Le Clos des Fées 2020

Characteristics and tasting advice for the Clos des Fées 2020 from Domaine du Clos des Fées

Tasting

Appearance

The color is deep black and opaque, reflecting an impressive chromatic density.

Nose

The nose is complex and evolving. On opening, it reveals notes of spice and vanilla, the result of aging in new barrels. With aeration, the bouquet develops toward aromas of intense, fully ripe red fruits, black cherries and blackcurrant. Delicate touches of roasted red peppers emerge, alongside nuances of garrigue, cocoa, violets and wild mint.

Palate

On the palate, the wine reveals a dense, full-bodied structure, with an impressive sense of pulp and concentration. This density remains balanced by remarkable textural finesse and a unique silkiness. The tannins are powerful yet smooth and refined, never aggressive. A remarkable balance between power and freshness defines the overall profile. The finish remains fresh and exceptionally long.

Food and wine pairings

Clos des Fées 2020 pairs ideally with a seven-hour rosemary leg of lamb, an aged rib steak, a wild boar stew or a tournedos Rossini. It also pairs beautifully with black truffle risotto or noble game dishes.

Serving and cellaring

Clos des Fées 2020 is best enjoyed at a temperature of 17-18°C. Decanting for about one hour before tasting is recommended to allow the oak to integrate and the aromatic layers to unfold progressively. This wine offers outstanding aging potential and can be cellared until around 2035, with a peak window between 2028 and 2033.

An emblematic Roussillon wine, powerful and complex

The estate

The Domaine du Clos des Fées was founded in 1998 by Hervé Bizeul, former Best Young Sommelier in France and a wine journalist who retrained as a winemaker. Located in Vingrau in the Agly Valley in Roussillon, the estate now covers 40 hectares of producing vines, complemented by more than 100 hectares dedicated to ecological protection and biodiversity. Hervé Bizeul and his wife Claudine Drouhet currently run the property, which was converted into a simplified joint-stock company in 2011. The estate quickly established itself as a benchmark for Roussillon, recognized by the Revue du Vin de France as the region’s number one estate in 2005.

The vineyard

Clos des Fées 2020 comes from old vines selected from the finest clay-limestone slopes of the Côtes du Roussillon Villages appellation. The plots are spread across a broad area, covering the villages of Maury, Calce, Opoul, Lesquerde, Vingrau and Tautavel. This mosaic of terroirs offers exceptional geological diversity, with clay-limestone soils dotted with calcium carbonate particles. The vineyard benefits from a Mediterranean climate shaped by the Tramontane, a northwesterly wind that blows more than 250 days a year. The vines are managed using sustainable practices, with intensive canopy work totaling more than 1,500 hours per year, ensuring perfect phenolic ripeness in the grapes.

The vintage

The 2020 vintage benefited from favorable weather conditions that enabled optimal grape ripening. The four main grape varieties produced fruit of exceptional quality, offering remarkable concentration and balance.

Winemaking and aging

The Clos des Fées 2020 grapes were transported in refrigerated trucks to preserve their integrity, then underwent meticulous sorting in the vineyard and again after destemming in the cellar. Fermentation began with a short pre-fermentation maceration at low temperature in small stainless-steel tanks, with daily punch-downs and pump-overs. Alcoholic maceration lasted 20 to 25 days, allowing a controlled, slow and gentle extraction of tannins and color compounds. Aging took place over 18 months in new barrels, complemented by a portion of the wine aged in traditional concrete vats.

Grape varieties

Syrah, Grenache, Carignan, Mourvèdre