Domaine Peter Sichel - Montanha 2025
The Domaine Peter Sichel is located in Cucugnan, in the heart of the Cathar Country, in a spectacular valley surrounded by the Corbières hills and the first foothills of the Pyrenees. Created in the 1970s by Peter Allan Sichel, the estate has experienced a new momentum since 2018 under the impetus of Alexander Sichel, who took over this family vineyard with the ambition to reveal the high-altitude wines of Cucugnan. The property currently works about 13 hectares, mostly planted with red grapes, in a steep valley where the vines benefit from altitude, wind, and a true climatic freshness. The Montanha 2025 cuvée, whose name means "mountain" in Occitan, directly reflects this sense of place. It comes from Grenache planted on clay-limestone slopes, at about 400 meters altitude, producing a southern red wine that is deliberately light, fresh, and airy. This cuvée embodies the modern style of the estate: infusion wines, precise, digestible, far from heavy or over-extracted southern reds.
The vinification of Montanha 2025 is based on a very short maceration, close to 2.5 to 3 days, designed to extract the aroma, fruit, and minerality rather than color or tannic power. The result gives a lightly colored robe, almost clairette-like, but with a very bright aromatic expression. The nose opens with fresh strawberry, raspberry, redcurrant, juicy cherry, and a delicate floral touch. Nuances of garrigue, sweet spices, and warm stone recall the Languedoc origin of the wine, without ever weighing down the whole. On the palate, the wine is fluid, juicy, and very digestible, with a light body, barely perceptible tannins, and remarkable freshness for a southern Grenache. The finish remains lively, fruity, and salivating, in the spirit of a high-altitude red to be enjoyed for its immediate energy.
Served slightly chilled, around 13 to 15°C, Montanha 2025 will perfectly accompany simple, sunny, and convivial cuisine. It pairs very well with light grills, roasted poultry, Mediterranean vegetables, artisanal pizza, terrine, or tapas. Its lightly extracted profile also allows it to be served as an aperitif, as an elegant thirst-quenching red capable of seducing lovers of precise natural wines and fresh reds. It is preferable to drink it young to fully enjoy its bright fruit, lightness, and spontaneity. Montanha 2025 perfectly illustrates the renewal of Languedoc reds: less power, more freshness, more precision, and a true reading of the landscape. It is a vibrant, modern, and very accessible cuvée, ideal for discovering Alexander Sichel's style.
Grape variety: 100% Grenache
