Château Silex wines are produced in Saint-Gilles, on the edge of the Rhône delta near the ancient city of Nîmes. The soils there are generally built on a widespread blanket of coarse sediment shed from the fast-rising Alps in Eocene and later time, starting roughly 50 million years ago. This Alpine molasse is a poorly cemented stone laid down along the ancient coast, containing marine shells in many places. Apparently Château Silex is not named for large ridges of flint or chert. Perhaps the buildings are chert.
The wine is 50 percent Grenache, 40 percent Syrah and 10 percent Mourvèdre. In my experience it presents a clear garnet color, a soft nose and an elegant balance of fruit and tannin. It shows no sign of the ferocious summer heat of southern France, and it isn't highly extracted or concentrated, just the thing to accompany food or daydreams of warm evening picnics in the garrigue.
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