Wine of the Week - 2012 Chateau Massiac Minervois "Sentinelle de Massiac"

Wine of the Week - 2012 Chateau Massiac Minervois "Sentinelle de Massiac"

This is that elusive, sub-$20 bottle of red wine that delivers a ton of flavor, a great story, and 100% satisfaction again and again. 

Located in the village of Azille, in the deep southern part of France, this small, certified organic estate makes less than 5,000 total cases of wine per year, and they make four different wines. Their Sentinelles bottling is one of the finest Languedoc values out there.

2012 Chateau Massiac Minervois "Sentinelle de Massiac"

Ripe, seamless, and savory red from Southern France!

This vintage is sold out. To order the new vintage, stop by the store or click here to order in our online store. 

Chateau Massiac traces its “roots” back to the Roman Empire, and the entire estate was burned to the ground during the French Revolution. Bernard Bourdouresques and his family recently took over and revived the estate, and they currently own 53 acres of vineyards. The estate’s rocky, well drained soils combined with the warm and windy Mediterranean climate of the region work together to bring out concentrated flavors and aromas in the grapes and the wines made from them.

Massiac’s Cuvée Sentinelle is produced from 2/3 Syrah and 1/3 Carignan from 50+ year old vines. Fermentation is carried out in stainless steel to preserve purity, and in a good year, about 800 cases make it to the US. What makes this such a great red can be summed up in one word, BALANCE.

There’s ripe and rich fruit to balance out some of the more rustic characteristics of the wine. There’s some grip, but there’s a plushness to the wine that keeps you coming back for sip after sip with or without food. There’s fruit, but there’s other interesting “stuff” happening in the glass too.

The nose smells of Southern France right after you pop the cork on this one, and the palate is open knit, seamless and friendly. Ripe blueberry, raspberry and plum mingle with smoky sage, pepper and dark chocolate notes. The mouthfeel is soft and luscious with ripe, succulent baked berry notes along with the classic peppery spiciness of Syrah, finishing with smoky bacon fat. Serve this with any of your favorite grilled foods from pork and steak to chicken and marinated mushrooms. 

All in all, this is an extreme value in high quality, hand crafted, Southern French red wine. We can’t recommend it highly enough! 

This vintage is sold out. To order the new vintage, stop by the store or click here to order in our online store. 

Josh Spurling
Owner, Operator, Wine Monger
Table Wine Asheville