Château l'Ermitage, Epicurea, Costières de Nîmes, 2016

Those who’d like to see Mourvèdre put through its paces in Costières de Nîmes should look out for Jérôme Castillon’s pure Mourvèdre Epicuria. It's dark in colour, with warm, spicy, prune-like fruit aromas and a deep, searching, lavishly generous and lush palate with ample prune-plum darkness. Some oak sweetness from the 400 litre casks is also evident. This wine marks a clear contrast to the more Italianate style of Bandol further east; this also has more voluptuousness than the often medicinal flavours of Mourvèdre in Châteauneuf permit. There are tannins, but they’ve melted into the textures and flesh of that rich fruit.