Wine & Spirits - June 2017 - 75

YEAR'S BEST LANGUEDOC-ROUSSILLON
90 | Bruno Duchêne

$40

2015 Collioure La Pascole ^ Bruno Duchêne
was a wild-mushroom distributor in the Loire
before he moved to Banyuls, where he now
makes sunny wines from ten acres of vines
planted on schist. La Pascole, which is mostly
grenache with a little carignan, feels deceptively light and easy at first, the transparent
red fruit fragrant with sweet herbs and eucalyptus notes. Then it digs deeper, the tannins
and acidity hitting a vein of earth and mineral flavor that gives the wine staying power,
while the sun still shines through the wine. §
Louis/Dressner Selections, NY

Fenouillèdes. It's intensely grenache-y right
now, the sweet, fleshy fruit balanced by a
strawberry-seed bitterness. The carignan
plays backup, adding a light earthiness and
textural chew that keeps the wine feeling
firm. This should get more interesting with
another couple of years in the cellar. § Louis/
Dressner Selections, NY
221035

90 | Domaine Vaquer

$34

2013 Côtes du Roussillon Les Aspre
L'Exception ^ Frédérique Vaquer considers
L'Exception the most powerful wine in her
portfolio. Blended from old-vine carignan
aged in used barrels for 18 months plus grenache and syrah vinified in cement tanks, it's
a sappy, snappy red with a dark, raspy savor.
The nap of the texture gives it enough purchase to stand up to rich, fatty meats, while
the structure promises to hold the wine well
if you decide to age it another ten years. §
Hand Picked Selections, Warrenton, VA
221249

87 | Domaine Sanac

$9

2015 Côtes du Roussillon Le Casot de
L'Aspres (Best Buy) ^ A blend of syrah and
carignan, this is brisk and strawberry scented,
with lots of spice and herbs. It feels wild and
fresh, with the acidity to balance the fatness
of pork shoulder stuffed with fennel. § Wine
Collection, Miami, FL

V I N D E PA Y S D ' O C
220740

88 | Phenolia

$12

2014 Vin de Pays d'Oc (Best Buy) ^ With its
sweet purple fruit and velvety tannins, this
blend of malbec and marselan is full and
round, designed for grilled beef. § Saranty
Imports, Harrison, NY n

220457

90 | Hecht & Bannier

$20

90 | François Lurton

$22

90 | Domaine de Majas

$17

2012 Côtes du Roussillon-Villages (Best
Buy) ^ This large négociant casts a wide net for
the grapes that make up this blend, pulling in
grenache from Maury as well as mourvèdre
from Tautavel, while the high granite slopes
of Caramany provide syrah and carignan.
Vinified in a combination of cement and
old barrels, the wine is firm and chewy in its
savory density, the cherry fruit held tight by
smooth tannins. It feels muscled and tense,
an earthbound red to decant for a beef roast. §
Frederick Wildman and Sons, NY
219833
2014 Côtes du Roussillon Mas Janiel Sans
Soufre ^ Riper than the 2015 (also recommended here), this brims with fresh, sweet
cherry flavor, then deepens with air, adding
notes of herbs, spice and black fruits. Balanced and rounded, it feels very southern in
its warmth and gentleness, while retaining
an internal energy. A little volatile acidity
helps, too, adding a mouthwatering quality
that would be intensified by a chill and some
grilled sausages. § Cape Classics, NY
221120
2015 Vin de Pays des Côtes Catalanes
Rouge (Best Buy) ^ Working organically in the
vineyards and with a minimum of intervention in the winery, Alain Carrère blends this
red from equal parts carignan and grenache
grown on clay and limestone in Caudiès-deWINE & SPIRITS

JUNE 2017

75
http://www.frederickwildman.com/national/winery/hecht--bannier https://www.amalinyc.com/ http://www.sushiseki.com
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Wine & Spirits - June 2017
