If Pourboire is the everyday pleasure, Magneric is where Jon Bowen really means business. A powerful yet elegant blend of Syrah, Carignan and Grenache from the High Corbières, aged 16 months in old French oak barrels, this is a wine that rewards patience and attention.
Packed with cassis and redcurrant, black olive, fig, raspberry and pepper spice, it finishes with remarkable freshness despite its full body — the tannins are soft and ripe, the mouthfeel generous and complete. There's something here that recalls the Rhône at its best: structured and serious, but never austere.
The vines are old — many easily exceeding 100 years of age — and the soils beneath them extraordinary: limestone, schist, and volcanic outcrops formed when the Pyrenees were still being pushed into existence. Organic farming, a parcel-by-parcel approach, and an obsessive focus on linking a piece of land to its flavours define everything at Domaine Sainte Croix.
Decant it. Give it time. It'll reward you for the effort.