tannins. Decant it and serve at cool room temperature with grilled lamb, sausages, a hearty stew or a classic cassoulet. An older bottle like this benefits from a little air before pouring.

If you enjoy southern Rhône reds or a good Côtes du Rhône, this Minervois offers similar warmth and spice from just across the south of France. A generous, rustic-in-the-best-sense red for cold nights and big plates of food. With age on its side, it has mellowed into a wine that rewards slow drinking, and this is the sort of bottle that can make even a simple stew feel like a proper occasion.