I’m surfing and attending a Gnawa music festival in Essaouria. Lovely seaside town with very temperate weather.
Last night I had the 2020 Azayi VV from the Meknes Fes area. It’s 100% Carignan, sourced from 90 year old vines. Low intervention and organic fruit. Dry farmed (maybe).
The wine is very good — fresh, vibrant, blackberry and a hint of dust and mint. I could drink this all night back in the States, not just “getting by” in a remote restaurant. The profile is like a lighter bodied Ridge.
Went well with the set menu at Villa Maroc, which I can’t recommend enough if you are looking for a great meal in this laid back town.
Thanks for posting this. I’ve never had a Moroccan wine before, but I had several local wines when I visited Tunisia a few years back. The Rhône varieties were the most memorable, particularly a few Syrahs that were impressively balanced if not quite compelling.
Last night I tried a Sauvignon Blanc from one of the country’s premier producers … Domaine Thaleb, now celebrating 100 years in the business. It is the oldest winery in the nation.
I learned the wine industry almost totally petered out in the 1950s, when the French left. But King Hassan — a graduate of the University of Bordeaux! — led a renewal in the 1990s.
The wine is fermented in concrete tanks from fruit grown in clay marl soil from the Zenata region.
It’s not the most complex wine. From first sip what you see/taste is what you get.
A bit Sancerre like in weight but rounder and a tad sweeter with white/yellow fruits. But very dry and refreshing and longer than expected. Touch of basil notes at end.
On our final night in Essaouira, we tried the 100% old vine Moroccan Syrah from Alain Graillot of Northern Rhône fame. Graillot supposedly bought the estate after a bike tour amongst the 1920s era vines.
This tasted like a love child of Crozes Hermitage and a lower octane Santa Barbara Syrah from someone like Tensley.
Drank with a tagine of lamb neck, dates and walnuts. Yum.
A bit soupy and muted on first pour but it put on weight and complexity. Decent structure that leads with dusty boysenberry fruit. Medium bodied but lacks a bit of drive.
I want more texture or some peppery notes to give the wine more intrigue. Solid but ultimately not very memorable in the context of world Syrah.
