Went to a tasting Monday night, not knowing what to expect, but thought it would be fun to explore some wines from an area I didn’t know much about. Gregory Hecht was in town and really impressed me as someone trying to make high quality wines in the Languedoc, an area that has the reputation of being more about volume than quality. I thought 4 of the wines we tried were VG-EXC and at the price point were excellent values. My wife enjoyed these also, and even though she makes snide remarks about our overflowing cellar, she wants me to get some of these.
2011 Languedoc Blanc
Picpoul Blanc and 20% Roussanne. Roussanne nose of flowers and white fruit with the Picpoul providing nice acidity. Good volume of fruit on the palate, clean and refreshing. Nice summer white.
2011 Languedoc Rose
12.5% Alc. Mainly Syrah with Grenache and Cinsault. Electric pink. Red fruit and flowers on nose. Strawberries and watermelon palate with good acidity and balance. Dom Tempier Bandol Rose is my favorite summertime rose and even though pretty pricey for rose, I like it so much I get a 6 pack every summer. This wine will be our #2 Rose and will give us a lot of enjoyment for about 1/4 the price.
2009 Minervois
70% Syrah with some Grenache and Carignan. Dark fruit, flowers and spice on the nose. Nice mouthful of ripe dark fruit, spice and minerals. Medium acidity, smooth tannin and a long finish. Excellent balance and ready to drink now. A really impressive wine for just under $20 here. May be even cheaper in other areas.
2009 Faugeres
Mainly Syrah with Mourvedre, Grenache and Carignan. Black fruit and some oak on the nose. Tart black fruit with prominent acid and tannin.I really like what the Mourvedre adds to this. Some oak that needs time to integrate but plenty of fruit and tannin to handle it given a few years. I think this will be a good wine for the money and reward you in 2 to 3 years if you cellar it. If space wasn’t at a premium in my cellar I would probably buy a few bottles.
I was most impressed with what these two young men are doing, and I think their wines are worth a look. Always fun to find quality at a sane price.
Cheers!