Château Jouclary, Cabardès: Cuvée Tradition 2006

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Here is a photo of the new, 2006 vintage, with its discreetly redesigned label, of the unoaked cuvée Tradition from Château Jouclary, a few miles outside Carcassonne in the Cabardès region of south-western France. This is, most days, and especially considering its price, my favourite wine on the Bubble Brothers list. Chateau Jouclary Tradition Cabardes 2006 It's a blend of Syrah, Grenache and Merlot with fruity, tempting aromas that you don't need to sniff too hard to find: they curl out of the glass and give a very good idea of the rounded, juicy flavours to come. Although this wine isn't, like the grander bottlings from the estate, aged in oak, it has enough balance and interest to match a wide variety of foods and occasions without wearying your palate. I'm still not fed up with it, anyway. There are a few enthusiastic followers of the Château's wines around Ireland (you can see Laurence at Sour Grapes trying the 05 vintage here), and the first orders for the very recently arrived 2006 Tradition are already on their way. We've enjoyed passing on great value from the Château for a few years now, and healthy sales are the best way of keeping this lovely wine at an equally attractive price. You know what you gotta do. You can do it here.