Richer than your average CDR (that’s industry-speak for Côtes du Rhône, just so you’re up with the lingo), this has all the black fruits and spices, plus a bunch of flowers and a delicate salinity. Soft tannins and well-judged balance speak of this winery, a fortified farm that had already gained a reputation for great wines by the 17th century. The wine reveals its secrets as gently but as assuredly as the site itself. You need to go down a mottled, tree-lined alley amid the vineyard rows, and then the Château sprawls ahead, stone buildings protected by thick walls. Despite the fortified appearance, there’s an open invitation to travellers and tasters, and the elegant, generous wines within.