Domaine Laurens, Marcillac AOC (Sud-Ouest, France) 2017

 The Laurens family have almost 52 acres of vines in the mountains of the Massif Central in Southwest France where they make wine from Fer Servadou.  While this grape variety is new to me, the wine is encouraging me to learn more.  It displays a deep dark ruby color and aromas of  black cherry, berry, plum fruit with smoky caramel notes.  In the mouth, black fruit is tightly knit and invigorated with lively acidity, finishing with grainy tannins.  Serve it with a grilled steak.  According to Wine Grapes by Robinson et al, “fer” means wild, and the local lore is that the wild vines in the region were domesticated.  The wine region is Marcillac in southwest France.  The appellation allows red and rose wines with a minimum 90 percent Fer.  The vines are grown on steep hillsides at 1,100 to 1,600 feet.  Pierres Rouges on the label means red stones, a reference to the iron-rich limestone clays.