Mas Calamiac Minervois La Livinière 2022
Member Price €19.89
The first red every customer should try as part of their WineSpark experience.
It proves that you don’t need a grand château or several generations of family tradition to make truly great wine.
What you do need is a talented winemaker on your side, with great grapes and winemaking expertise.
And that is exactly what you’re getting with Ben Darnault's Mas Calamiac red.
It’s from the La Livinière appellation of the Minervois, one of the highest regarded regions of the Languedoc.
The secret to the quality is in the vineyards. They are nestled in the foothills of the Black Mountain, and have a unique microclimate which gets nice coolness in the winter, and gentle heat in the summer. It’s the perfect recipe to make full, but not heavy, red wines.
The wine is a mouth-watering blend of 60% Syrah and 40% Grenache, made from immaculate grapes that have been farmed organically for 20 years.
Ben then works his magic in the winery, fermenting with wild yeast, pressing in a traditional basket press. He ages half of the wine in old wooden vats, and the other half in concrete eggs, for a total of 12 months. The wood lets the wine breathe and mellow, and the concrete really brings out the bright fruit in the wine. So you get the best of both worlds.
You end up with a rich, characterful southern French red, with an amazing freshness that makes it incredibly drinkable.
Merci Ben!
| Wine type | Red |
| Grape(s) | Syrah, Grenache |
| Country | France |
| Region of origin | Languedoc |
| Appellation | Minervois |
| Vintage | 2020 |
| Alcohol % | 14.5 |
| Oak? | Yes |
| Months in Oak | 1/4 in oak, 12 months |
| Type of Oak | French |
| Allergens (e.g. does it contain Milk, Egg, Fish, Nuts) | SO2 |
| Average age of vines | 40 years |
| Average altitude of vines (m) | 300 |
| Soil type(s) | Sandstone and clay |
| Closure Type | Diam 5 |
| Is this wine organic? | Yes |
| Biodynamic? | Yes, Demeter |
| Sustainably produced? | Yes |
| Suitable for vegans? | Yes |
| Ageing potential | 5 - 10 years |
| Ideal drinking window | 2023-2030 |
I worked closely with Ben for 10 years at Naked - Ben as a young, up-and-coming winemaker, me as a young, mostly-winging-it Managing Director.
It’s fair to say we both had a role to play in growing our respective careers and businesses - Ben is now one of Naked’s most successful winemakers.
Ben’s wife Kat is amazing and her blog is well worth a read. While you’re at it, this recipe for roast pork with milk would go down a total treat with this wine.
We know how important it is to get your wine order quickly and efficiently. So we’ve partnered with UPS to offer next-day delivery on our wines.
Here’s what you need to know:
- It’s free - delivery is already included in the members' price
- It’s fast - you’ll get next-day delivery if you order before 12pm Monday-Thursday
- It’s environmentally-friendly - all of our orders are shipped carbon neutral with UPS.
We ship to the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland only. €2 per case is added to all Northern Ireland orders to cover additional shipping costs. The point of sale occurs in the Republic of Ireland.
Our minimum order requirement is 6 bottles and we ship in multiples of 6’s. This can be 6 different bottles!
You may need to show your ID on delivery.
Please read our Terms & Conditions for more information.