Ravaille Frres Ermitage du Pic St. Loup 2005 Pic Saint Loup (Languedoc) Approaches all hard, swaggering, and dangerous-looking. But its an act, mostly. The fruit narrows (not thins, exactly, but turns more pointed and angular) on the palate, and the wine never quite delivers on its promise. Theres some dark fruit, some smoke, some meat, but nothing like what it needs to be a complete package. (8/09)
Rozier les traverses de Fontans 2006 Vin de Pays dOc (Languedoc) Cabernet sauvignon. And it tastes like it, too. Whats interesting is how it shows that character, because while I usually expect cabernet from these southerly regions to be ponderous and under-structured, this is anything but. Its not underripe, but it brings out the tobacco leaf, cedar, and (ripe) bell pepper qualities of the grape, leaving plenty of acidity and a reasonably crunchy plane of tannin. Its light, overall, and if any cabernet not all the way over into fruit-bomb territory can be said to be fun, this is one. (8/09)
Comte Henri de Colbert Chteau de Flaugergues 2003 Coteaux du Languedoc La Mejanelle (Languedoc) Rocky and forbidding, dominated by its tannin (which is more sludgy than hard), and while theres layer upon layer of thick blue fruit, Id be hard-pressed to identify this as French. It tastes more Californian, or perhaps South African (before they layer on the oak, which blessedly is not an intrusive issue here). Weirdly compelling, but mostly because its served amidst a procession of underfruited wines; in the context of other vintages, I think this would be easily put aside. (9/09)
Clavel 1999 Coteaux du Languedoc Terroir de la Mejanelle Les Garrigues (Languedoc) Corked. (9/09)
Gibert Domaine Faillenc Sainte Marie 2008 Corbires Blanc Pas des Louves (Languedoc) Im still waiting for my white Corbires epiphany; the aromas are nice enough (orange juice, honeysuckle, gravel), but the wines sticky at its core and drippy around the perimeter, and this performance has been replicated in other wines Ive tasted of this tint and from this appellation. (9/09)
Rozier les traverses de Fontans 2006 Vin de Pays dOc (Languedoc) Cabernet sauvignon. And it tastes like it, too. Whats interesting is how it shows that character, because while I usually expect cabernet from these southerly regions to be ponderous and under-structured, this is anything but. Its not underripe, but it brings out the tobacco leaf, cedar, and (ripe) bell pepper qualities of the grape, leaving plenty of acidity and a reasonably crunchy plane of tannin. Its light, overall, and if any cabernet not all the way over into fruit-bomb territory can be said to be fun, this is one. (8/09)
Comte Henri de Colbert Chteau de Flaugergues 2003 Coteaux du Languedoc La Mejanelle (Languedoc) Rocky and forbidding, dominated by its tannin (which is more sludgy than hard), and while theres layer upon layer of thick blue fruit, Id be hard-pressed to identify this as French. It tastes more Californian, or perhaps South African (before they layer on the oak, which blessedly is not an intrusive issue here). Weirdly compelling, but mostly because its served amidst a procession of underfruited wines; in the context of other vintages, I think this would be easily put aside. (9/09)
Clavel 1999 Coteaux du Languedoc Terroir de la Mejanelle Les Garrigues (Languedoc) Corked. (9/09)
Gibert Domaine Faillenc Sainte Marie 2008 Corbires Blanc Pas des Louves (Languedoc) Im still waiting for my white Corbires epiphany; the aromas are nice enough (orange juice, honeysuckle, gravel), but the wines sticky at its core and drippy around the perimeter, and this performance has been replicated in other wines Ive tasted of this tint and from this appellation. (9/09)
