Home › Wine Notes › Domaine Singla
Domaine Singla El Molí 2016
RedFrance2016
By Daniel Min · Tasted 2020-04-04 · Published 2026-09-30 · Updated 2026-09-30
At a glance
In one line
4.0/5 — lower than Vivino's 4.2 average · world avg price US$13 · The second bottle opened on the evening after the Beaucastel.
Neither Wine-Searcher nor Vivino lists a critic score for this wine (checked Sep 2026). The house's other cuvées have Wine-Searcher critic aggregates of 89–92.
Market note: World average US$13 / 750ml (Wine-Searcher, ex-tax), last compiled in July 2019. On the same basis the house's Passe-Temps is US$15 (89), Les Quatre Vents US$28 (92), Arrels US$61 (90), and the long-aged Rivesaltes Ambré Héritage du Temps US$129 (91). On Vivino, every 2014–2019 vintage with 30+ ratings scores 4.0–4.2.
Father's note — Daniel Min
Original author of the notes“또. 론 와인. 이번엔 북부 론 랑귀독 로실론인데 남부와 마찬가지로 시라에 그르나슈, 그래서 그런지 아로마 팔렛 다 비슷하게 꽃밭으로 화려한듯 수수하게 진행되고 마지막 피니쉬도 침이 고이는 느낌이 좋았다. 깔끔하고 무게감이 좋게 느껴졌다. Cdp 랑 지공다스보단 민트향의 알코올 느낌이 기분 나쁘지 않게 두드러짐. 론 와인 중 가성비 좋게 파티에서 먹고자 하면 이 와인 먹으면 좋겠다.”
Show original
“prune cherry earthy strawberry rose violet 또~ 론와인. 이번엔 북부론 랑귀독 로실론인데 남부와 마찬가지로 시라에 그르나슈, 그래서 그런지 아로마 팔렛 다비슷하게 꽃밭으로 화려한듯 수수하게 진행되고 마지막 피니쉬도 침이고이는 느낌이 좋았다. 깔끔하고 무게감이 좋게 느껴졌다. Cdp 랑 지공다스보단 민트향의 알코올느낌이 기분나쁘지않게 두드러짐. 론와인 중 가성비 좋게 파티에서 먹고자 하면 이와인 먹으면 좋겠다~”
What I learned today: say less, and the nose goes one step further.
Monday. When I came in after switching on the sign, Master Seo handed me a glass. Tonight there was a rule, he said. Name exactly three aromas. If a fourth comes, keep your mouth shut.
Plum, cherry, earth. I said my three and closed my mouth. But once I stopped talking, my nose got busier. Strawberry passed, and flowers came after it. Rose, and something purple. Violet. After I swallowed, a cool, minty lift rose into my nose. While I was holding back that fourth aroma, a night opened first.
Twenty-one, spring, a Saturday night of on-and-off rain, the kitchen table. The bottle from the night before, the one we drank with spicy side dishes, was still standing by the sink. Dad opened two bottles that night. He held on to the first for a long time, then came back with the second wrapped in cloth and refilled my glass. This one's like a flower bed, he said, but it doesn't show off. I wrinkled my nose at the cool lift at the end, and Dad laughed and said that wasn't a bad thing. He also said it was a good bottle to bring when there are lots of people. I don't know the name of the bottle.
I opened the notebook to that date. Two bottles are written under one date. I started from the second. The first words: "Again. A Rhône wine." Dad wrote that this time it was the northern Rhône, Languedoc-Roussillon. Syrah and Grenache like the south, so maybe that's why the aromas all head into a flower bed. He liked the mouth-watering finish, and the minty alcohol stood out, not unpleasantly. If you want a good-value Rhône for a party, this is the one. Four stars. The bottle was Domaine Singla El Molí. I stuck on the wine-name Post-it. I didn't read the first entry under the same date; I folded the corner of the page instead. I remembered that knowing the name first makes the nose lazy.
When I read "northern Rhône" out loud, Master Seo didn't answer; he told me to fetch a map. Roussillon isn't the Rhône. It's the land under the Pyrenees, right against Spain. El Molí means "the mill" in the local language, he said. Maybe Dad grouped the places by nose rather than by map. Same Syrah and Grenache, same family.
After closing, I wrote the name on the thirteenth page of the new notebook. In the aroma box I wrote only three, and underneath, small: "held back: violet". What I learned today: say less, and the nose goes one step further.
What this wine is
Domaine Singla is the house of the de Besombes-Singla family. According to Guide Hachette, the family settled in Roussillon in the 18th century to trade wine between Spain and Africa, then put down roots in Rivesaltes and built up a large vineyard in the Agly valley. The auction house iDealwine tells it a little differently: the family came from the Cévennes, lost its titles and estates in the upheaval around the Edict of Nantes, and bought land in Roussillon in the 19th century. Either way, this house's story starts with land lost and worked up again.
Its present shape dates from 2001, when Laurent de Besombes took over, picked out only the best parcels of the large holding and converted them to organic farming, certified in 2006. iDealwine notes that Laurent's grandfather used to set aside bottles from good years as insurance against bad harvests — a habit that lives on in the house's long-aged Rivesaltes.
El Molí is Catalan for 'the mill'. Roussillon is French, but culturally Catalan, so the cuvée carries a Catalan name. I couldn't confirm the story behind it from the producer. It is a Côtes du Roussillon Villages of Syrah and Grenache, and several vintages have been listed in Guide Hachette.
What the world says
There are no critic scores. Neither Wine-Searcher nor Vivino has a critic review of this cuvée, and Wine-Searcher's US$13 world average was last compiled in July 2019. It isn't a bottle that sells widely abroad.
The community likes it. On Vivino this vintage averages 4.2 from 53 ratings, and the label as a whole 4.1 from 627. Most raters gave it 4 (34), then 5 (10) and 3 (9), with nothing at 2 or below. Vintages from 2014 to 2019 all sit between 4.0 and 4.2.
The aroma keywords run black fruit and plum (29 mentions), earth and leather (25), oak and vanilla (21), pepper (11), and cherry and strawberry (8). Structure: acidity 3.7/5, intensity 4.1, tannin 3.5, sweetness 1.6. A dark, powerful wine, yet many reviews mention 'value' and 'balance' together.
"Very balanced, complex and addictive" — Vivino review, Jun 2019, 4.5
How I drank it
April 4, 2020, 4 stars. I wrote down plum, cherry, earth, strawberry, rose and violet.
It was the weekend after I'd had Château de Beaucastel and fallen for Rhône wines. That evening I opened Domaine Santa Duc's Gigondas first, then this bottle — hence the note's first words, 'Again. A Rhône wine.' I wrote that this time it was the northern Rhône, Languedoc-Roussillon, which, looking back, is wrong: Roussillon isn't the Rhône but a separate region under the Pyrenees. Still, with the same Syrah and Grenache, the aromas ran on like a flower bed, showy yet modest.
I liked the mouth-watering finish, and it felt clean with good weight. The minty, alcoholic lift stood out more than in Châteauneuf-du-Pape or Gigondas, but it wasn't unpleasant. If you want a good-value Rhône-style bottle for a party, I wrote, this is it. My 4 is a little below Vivino's 4.2, but pointing the same way.
Vivino community data
2016 vintage rating distribution (53 ratings, average 4.2)
| 5★ | 10 (19%) | |
| 4★ | 34 (64%) | |
| 3★ | 9 (17%) | |
| 2★ | 0 (0%) | |
| 1★ | 0 (0%) |
Most-mentioned aromas
| Family | Mentions | Top keywords |
|---|---|---|
| Black fruit | 29 | black fruit 12 · plum 5 · blackcurrant 4 · black cherry 3 · jam 3 |
| Earth & leather | 25 | earthy 13 · leather 11 · stone 1 |
| Oak | 21 | oak 8 · vanilla 6 · chocolate 5 · clove 1 · tobacco 1 |
| Spice | 11 | pepper 11 |
| Red fruit | 8 | cherry 5 · strawberry 2 · red fruit 1 |
Structure: Acidity 3.7/5 · Intensity 4.1/5 · Tannin 3.5/5 · Sweetness 1.6/5
Average by vintage (all vintages: 627 ratings, average 4.1)
| Vintage | Average | Ratings |
|---|---|---|
| 2014 | 4 | 60 |
| 2015 | 4 | 62 |
| 2016 | 4.2 | 53 |
| 2017 | 4.1 | 104 |
| 2018 | 4.1 | 97 |
| 2019 | 4.2 | 72 |
Other wines Father scored 4.0 →
Read next
Swipe for more →
Tasted the same dayDomaine Santa Duc Gigondas Prestige des Hautes Garrigues 2012
France · Rhône★★★★☆
Similar styleDomaine de la Pinte Trousseau Arbois 2018
France★★★★½
Similar styleChâteau La Nerthe Cuvée des Cadettes Châteauneuf-du-Pape 1996
France · Rhône★★★★★
Similar styleChâteau La Lagune Haut-Médoc 1970
France · Bordeaux★★★★★
Similar styleDugat-Py Gevrey-Chambertin Vieilles Vignes 2005
France · Burgundy★★★★☆
Highly rated by FatherJacques Selosse Lieux-dits Le Bout du Clos Ambonnay Grand Cru Extra Brut
France · Champagne★★★★★
Highly rated by FatherLouis Roederer Cristal Rosé Vinothèque 2008
France · Champagne★★★★★
Highly rated by FatherMaison Leroy Saint-Aubin Premier Cru Le Charmois Blanc 2002
France · Burgundy★★★★★
Highly rated by FatherClos du Val Cabernet Sauvignon 2019 (Napa Valley)
United States · Napa★★★★★
Highly rated by FatherEgly-Ouriet Blanc de Noirs Grand Cru 'Les Crayères' Ambonnay
France · Champagne★★★★★
Highly rated by FatherLucien Le Moine Chambolle-Musigny Premier Cru Les Hauts Doix 2016
France · Burgundy★★★★★
Highly rated by FatherDomaine Coche-Dury Meursault 2013
France · Burgundy★★★★★More from France
Swipe for more →
FranceDomaine de la Pinte Trousseau Arbois 2018
★★★★½
FranceDomaines Ott Château Romassan Rosé Coeur de Grain 2018
★★★★☆
FranceLe Grand Châtelain Grenache Cinsault Rosé
★★★½☆
FranceDomaine du Clos des Fées, Le Clos des Fées 2008 (Hervé Bizeul)
★★★★☆
FranceMoët & Chandon, Impérial Rosé Brut NV
★★★½☆
FranceRuhlmann Crémant d'Alsace Rosé Brut 'Harmonie de Rosé'
★★★☆☆Explore
Bottles Father gave five stars
Only the wines Father scored a perfect 5
→
Wines in manga, film and history
Bottles that show up in manga, film and history
→
Wines you can buy at the supermarket
Wines actually bought at the supermarket
→Frequently asked questions
What kind of wine is Domaine Singla El Molí?
A Côtes du Roussillon Villages red from Roussillon, France, made from Syrah and Grenache. The 2016 is 14.5% alcohol and scores 4.2 on Vivino (53 ratings). El Molí is Catalan for 'the mill'.
How much does it cost?
Wine-Searcher's world average is US$13 per 750ml (ex-tax, compiled July 2019). There are no overseas sellers of the 2016; the 2022 sells in France for US$15.35–17.06 (tax incl.).
What food goes with it?
The Vivino community suggests beef, veal and pasta. Full-bodied with dark fruit, pepper and earth, it suits grilled meat, and its high acidity handles richer dishes too.
Is Roussillon part of the Rhône?
No. Roussillon sits at France's southern tip under the Pyrenees, bordering Spain, and is usually paired with Languedoc. But it grows many of the same grapes as the southern Rhône, such as Syrah and Grenache, so the aromas feel related.
Links & sources
View on Vivino · Prices on Wine-Searcher
- Vivino — wine page and community data
- Guide Hachette des Vins — Domaine Singla
- iDealwine — Amédée de Besombes Singla
- Wine-Searcher — 2016 Domaine Singla Cotes du Roussillon El Moli
Read next
Swipe for more →
Tasted the same dayDomaine Santa Duc Gigondas Prestige des Hautes Garrigues 2012
France · Rhône★★★★☆Similar styleDomaine de la Pinte Trousseau Arbois 2018
France★★★★½Similar styleChâteau La Nerthe Cuvée des Cadettes Châteauneuf-du-Pape 1996
France · Rhône★★★★★Highly rated by FatherJacques Selosse Lieux-dits Le Bout du Clos Ambonnay Grand Cru Extra Brut
France · Champagne★★★★★Highly rated by FatherLouis Roederer Cristal Rosé Vinothèque 2008
France · Champagne★★★★★Highly rated by Father