Saturday, January 04, 2003
My love for wines from the Languedoc is widely know. No other region has captivated my interest for the length of time it has, nor been so fetching of an area to visit, as I have on numerous occasions since 1996. Wines from that region remain great values, and can easily rival much higher priced reds and whites from the Rhone Valley, another region which seems to share both similar soil, climate and grape plantings. So while the Rhone Valley prices have doubled and in some cases tripled over the past decade or so, wines from the Languedoc remain great values. The one catch is that you really have to let them age to become the wines that they are meant to be. So it shouldn't be a surprise that importers Kermit Lynch, Eric Solomon, Bobby Kacher, Neil Rosenthal, Jeffrey Davies, Dan Kravitz and others who tend to specialize more in country wines make regular pilgrimages there looking for high quality producers, who turn out wines of elegance and complexity, that can sell for under $15.00.
Last night I pulled out three wines from Domaine L'Hortus, one of the top producers in the Pic St. Loup appellation. Pic St. Loup is the home to many producers that I enjoy. Lancyre, Mas Bruggiere, La Roque, Baubiac, Lascaux, Clos Marie, Cazeneuve, Ermitage du Pic. The list goes on and on, with a new one seeming to be added with each trip to that area. Heck, even the local co-op makes great wines at amazing values.
The 2001 Bergerie de L'Hortus Rose de Saignee was fresh, fragrant and refreshing. It was like a spring day in the dead of winter. Lively flavors of rose hips, early picked strawberry and light raspberry, the length was just right and it made for a delightful starting point for the evening.
Even more impressive was the 2001 Bergerie de L'Hortus Blanc. Possibly the best young white Languedoc I have ever had from the Pic St. Loup region, the flavors and complexity outshine many wines in the sub $14.00 price class. Lemon zest on the nose, with flavors of lemons, limes, kiwi, fresh picked peaches that are all engulfed by a light limestone and chalky base. This wine was a true tour de force and I found it easy to make comparisons to the best dry style St. Joseph or Hermitage Blancs of the Rhone Valley. Surprisingly the wine is a blend of 20% Viognier and 10% Roussanne with the balance being 40% Sauvignon Blanc and 30% Chardonnay, not the typical varietals I expected from the Languedoc after the Viognier and Roussanne.
The 1994 Domaine L'Hortus Cuvee Classique was a lighter style of Pic St. Loup. While it was soft and very forward, showing class and proper winemaking, it wasn't the big wine that other wines from this producer have tasted like. Instead, it was a wine with finesse and grace, showing off flavors of blackberry and raspberry, with hints of currants and blueberry.
The blockbuster wine of the night though, along with the L'Hortus blanc was the 1995 Chateau Lavabre, another red wine from the Pic St. Loup region. The wine was monumentally great. Lead pencil, cedar, mint and of course the ever present tell tale Garrigue aroma, but this wine, if served blind would have made one think more of Bordeaux than the Languedoc. It's fine, silkiness and delightful fruit flavors of black cherry, plums, raspberry and blueberry, hints of tar and cedar, and a light lilt of mint made this wine a memorable tasting experience.
A few friends were also at Flemings last night, so we passed some glasses in different directions. The 1998 Robert Keenan Napa Cabernet Sauvignon, was a charming example of how a wine from an off vintage, if made properly can charm. Not in the league of the 1999 Shafer Napa Cabernet Stags Leap which was enjoyed on New Year's Eve, this deep ruby purple colored red has typical Napa fruit, a hint of Silverado Trail flavors, and loads of bing cherry and black plum fruit. Even better was the 1995 Viader Cabernet. Jam packed, almost like a baby Dunn with lots of Howell Mountain style fruit. A blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc, the supple on the mouthfeel of the briary flavors, coupled with the deep extracted cherry from the Sauvignon and the herbal tones of the Franc gave this wine grace, elegance and retrained power.
With friends, and wine like these, life in 2003 is already starting out very, very well.
Andy Abramson
E-Mail: aabramson@winescene.com
Last night I pulled out three wines from Domaine L'Hortus, one of the top producers in the Pic St. Loup appellation. Pic St. Loup is the home to many producers that I enjoy. Lancyre, Mas Bruggiere, La Roque, Baubiac, Lascaux, Clos Marie, Cazeneuve, Ermitage du Pic. The list goes on and on, with a new one seeming to be added with each trip to that area. Heck, even the local co-op makes great wines at amazing values.
The 2001 Bergerie de L'Hortus Rose de Saignee was fresh, fragrant and refreshing. It was like a spring day in the dead of winter. Lively flavors of rose hips, early picked strawberry and light raspberry, the length was just right and it made for a delightful starting point for the evening.
Even more impressive was the 2001 Bergerie de L'Hortus Blanc. Possibly the best young white Languedoc I have ever had from the Pic St. Loup region, the flavors and complexity outshine many wines in the sub $14.00 price class. Lemon zest on the nose, with flavors of lemons, limes, kiwi, fresh picked peaches that are all engulfed by a light limestone and chalky base. This wine was a true tour de force and I found it easy to make comparisons to the best dry style St. Joseph or Hermitage Blancs of the Rhone Valley. Surprisingly the wine is a blend of 20% Viognier and 10% Roussanne with the balance being 40% Sauvignon Blanc and 30% Chardonnay, not the typical varietals I expected from the Languedoc after the Viognier and Roussanne.
The 1994 Domaine L'Hortus Cuvee Classique was a lighter style of Pic St. Loup. While it was soft and very forward, showing class and proper winemaking, it wasn't the big wine that other wines from this producer have tasted like. Instead, it was a wine with finesse and grace, showing off flavors of blackberry and raspberry, with hints of currants and blueberry.
The blockbuster wine of the night though, along with the L'Hortus blanc was the 1995 Chateau Lavabre, another red wine from the Pic St. Loup region. The wine was monumentally great. Lead pencil, cedar, mint and of course the ever present tell tale Garrigue aroma, but this wine, if served blind would have made one think more of Bordeaux than the Languedoc. It's fine, silkiness and delightful fruit flavors of black cherry, plums, raspberry and blueberry, hints of tar and cedar, and a light lilt of mint made this wine a memorable tasting experience.
A few friends were also at Flemings last night, so we passed some glasses in different directions. The 1998 Robert Keenan Napa Cabernet Sauvignon, was a charming example of how a wine from an off vintage, if made properly can charm. Not in the league of the 1999 Shafer Napa Cabernet Stags Leap which was enjoyed on New Year's Eve, this deep ruby purple colored red has typical Napa fruit, a hint of Silverado Trail flavors, and loads of bing cherry and black plum fruit. Even better was the 1995 Viader Cabernet. Jam packed, almost like a baby Dunn with lots of Howell Mountain style fruit. A blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc, the supple on the mouthfeel of the briary flavors, coupled with the deep extracted cherry from the Sauvignon and the herbal tones of the Franc gave this wine grace, elegance and retrained power.
With friends, and wine like these, life in 2003 is already starting out very, very well.
Andy Abramson
E-Mail: aabramson@winescene.com
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