As an outsider to the Languedoc, Lidewij van Wilgen has never been afraid to take inspiration from others in order to make her wines the best they can be.

It was during an amazing winemaker dinner in Burgundy when she thought ‘why can’t we make wine like this in the Languedoc?’

And so she set up a ‘unique’ experiment to prove that the Languedoc, which is not known for making truly great wines, could do exactly that.

This is a tiny production wine, just three barrels made, from Lidewij’s very best Syrah and Grenache grapes.

It’s aged for two and a half years in the finest French oak, in big 600L barrels and 50% of which is new. This is exactly how they age some of Burgundy’s best and most expensive reds.

It’s hard to believe it’s from the Languedoc - you get gorgeous savoury, spicy and floral aromas from the Syrah, while the Grenache adds further power and freshness.

It’s dark, rich and opulent - if you like your big reds, you’ll be in heaven here.

The wine also looks every bit as good as it tastes - each vintage Lidewij collaborates with a different female artist to use their art on the label of l’Unique.

And the 2020 is from a piece called ‘Fade Into You’ by Gill Button, an artist from London.