Élan-Bise Syrah 2016

This humble ‘vin de France’ is a sumptuous surprise. It has no fancy appellation, but taste it and you’d think it was top flight Rhône. It was spotted by Le Chai’s Mark Hoddy and Jean-Marc Sauboua when they were tasting a line-up of Syrahs for their much-loved Garage Red. This vat from their good friend, grower and winemaker Jeff Carrel was, they decided, simply too gorgeous to be blended at all. Instead, they squirrelled it away in top French oak barrels for 18 months so it rounded out and gained all those layers of extra complexity. It perfectly fitted Tony Laithwaite’s challenge to make him the finest Languedoc red, no holes barred. Open early and decant, so it reveals all its flavour. Perfect with roast red meats or a rich casserole.