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November 22, 2008 by lapeiraRoberson Wine Merchant’s ‘Legends of Southern France’ Tasting report in Decanter Magazine
December 31, 2009 by lapeiraLa Peira at the ‘Legends of Southern France’ Tasting at Roberson Wine Merchants
We were fortunate to have our comparitively youthful La Peira 06 included in the Roberson Wine Merchant’s Legends of Southern France Tasting, beautifully set out in this tasting brochure HERE, and covered (with wonderful descriptions of the wines) by its host, Mark Andrew, on the Roberson Wine Blog HERE.
The 2003 Domaine Gauby ‘Muntada’ (with 4 votes) trumped our La Pèira 2006 and Provence’s Domaine de Trevallon 2000 (with 3 votes each), and the white of Grange des Peres 1998 (3 votes again) as the top wines of the tasting. Some tasting notes from Adam Lechmere for Decanter Magazine are included below.
Decanter Magazine Report
Tasting notes by Adam Lechmere
Robersons, in Kensington High Street, is one of London’s most dynamic specialist wine shops, with a varied and fascinating list. It runs regular tastings – with renowned winemakers and producers such as Anthony Barton of Château Leoville Barton – and with the well-informed in-house tasting team. This was a relaxing, informative and fun evening, with Mark Andrew, one of the buying team, providing just the right amount of serious commentary, and fielding a good deal of questions from the dozen or so participants. I can’t see how Robersons makes money from such tastings – they cost £50 a head, but then the wines are typically expensive and in this case mostly extremely rare.
Grange des Peres, Vin de Pays de l’Hérault 1999 (Terrasses du Larzac/Aniane, Languedoc; Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon & Mourvedre) Funky, barn-yardy nose, with a hint of mushroom. Very gentle and sweet palate, still with some funk and spice. Low-key elegance £49.95
La Peira en Damaisela, Coteaux de Languedoc 2006 (Terrasses du Larzac/Aniane, Languedoc; 90% Syrah & Grenache) Grown-up nose. International, round, big, beautifully managed tannins which hit early on the attack and gently fade into masses of brambly fruit, not charming but very well-made. Commercial, impossible not to like, difficult to place. £59.95
Mas Jullien, Coteaux du Languedoc 2001 (Terrasses du Larzac/Aniane, Languedoc; Syrah, Carignan & Mourvedre) Very interesting, unpolished nose. Lots of brambly fruit and white pepper spice, garrigue flavours, fruit, rusticity and charm. Not massively long but very nice. £59.95
Grange des Peres Blanc, Vin de Pays de l’Hérault 1998 (Aniane, Languedoc; Marsanne & Roussanne) Aged in oak for 16-24 months. Light yellow straw colour. Strong, deep spicy nose. Powerful, with an explosion of delicate fruit flavours: honeyed apple, spicy oak, honeysuckle, but with the oak under control. At first taste you think it’s a spiced Chardonnay with a lovely rustic edge. £52.95
Prieure Saint-Jean de Bebian, Coteaux du Languedoc 2001 (Pezanas area, Languedoc; Syrah & Grenache) Dense tarry nose. Spicy palate with smoky hedgerow fruit. Length slightly short. £39.95
Terre Inconnue, Los Abuelos, Vin de Table 2003 (Languedoc-Roussillon; Grenache) Sweet juicy nose, dense spice on the palate, slight ‘animal fur’ notes as well – meaty and rustic. Is it missing on one cylinder? Seems slightly hollow at the core. n/a
Mas de Daumas Gassac, Vin de Pay de l’Herault 1996 (Aniane, Languedoc; Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah & miscellaneous varietals, Nebbiolo etc) Mineral and meaty on the palate but with delicacy and elegance. Garrigue flavour, strong young tannins still. Not the most exciting of the line up but very well-made. £50.95
Domaine de Trevallon, Rouge, Vin de Pays des Bouches du Rhône 2000 (50% Cabernet Sauvignon & 50% Syrah) Dense and very fruity, smoky nose. Long and integrated tannins, blackberry, dark raspberry leaf fruit. Some say it tastes like Bordeaux: possibly, as it’s elegant and fresh, but there’s a distinct note of animal skin, a smoky, meaty taste that gives it a fascinating edge. If it’s related to the Médoc, it’s the wild, charming, slightly unwashed cousin from the backwoods. £48.95
Mas de Daumas Gassac Blanc, Vin de Pays de l’Herault 1996 (Aniane, Languedoc; 90% Chardonnay, 10% Viognier) Dark straw colour, spicy, very aged nose, nutty, sherry palate with lots of spice and secondary flavours. Not long, but very charming. £22
Clot de l’Oum, Numero 1, Cotes du Roussillon Villages 2006 (Maury, Roussillon; 80% Syrah, 20% Cabernet Sauvignon) From the wonder ‘06 vintage. A white pepper nose gives way to a perfumed palate with more pepper, delicate hedgerow fruit, strong dry graphite tannins and lovely minerality. £19.95
Domaine Gauby, Muntada, Côtes du Roussillon Villages 2003 (Maury, Roussillon; 40% Carignan from 125-year-old vines & Grenache) Very exotic dense meaty, bacony nose with tar and roses, lovely deep ripe tannins, fabulous smoky, dark garrigue fruit. Beautifully balanced wine. £69.95
Domaine Peyre Rose, Leone, Coteaux du Languedoc 1998 (Pezenas area, Languedoc; 90% Syrah) Really lovely dense blackcurrant and raspberry, pepper and spice palate. Long and sweet with grippy tannins. Very refreshing for quite a monster, which holds its 14.5% alcohol very well indeed. £64.95
Notes on the Decanter Magazine site
Terrasses du Larzac: Typicity and a Sense of Place
The tasting prompted some discussion. As Mark Andrew who organised the tasting, and recently paid us the complement of visiting the domaine, relates on the Roberson Wine Blog:
First up was a wine from a producer that I had the pleasure of visiting recently –
2006 La Pèira en Damaisèla. This is a domaine that I am a big, big fan of and the commitment to quality is evident through their entire range of wines. The La Pèira itself is their top cuvee and a wine that I expected to be met with universal approval by the group, but in reality it seemed to polarise opinion. Everybody agreed that it was beautifully made but some tasters felt that it was a little too polished, lacking some of the charming rusticity that many Languedoc wines have.
Our view on rusticity is not so different to that expressed by Dr Vino recently in his Discussing Rustic article: “If the term were applied to high end wines, such as Burgundies, it would be interpreted as a bad thing or a flaw. But in the context of… everyday drinking wines, it’s something to seek out.”
Rusticity (however charming in a youthful everyday wine) is not something found in the finest expressions of nature in France’s greatest wine regions, nor in any prized produits du terroir. Nor is it found in nature. Nature can be brutal, beautiful, intricate, but only when touched by the hand of man does it become rustic. The same with wine.
Perfectly tended grapes arriving at a chai are never rustic. It is only after vinification this quality emerges. For us, imposed rusticity cannot be a false substitution for a real sense of place. Also the idea that wines can be well-made (or beautifully made) while always meant as a positive, implies that the work in the chai was not almost wholly dependent on what nature (with some fine work in the vineyard) gave.
We believe wines can only be beautifully grown, not made. One does not polish a wine after harvest like it were cutlery, nor create beauty, nor ‘make’ the wine. Vinification is a sympathetic and skillful handling of (hopefully) excellent raw material, not a modification. It goes without saying that the vinification and elevage of a wine can be beautifully judged and handled, but wines are grow and not ‘made’. It may be a high art, but it is closer to the excavation of an site, or the preservation of a work, or the conducting of a composition in nature. Perhaps honest photography is a good example as well. As with photography, the notion of ‘well captured’ is more apt than ‘well made’. A least, that is the way we hope to work.
Terrasses du Larzac: A Sense of Place and the Idea of ‘Styles’
David Schildknecht in his recent Wine Advocate round up of the region (his La Peira notes HERE) made a similar observation on stylistic differences in the region:
His highly appreciative notes on the 2006 Mas Jullien (Syrah, Carignan, and Mourvedre, with just a bit of Grenache) make reference to “flavor attempts to out-Burgundy Burgundy.” His equally appreciative notes on the Las Flors 05 (Syrah, Mourvedre, and Grenache) state, “puts me in mind of a great Pomerol.” Robert Parker’s review of our Obriers states, “Falling somewhere between a great Cote Rotie and a top-notch Hermitage.”
Quite a journey around France for just three wines – albeit metaphoric!
And in terms of a sense of place somewhat confusing.
For while this certainly puts to bed any notion of a stylistic preference in the Wine Advocate’s Languedoc coverage, it does seem to suggest in the Terrasses du Larzac a protean quality.
Neither Syrah grown in Hermitage, nor Mourvedre grown in Bandol, nor Carignan in the Languedoc are normally expected to create serious young wines that could be said to “out-Burgundy Burgundy”, but nor should a Syrah, Mourvedre, Grenache blend grown in the South of France normally bring to mind a, “great Pomerol.”
Yet all three wines are made by domaines on simular soils almost adjacent that dry farm, harvest on ripeness, and vinify with no additions, gently, carefuly, and simply.
The idea that a ’style’ can be imposed upon a wine is an anathema to us. Yet what happens to a wine during vinification, elevage and blending is different from domaine to domaine, and so, sadly, we have the notion of styles.
It would be understandable to hope that underneath any differences there would be present a fundamental truth to place and to the cepages grown.
Is there a common thread?
Andrew Jefford observes in his article Rockyards and stonejuice that the, “The hallmark of great Languedoc wine, though, is a seam of perfume (always heady, sometimes floral, sometime herbal, sometimes pure-fruited) rippling through the wine from start to finish.”
David Schildknecht in his review of the Las Flors 05 makes notes of , “ a wonderful sense of lift and elegance” and this is certainly a quality that wines from the appellation such as Chateau de Jonquieres, Mas de l’Ecriture, Causse d’Arboras, Mas Jullien, Mas Conscience, Clos du Serres and many others undoubtedly have in common.
Yet whatever the achievements of individual domaines in the Terrasses du Larzac, for the appellation itself surely this is still a process of joint discovery.
What typicity is in the Terrasses du Larzac? Has this already been declined and discovered? On our plots? For the appellation? This is surely a question to be posed rather than answered? Something that emerges naturally rather than an idea to be imposed?
Does typicity for our region imply rusticity?
Is Adam Lechmere right to note the La Peira 06 is “impossible not to like, difficult to place”? Or is Andrew Jefford right in observing of our Las Flors 06: “pregnant with a sense of origin as few are“ and the La Peira cuvee: “a kind of liqueur of the garrigue“? and Neal Martin (tasting the same wine) when he notes: “blackberry, black olive tapenade and Provencal herbs that whisk you straight to the South of France” ?
Are all right? After all the wines are young and the appellation not widely known.
Jancis Robinson, who published enthusiastic notes on the La Peira 06 and 07 doesn’t resolve the matter!
Jancis Robinson on Twitter
Jancis Robinson Notes
La Peira 2006 “There is certainly a gloss on this and it’s much more sophisticated than the average Languedoc red. Very fine and polished. Full of pleasure: sweet start and then a dry finish. I’d love to see this alongside other serious Syrahs.”
La Peira 2007 “Blackish crimson. Leathery Syrah on the nose – rather sleek and refined and smells as though it may be a little austere and claret-like on the palate but in fact it is hugely seductive and rich and glamorous. Amazingly sweet seeming!”
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Can a wine from the region be fine and polished, sleek or refined, or seductive, rich and glamorous, while also expressing something unique and typical?
Or is this all mutually exclusive?
The sole purpose of our domaine, or any serious domaine, is simply an investigation into the questions above.
Yet these are things we cannot impose but simply watch emerge and be sympathetic to.
We cannot impose a sense of place, nor should we impose a man-made sense of rusticitiy.
For us , typicity is a question to be posed of nature, not an aesthetic to be imposed.
The cost of the question for us is excellent viticulture, careful harvesting, natural vinification, and an attentive period of elevage.
Our aim, as always: to let nature show her true colours, and let La Peira be a black pearl of the Larzac (and not a pale echo of the wines of northern France) if she will. To allow her to be unique. To remain unaltered. A Cinderella of the South untroubled by her sisters from northern climes.
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Ryan O’Connell’s Languedoc Wine Site: Virgile Joly, La Peira, Daumas Gassac visit with Aimé Guibert…
December 18, 2009 by lapeira
Ryan O’Connell of Love That Languedoc and O’Vineyards with Parents Liz and Joe
Set on bringing the Languedoc to your Laptop and Living Room
Ryan O’Connell, is an extraordinary young man, who on top of making wine with his family (O’Vineyards), has an excellent site (Love that Languedoc Wine) that looks like it may develop into an incredibly comprehensive resource on the wines and wine producers of the Languedoc-Roussillon.
Ryan recently visited our domaine and recorded an episode with Jérémie Depierre at the chai at La Peira. Link below or click on image.
Other Videos linked to the images below include his tastings with Virgile Joly in his Saint Saturnin cave, Juliet Bruce Jones, MW (who has her own Blog here), Plo Roucarels, and his look around Daumas Gassac with Aimé Guibert.
Tasting and Chat with Virgile Joly in his Saint Saturnin cave (In English/French to come)
Ryan chats with Jérémie Depierre at La Peira and tastes some young wines (In English / The French Episode tasting the 2007s is here)
Aimé Guibert’s tour of the Daumas Gassac vineyards. Read the rest of this entry »
‘30 Great Wines from the Languedoc-Roussillon’ tasting: La Peira tops the Languedoc in Neal Martin’s Wine Advocate & The Wine Gang’s notes
December 14, 2009 by lapeira
Vendanges 2009 : After our first year of the wines being available. Further Harvest 2009 photos on Flickr
‘30 Great Wines from the Languedoc-Roussillon, The Experts’ Choice’
In September of this year, Sud de France, the promotional body for the Languedoc-Roussillon held a tasting dubbed ‘30 Great Wines from the Languedoc-Roussillon, The Experts’ Choice’ at their London Cavendish Square branch – one of their worldwide Maisons de la Région.
Seeing off some tough competition, (Daumas Gassac, Grange de Peres, Mas Jullien, Peyre Rose, Château de la Négly) the La Peira 2006 was judged best red for both the Terrasses du Larzac and Coteaux du Languedoc appellations in both Neal Martin’s (Wine Advocate) and The Wine Gang’s notes from the tasting.
While The Wine Gang (Tim Atkin, Anthony Rose, Joanna Simon, Olly Smith and Tom Cannavan) seemed to be more positive overall in their assessments (in comparison to Neal Martin), the tasting provided a rare opportunity for UK tasters to try a wide variety of domaines from the region, and in some cases the chance to sample some (not so easy to find!) older vintages.
A selection (for the two appellations) from their tasting notes below.
Neal Martin’s full tasting notes (amongst many others) are on the Wine Advocate (Wine Journal) Site
The Wine Gang’s full tasting notes (amongst many others) are on The Wine Gang website.
Neal Martin’s Wine Advocate Tasting Notes for the Terrasses du Larzac and Coteaux du Languedoc
Tasting Notes
2008 Mas Daumas Gassac Vin de Pays de Hérault 86
Simple nose that to be frank, does not really say much, with just some faint hints of elderflower and pear. The palate is simple, quite elegant with touches of grapefruit, lime and pear, but I cannot help feeling that this is a little commercial, when I have encountered far superior vintages in the past. Drink now-2010. Tasted September 2009. Copyright © 2001-2009 – The Wine Advocate, Inc.
2006 Château de la Négly La Falaise 86
A very ripe, earthy bouquet, well defined with touches of singed leather and black pepper. The palate is ripe and rounded on the entry, smoky black fruit, a touch of sur-maturité towards the finish just marring the overall effect. Drink 2010-2013. Tasted September 2009. Copyright © 2001-2009 – The Wine Advocate, Inc.
2006 Château de la Négly La Côte 85
This is a little baked on the nose: touches of bacon fat and autumn bonfire lacing the super ripe, glossy black fruit. The palate is opulent, very ripe with a lot of glycerine. Kirsch, damson and a touch of white pepper on the fatty finish. So-so. Drink now. Tasted September 2009 Copyright © 2001-2009 – The Wine Advocate, Inc.
2003 Domaine Alain Chabanon Coteaux de Languedoc L’Esprit de Font Caude 87
A decent effort in a difficult vintage. A lifted nose of summer fruits, marmalade and honey complemented by a hint of dried apricot. The palate is full-bodied with bold tannins, earthy red-berried fruit with ginger and lemongrass, then turning unexpectedly t a more tannic, austere finish (and this is ’03???) Intriguing. Tasted September 2009. Copyright © 2001-2009 – The Wine Advocate, Inc.
2005 Domaine de Montcalmès Coteaux de Languedoc 88
This has a rather anonymous nose, despite some coaxing refusing to deliver except some scorched earth/smoky scents. The palate is more promising with clean, crisp red-berried fruit laced with garrigues, quite elegant and well crafted but somehow coming across as rather timid and disappears before we have a chance to become acquainted. Drink now-2010. Tasted September 2009. Copyright © 2001-2009 – The Wine Advocate, Inc.
2006 La Peira en Damaisela Coteaux de Languedoc 90+
This is an impressive wine and I think it will get even better. A lovely, joyful nose of blackberry, black olive tapenade and Provencal herbs that whisk you straight to the South of France. Ripe and tannic, surprisingly primal, tarry black fruit with an assertive, mouth-coating finish. This needs a little time to coalesce but I appreciate its hubris and extrovert personality. Drink 2010-2015. Tasted September 2009. Copyright © 2001-2009 – The Wine Advocate, Inc.
1993 Domaine Peyre Rose Coteaux de Languedoc Clos des Cistes 87
A mature, open-knit nose with roasted herbs, autumn bonfire, thyme, white fennel and a touch of fig. The palate is medium-bodied, probably approaching the end of its drinking plateau with smoked meats, white pepper and a touch of Chinese 5-spice towards the bittersweet finish. Moderate length. Softening up in the glass. Fine. Drink now. Tasted September 2009. Copyright © 2001-2009 – The Wine Advocate, Inc.
1998 Domaine Peyre Rose Coteaux de Languedoc Syrah Leone 85?
This has a very bretty, green pepper infuse nose that I dislike although the palate is better, quite sharp in acidity, bacon and smoke, lacking a little harmony. Wants to impress but difficult to love. Drink now. Tasted September 2009. Copyright © 2001-2009 – The Wine Advocate, Inc.
2001 Mas de l’Ecriture Coteaux de Languedoc l’Ecriture 89+
A simple, sous-bois nose with a black fruits, a hint of salami and tomato vine and…yes…a touch of Marmite! The palate is very nicely balanced with wild strawberry, plum and a tang of marmalade, quite weighty on the finish with grippy, rustic tannins and a touch of white pepper hanging around on the aftertaste. I actually think this will get better with just another couple of years bottle age. Tasted September 2009. Copyright © 2001-2009 – The Wine Advocate, Inc.
2005 Prieure St Jean de Bebian Coteaux de Languedoc 87
A light simply, slightly dusty nose with a touch of dried apricot. The palate is sweet and ripe on the entry with savoury, meaty notes; grippy tannins, a touch of sweaty saddle with a dry foursquare finish laced with Provencel herbs. Not bad, but expensive for what it is. Tasted September 2009. Copyright © 2001-2009 – The Wine Advocate, Inc.
2006 Domaine St Daumary Coteaux du Languedoc Asphodèle Pic St Loup 89
The Asphodèle Pic St Loup has an attractive nose with lush black plums, liquorices and a touch of melted tar, with just a touch of brett that merely adds, rather than detracts from its complexity. The palate has a rich ripe entry with chewy tannins, black plum, soy, roasted herbs and a touch of Hoi Sin. Compact finish suggests this would benefit from another year in bottle. Drink 2010-2015. Tasted September 2009. Copyright © 2001-2009 – The Wine Advocate, Inc.
2004 Domaine de la Grange des Peres Vin de Pays de l’Herault 88
This has a rather diffuse, leathery, earthy nose that is just a little loose-knit for my liking, but the palate is gutsy and stout, dry tannic structure, irony, very good weight on the finish. An uncompromising rustic Languedoc that is full of character, but yearns to be accompanied by some hearty cuisine. Drink now-2010. Tasted September 2009. Copyright © 2001-2009 – The Wine Advocate, Inc.
2001 Mas Jullien Coteaux du Languedoc 88
This has a leather, herbaceous nose with Asian spices, some ferrous elements developing with aeration. Medium-bodied palate with racy acidity, quite natural and fleshy with notes of sour cherry, game, damson, dried figs with a spicy, lively finish that is just a little pointed at the moment. Very fine. Drink now-2011. Tasted September 2009. Copyright © 2001-2009 – The Wine Advocate, Inc.
The Wine Gang Oct 2009 Languedoc-Roussillon, The Experts’ Choice Oct 2009
Billed as a tasting of 30 Great Wines from the Languedoc-Roussillon, ‘The Experts’ Choice’ , we selected our own favourites, and a few duds, from what was by and large an excellent showcase for the quality and style of wines, mostly red, but a smattering of whites too, of the South of France. The Wine Gang – www.thewinegang.com
Dry Reds
La Pèira La Pèira en Damaisela 2006 93/100
A very fine red. This powerfully built spicy red from Rob Dougan, Karine Ahton and Jérémie Depierre is dark in colour, big, rich and smoky in its aromas, and packed with powerful concentrated blackberry and plum fruitiness; the backbone is firm and serious, the oak polished, the chewiness of the tannins indicating that food definitely needs to be on the agenda here. The Wine Gang – www.thewinegang.com
Prieuré St Jean de Bébian Prieuré St Jean de Bébian 2006 93/100
Prieuré St Jean de Bébian has long been one of the great names of the Languedoc and under the stewardship of former wine writer Chantal Lecouty and Jean Claude Le Brun, it reached new heights of quality before it was sold this year to the Russian tycoon with a porn star name, Dmitriy Pumpyanski. It is unquestionably a sexy wine, with its aromatic notes of fennel and anis, a fine, intensely flavoured and concentrated blend of black fruit flavours and garrigue herb, its silky tannins finely balanced by fresh acidity. The Wine Gang – www.thewinegang.com
Domaine Peyre Rose Clos des Cistes 1993 92/100
While Domaine Peyre Rose’s more farmyardy, younger 1998 Clos Syrah Leone showed less well at this tasting, this red from former estate agent Marlène Soria is remarkable for its age. With its smoky, evolved, slightly earthy undertones, the fruit is sweet and cherryish, the tannins silky smooth and although it’s slightly drying now, there’s enough complexity of evolved flavour here to make this a really intriguing red. The Wine Gang – www.thewinegang.com
Domaine de la Grange des Pères Rouge 2004 92/100
To call Laurent Vaillé a star of the Languedoc is almost an understatement such has been his contribution to the more elegant side of Languedoc’s reds since he started up on virgin territory in 1982, a stone’s throw from Mas de Daumas Gassac, no doubt much to Aimé Guibert’s irritation. This blend has a lovely raspberryish fragrance and juicy soft summer pudding fruits in abundance, its elegant, almost Pinot Noir-like silkiness suffused with spice and a lovely clarity of fruit quality. The Wine Gang – www.thewinegang.com
Mas de l’Ecriture L’Ecriture 2001 92/100
Made by the meticulous Pascal Fulla, from a blend of Grenache, Syrah, Carignan and Cinsault, each variety vinified separately, and often also aged in different types of oak, this is a still youthful blend despite its age, showing aromatic bright cherry and smoky bacon oak spice, juicy ripe cherry and mulberry fruit with supple textured tannins and deceptive concentration because of the elegant overall balance. The Wine Gang – www.thewinegang.com
Domaine de Montcalmès Montcalmès 2004 91/100
Frédéric Portalié, who worked at Les Granges des Pères, and it shows, is a winemaker who strives above all for elegance and this wine is a classic example, almost a Pinot Noir in the Languedoc with its fragrant cherryish perfume and the voluptuous curves of its supple sweet cherry and strawberry fruit, finely balanced by fresh acidity, showing the hand of a truly gifted winemaker. Not for fans of Parker-esque reds. The Wine Gang – www.thewinegang.com
Domaine St Daumary L’Asphodèle 2007 90/100
Dark in colour, this richly fruited Syrah, Grenache and Mourvèdre blend from Julien Chapel, in transition to organic viticulture near Pic Saint Loup, is made in the modern style, showing nicely polished vanillin oak with dark mulberry and blackberry fruit richness, powerful alcohol and a firm backbone of tannins. The Wine Gang – www.thewinegang.com
Domaine Alain Chabanon L’Esprit de Font Caude 2003 89/100
There’s no doubt that Alain Chabanon is one of the Languedoc’s star winemakers, and this blend from his 20 hectares of vines near Montpeyroux with its kirsch cherry aromas and voluptuous sweet cherry and strawberry fruit, mineral fresh finish and nicely polished with a thin veneer of oak shows why. With its firm, dry tannins, a product of the scorching heat of the 2003 vintage, it needs food. The Wine Gang – www.thewinegang.com
Clos Marie Métairies du Clos 2006 89/100
There’s a strong, pungently oak side to the aromas of this well-made Pic St Loup red from Christophe Peyrus and Françoise Julien, whose family used to send the grapes to the local co-op. Biodynamic since 1992, it’s a source of excellent reds like this blend made in a modern style, with plenty of oaky maraschino cherry fruit sweetness, power and concentration, if a tad on the oaky side and chunky on the finish. The Wine Gang – www.thewinegang.com
Château de la Negly La Falaise 2006 87/100
This is a pleasingly approachable red from Négly , which also produces some very expensive, low-yielding reds from its clifftop vineyards near la Clape; this one may not have quite the stuffing of its grander counterparts but with its garrigue notes and supple, spicy fruit plus a twist of bittersweet chocolate, it finishes with nice fresh and juicy acidity. The Wine Gang – www.thewinegang.com
Dry Whites
Mas de Daumas Gassac Blanc 2008 92/100
This Languedoc blend from the renowned Aimé Guibert, a man never slow to blow his own trumpet, is an exceptionally good dry white, a beautiful ripe, apple and Poire Williams blend in which the apple, peach and pear fruit is deliciously fresh and zingy but rich too, with juicy tropical citrusy acidity and barely perceptible, poised oak. The Wine Gang – www.thewinegang.com
Andrew Jefford’s Financial Times article on the Terrasses du Larzac appellation and La Peira
August 11, 2009 by lapeiraTerrasses du Larzac, Mondavi, Daumas Gassac, Grange des Peres, La Peira, great domaines from the appellation…
A really worthwhile article in the Financial Times by Andrew Jefford, looking at the Terrasses du Larzac appellation, the Mondavi’s venture at Aniane, great domaines such as Mas de l’Ecriture, Château de Jonquières, Causse d’Arboras, Domaine La Sauvageonne, Mas Jullien, Mas de Daumas Gassac, Grange des Pères, and other excellent domaines of the appellation.
La Peira: David Schildknecht’s Wine Advocate Reviews 2005-2007
July 12, 2009 by lapeiraDavid Schildknecht’s Wine Advocate reviews 2005-2007
From Regional Article
On regional stylistic differences:
“And among the very greatest wines of the Languedoc are to be found some of the starkest contrasts. Mas Jullien and La Pèira en Damaisèla inhabit the same neighborhood, but different stylistic worlds; Peyre Rose and Clos la Truffiers stand less than a mile, yet poles apart.”
On Cinsault and Carignan:
“Any authorities or growers who doubt these grape varieties’ quality potential need to check out the results at D’Aupilhac, Mas Conscience, L’Oustal Blanc, La Péira en Damaisèla, and others lauded in this report.”
2007
2007 La Peira Terrasses du Larzac (95-96)
Consisting of 68% Syrah with correspondingly small amounts of Grenache and Mourvedre, the seductive 2007 Coteaux du Languedoc Terrasses du Larzac La Peira adds violets and white truffle to the lilies present in the Las Flors, and the fruit shifts into a low register, with cassis, blackberry, and purple plum informing a thickly-rich, decadently sumptuous palate. Here, too, there is a hidden source of energy that conveys lift to the finish and keeps the wine from seeming at all over-ripe. Nor is there even a hint of heat in a finish of astonishing richness and sheer length, with floral perfume hanging in all the way to a reverberating, bitter-sweet, multifaceted finish.
This wine will ring changes on your palate for a decade, I predict, and will enter that select – though rapidly expanding – elite of Languedoc wines that need not fear comparison with any of the world’s wine icons. (David Schildknecht Wine Advocate June 2009)
La Peira 2007 PDF Copyright 2009, The Wine Advocate, Inc. Reprinted with permission
2007 Las Flors de la Peira Terrasses du Larzac (93-94)
The 2007 Coteaux du Languedoc Terrasses du Larzac Las Flors de la Peira is around 40% each Syrah and Grenache, with the rest Mourvedre, but what Mourvedre it is! Harvested only in late October, that component of this wine displayed the variety’s archetypal chocolate, bay laurel, and raw meat, and for all of its alcohol, remained juicy and bright. It would have made a gorgeous bottling on its own, but the synergies in this blend are even more formidable. Coconut, lily, marzipan, black raspberry with high-toned distilled fruit notes all pour from the glass. Chocolate richness and an amazingly vivid sense of decadently-sweet inner-mouth floral perfume inform a creamy-textured, liqueur-like palate. A reservoir of fresh black fruits flows into this rich lake from somewhere, preserving vivacity and a sense of sheer refreshment, while saline and chalky notes creep into the long finish, enhancing a sense of cool complexity that helps ward off the slight sense of heat from analytically high alcohol.
This beauty strikes me as likely to benefit from at least 6-8 years in bottle. (David Schildknecht Wine Advocate June 2009)
Las Flors de la Peira 2007 PDF Copyright 2009, The Wine Advocate, Inc. Reprinted with permission
2007 Obriers de la Peira (91-92)
In my fantasy world where the authorities require every Languedoc vigneron to protect some old Cinsault and Carignan vines, they should all be required as well to taste La Peira’s 2007 Les Obriers de la Peira, or any other vintage of this remarkable blend of two parts Cinsault and one of Carignan. Production has already “ramped up” to over one thousand cases, or a bit more than the combined production of the estate’s other three cuvees. That said, the yields permitted these old vines (to say nothing of those that inform the other bottlings at this estate) would stop most growers dead in their tracks. This could be called “almonds (Cinsault) meet walnuts (Carignan)”and the nutty, toasty, richness is enhanced by fermentation and aging in young oaken uprights (whence I tasted it, with a small component from barriques having been added). To be sure, dark cherry and blackberry abound here too, along with hints of mint.
Silky smooth and seductively palate-coating, enormously ripe to the point of resembling a liqueur, yet with its alcohol hidden and with a bright, vivacious core of fresh fruit, this will be irresistible on release, but who knows how many years it might go on delivering pleasure? (David Schildknecht Wine Advocate June 2009)
Obriers de la Peira 2007 PDF Copyright 2009, The Wine Advocate, Inc. Reprinted with permission
2006
2006 La Peira Terrasses du Larzac 95
Mocha, honey, cassis, lightly-cooked cherry, and iris inform the strikingly bitter-sweet and complex 2006 Coteaux du Languedoc Terrasses du Larzac La Peira. Its confectionary hints as well as its ultra-polished texture suggest butter cream on the palate, with bitter-sweet floral perfume wafting throughout, and the same reservoir of fresh-fruit juiciness that is retained by all of the wines in this collection. The lift and refinement surpass the already in those respects remarkable Las Flores, although this cuvee is slightly less enveloping in its richness.
A shimmering, crystalline sense of minerality here is no less remarkable for being illusive, and is in distinct contrast with the chalky manifestations found in the 2007 (David Schildknecht Wine Advocate June 2009)
La Peira 2006 PDF Copyright 2009, The Wine Advocate, Inc. Reprinted with permission
2006 Las Flors de la Peira Terrasses du Larzac 94
The 2006 Coteaux du Languedoc Terrasses du Larzac Las Flors de la Peira – with a bit more Grenache and correspondingly less Syrah than its 2007 counterpart – displays a simultaneously ravishing and decadent nose of fading lilies, iris, candied black fruits, mint chocolate, resin, and baking spices. Chalky, stony foundations under-gird the chocolate-drenched and spice-dusted black fruits on the palate, and an inner mouth floral profusion persists right though to a superbly soothing finish. In both perfume and its cocoa-powder richness and velvet texture, this puts me in mind of a great Pomerol. For as far-gone on sheer ripeness and decadence as it is, this retains a wonderful sense of lift and elegance.
Here is further proof (in a dramatically different style from Olivier Jullien’s wine) that 2006 was especially favored in this sector of the Terrasses du Larzac, and certainly this wine bids fair to evolve fascinatingly for at least a decade. (David Schildknecht Wine Advocate June 2009)
Las Flors de La Peira 2006 PDF Copyright 2009, The Wine Advocate, Inc. Reprinted with permission
2006 Obriers de la Peira Terrasses du Larzac 90
The 2006 Les Obriers de la Peira smells of lightly cooked cherry, toasted nuts and marjoram. Less polished and complex, but with great purity of fruit, and every bit as exuberant and refreshing as the 2007, this still retains a sense of low-toned richness, with walnut oil and chocolate that become more prominent in the finish.
Certainly it will be worth following for a few years, even though intended for – and quite capable of – being enjoyed right away. (David Schildknecht Wine Advocate June 2009)
Obriers de la Peira 2006 PDF Copyright 2009, The Wine Advocate, Inc. Reprinted with permission
(Note: Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate review of the same wine is below)
2006 Obriers de la Peira Terrasses du Larzac 93
Although this blend of 65% Cinsault and 35% Carignan is not from the Rhone Valley, since my colleague, David Schildknecht, has not had an opportunity to taste it, it’s included here. This estate aims to rival the great Negly for making the top wines in Languedoc, and this 2006 is their introductory offering. Falling somewhere between a great Cote Rotie and a top-notch Hermitage, it boasts a dense purple color along with a super-ripe nose of blackberries, cassis, charcoal, wood smoke, and spice.
Beautifully textured, full-bodied, and opulent, it is a stunning example of what can be accomplished in this backwater appellation. Drink it over the next 5-7 years.(Robert Parker Wine Advocate August 2008)
Obriers de la Peira 2006 PDF Copyright 2009, The Wine Advocate, Inc. Reprinted with permission
2006 Deusyls 92
While reflecting an annual production of only 1,000 bottles, the 2006 Deusyls de la Peira – a blend of Viognier with one-third Roussane –demonstrates that the striking potential of this site and its talented team extends to white wine. Pungent notes of lime, tangerine, pepper, narcissus, and acacia tweak the nose. On the palate, the juxtaposition of creamy richness of texture with zesty pungency and fresh citrus is striking and readily enticing of the next sip. The oily and pit-fruited aspects of Viognier are absent here but (at least for this taster!) not missed. While this spent nearly two years feeding from its lees in barrel, they were not stirred. Lift, refinement, and clarity mark a finish that is like very subtly-bitter liquid floral perfume.
Is it at its best now? Who can know? But it is significantly more impressive than when tasted a year ago and before bottling. (David Schildknecht Wine Advocate June 2009)
Deusyls de la Peira 2006 PDF Copyright 2009, The Wine Advocate, Inc. Reprinted with permission
2005
2005 la Peira Terrasses du Larzac 93
Mace, mint, black pepper, resin, baked black fruits, and a hint of roasted meat rise from the glass of 2005 Coteaux du Languedoc Terrasses du Larzac La Peira. Saline, stony, chalky, and iodine-like mineral suggestions lend added dimension to the rich, spiced, chocolate-dipped berry fruits, yet as with all of the wines from this estate, a measure of levity and juicy core of fresh fruit acids remains.
This doesn’t display the floral dimension that makes so many of the other wines at this address especially striking, but it nearly makes up for that in sheer opulence, and will almost surely be worth following for a half dozen more years, during which it may assert itself vis-a-vis the very different Las Flors. (David Schildknecht Wine Advocate June 2009)
La Peira 2005 PDF Copyright 2009, The Wine Advocate, Inc. Reprinted with permission
2005 Las Flors de la Peira Terrasses du Larzac 93
Continuing to explore Right-Bank Bordeaux allusions, the 2005 Coteaux du Languedoc Terrasses du Larzac Las Flors de la Peira displays a Cabernet Franc-like combination of gardenia, machine oil, and crushed stone to accompany its abundance of black fruits, toasted nuts, and chocolate. With terrific richness on the palate, like a mingling of nut paste and fruit preserves, this incorporates a roasted meat dimension that was there already 18 months ago, but does not (yet, at least) have a carnal counterpart in any of the younger wines from this cellar. Suggestions of caramel enhance the sweet, baked sense of dark, rich fruit, yet an element of sappy refreshment and levity carries into its long finish. Prior to bottling, I under-estimated this wine’s potential.
It represents an impressive performance in the context of its vintage – not to mention for an inaugural wine –and should be worth following for at least 3-5 more years, although obviously with a new project, only time will truly tell. (David Schildknecht Wine Advocate June 2009)
Las Flors de la Peira 2005 PDF Copyright 2009, The Wine Advocate, Inc. Reprinted with permission
2005 Obriers de la Peira Terrasses du Larzac 92
The 2005 Les Obriers de la Peira offers perfectly ripe, bright-edged cherry and blackberry with a rich dusting of cocoa powder and piquant walnut and pungent herbal accents. The blend here is the same as in subsequent vintages, but the hot, stressful ripening season seems to have slightly diminished the efficacy of the Cinsault, and brought-up the characteristics of Carignan in spades. This finishes with terrific tenacity and richness, as well as with peat, fruit pit, and sheer crushed stone suggestions that add depth and complexity. It tastes significantly better today than it did a year ago, and I wouldn’t doubt it will be worth following for at least several more years.
Furthermore, at its price, it represents an amazing value which I cannot imagine any wine lover not wishing to buy as much of as he or she could and to follow in bottle. Too bad only 447 cases were bottled, but production more than doubled with the 2006. (David Schildknecht Wine Advocate June 2009)
Obriers de la Peira 2005 PDF Copyright 2009, The Wine Advocate, Inc. Reprinted with permission
Property Notes:
La Peira en Damaisela is the property of London-based composer Robert Dougan, located between Jonquieres and Aniane, on two adjacent parcels of no known previous distinction, but to which in 2004 instinct led him either with remarkable prescience or remarkable luck.
The deep alluvial fan that is the basis for this site is only barely tilted, as it might be in St. Helena or Rutherford, St.-Estephe or Pomerol … and these comparisons will not seem inapt once you experience the quality of La Peira’s wines. Claude Gros (of Chateau de Negly fame) consults here, expense seems not to have been spared on a new facility (with, of course, lots of new barrels), and Bordeaux-trained Jeremie Depierre is the hands-on (or, as I am sure he and Dougan would prefer me to put it “hands-off”) winemaker. New barrels of 500-600 liter capacity are favored here, incidentally, rather than classic (225 liter) barriques. I had the good fortune to taste the La Peira cuvees of 2005 and 2006 in late 2007 – before any wines had been released – and again this past December, when I tasted the extraordinary 2007s here for the first time. As this report goes to press, the first of the three red bottlings is about to be released in its 2007 rendition, but neither of the two other red cuvees from the 2006 vintage although all three were bottled at around 20-22 months has even been released yet. (David Schildknecht Wine Advocate June 2009)
Importer: Eric Solomon Selections, Charlotte, NC; tel. (704) 358-1565
David Schildknecht’s complete reviews and regional articles on the Languedoc & the Roussilion in Issue #183 of the Wine Advocate can he found here.
Berry Bros & Rudd Cellar Notes courtesy of Simon Field MW can be found here.
Gary Vaynerchuk’s Wine Library reviews can be found here.
Andrew Jefford’s look at the domaine and the Terrasses du Larzac appellation can be found here and here.
Film: An Introduction to La Peira
June 30, 2009 by lapeiraAn Introduction to La Peira
Video doesn’t work? Too small? A larger-sized Quicktime version can be found here
This little film above looks at the domaine’s beginning, and its progress so far. A recap perhaps…
With some key reviews in the past by Andrew Jefford, Robert Parker, Gary Vaynerchuk, and Kyle Meyer in publications such as the Wine Advocate, The World of Fine Wine, Wine Library TV, The Winery Channel, and Decanter magazine.
Related: Reviews / Articles mentioned
Gary Vaynerchuck / Wine Library Reviews
Andrew Jefford’s World of Fine Wine Article / Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate Reviews
Berry Bros & Rudd Cellar Notes on the Wines: Here (& Simon Field MW’s BBR General Notes Here)
Andrew Jefford’s Decanter article on the Terrasses du Larzac
Kyle Meyer’s (Winery Channel) look at La Peira and his Wine Exchange Reviews Here
Gary Vaynerchuk & Ian Dorin (Wine Library) and Enrique Ibañez (IPO Wines) visit La Pèira
Related: A little more about our beginning
Our colleague Jérémie Depierre turns 30 today
(on the OpenWineConsortium – registration necessary it seems)
From Aniane to Jonquieres… (Our move from our first home)
Related: Miscellaneous
- An interesting debate re: Michel Bettane’s (one of France’s leading wine critics) views above has sprung up on Jean-Luc Thunevin’s site (of Roussillon’s Calvet-Thunevin) here -
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Fields, Morris & Verdin’s John Hutton profile in the FT mentions La Peira
June 30, 2009 by lapeira
Fields, Morris & Verdin’s John Hutton profile in the Financial Times
Subtitled Advising restaurateurs on their wine lists Nicholas Lander’s interesting profile in this Weekend’s Financial Times had us wanting to visit Mark Hix’s Oyster and Chop House in Smithfield, London and start with a Sophia Sling – a White port and tonic concoction…
Very decent of him to order a bottle of our Obriers to share over lunch..
Click on image above for the article
(or it can be found on the Financial Times website here)
La Peira | Video | Spring work | On the Vineyard and in the Winery | Terrasses du Larzac
June 3, 2009 by lapeiraAnd Ascent of Mont Baudile …
Video doesn’t work? A larger-sized quicktime version can he found here
Maybe a good idea anyway as the size above is quite small. This is part of a series we hope to update looking at the work in the vineyard and chai as it progresses during 2009.
You can subscribe to updates as we progress through the year at La Peira on Itunes here
Any comments or suggestions, or anything you’d like to see, do tell us!
One of the fossilised shells (in this case an Oyster shell) as referred to in the soil section of the video above
Other videos -
Last day of Harvest 05 | Mourvèdre | Las Flors de la Peira Wine | Old chai near Aniane
Kyle Meyer (Wine Exchange) Looks La Peira
Obriers reception at the old chai – Harvest 2005
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Marquis Wine Cellars brings La Peira to Canada with the words “Superstar winery in the making!”
May 7, 2009 by lapeira
La Peira in Canada…Took a while but we finally got there…
For quite some time we pestered John Clerides, owner of Marquis Wine Cellars, about the wines.
He’s a busy man, and evidently tough to please (as this video showing his look at the 2008 vintage in Bordeaux proves), but finally we got there.
The upshot is that a limited amount of the wines listed below are available in Canada for the first time, and we are delighted about that.
And big thank you to Jon Ellison as well for all his help!
They have a few other interesting new arrivals from our region as well.
The Mas des Dames 2005 (website) , some Canet Vallete from St. Chinian (website), and, of course, some great wines from Chateau de la Negly (the La Falaise 06, La Porte du Ciel 05, and Clos des Truffiers 04)
We are really looking forward to hearing from John and all at Marquis as to how the wines have been received.
Marquis Wine Cellars
”Marquis Wine Cellars is arguably the best purveyor of legendary French wines, John Clerides squeezes as many bottles as he can out of the producer for his discerning customers” (Georgia Straight)
Click here to visit
List of Wines available
La Pèira, Terrasses du Larzac, Languedoc, France – Superstar winery in the making!
2005 Terrasses du Larzac ‘Obriers’ – $28.90
2005 VDP l’Herault ‘Deusyls’ Blanc – $49.90
2005 Terrasses du Larzac ‘Las Flors’ – $49.90
2005 Terrasses du Larzac ‘La Pèira’ – $114.90
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