Place: Limoux – Languedoc, France

Variety: Pinot Noir

Farming: Conventional

As per the name, we were diggin’ in the cellars and found a cache of this back-vintage pinot noir from La Closerie de Lys. It hails from Limoux, a small commune known best for the simple, refreshing fizz Cremant/Blanquette de Limoux, which is also great for chardonnay and pinot noir owing to the high limestone content in the vineyard.

More than the one-dimensional strawberries and cream here, smelling and tasting of late-summer cherries under a snow of cinnamon and star anise. Black tea tannins frame the perimeter so it’s particularly good with a little protein.