With a name like ‘Le Fou’, which is French for ‘The Madman’, you know you’re going to be in for some surprises when it comes to this winery! Apparently, the name was inspired by the fact that you’d have to be a madman to attempt growing Pinot Noir vines in southern France, which is what winemaker Eric Monnin, the brains behind Le Fou, initially did!
The Pays d’Oc region this winery calls home is associated with heat-loving red grapes, like Grenache, Syrah and Merlot, and importantly Malbec, and is a beautiful location for vineyards – all sweeping hillsides, glorious sunshine and the sparkling blue of the Mediterranean in the distance. Eric has an eagle-eye for a fine plot of land, and carefully selected the growers and vintners to work with on the Le Fou label, in order to ensure his experiment into southern French Pinot Noir, as well as producing more ‘sane’ varieties such as Malbec, was a success.
The results speak for themselves: this winery has impressed enormously both at home and abroad, and the wine world waits to see what this madman does next!
The Le Fou Malbec is chock-full of juicy and ripe blue and red berried flavours, with violet and lilac florals as backing singers to the full fruit choir, and a few bottle-aged notes of leather that add complexity. There’s a base note of cedarry oak tannins for grip too. Ultimately, it’s a gorgeous expression of ripe French Malbec in its optimum drinking window.
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