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2009-01-18 - Clos Marie, Pic Saint Loup

TO BUY

Clos Marie, L’Olivette, Pic Saint Loup, AC Coteaux de Languedoc 2005

from Le Caveau, Kilkenny; selected wine shops; and lecaveau.ie (89)

Context is everything. In the past, I have found myself tasting in the Languedoc during February and October, and freezing in the process. On those occasions Pic Saint Loup and coastal Languedoc have been the locations, so now, whenever I see the words ‘Pic Saint Loup’, I start to shiver.

In fact, this chill does impact on the region’s wines, with cool autumns giving them a vague austerity and conservative fruit profile. This is serious Rhóne varietal stuff – grenache, syrah and mourve’dre, the grapes of Chateauneuf, here with a more savoury black character. The liquorice and tar are here, in a softer form, so you get a Chateauneuf-like offering at half the price with an unexpected savoury edge. An intriguing, well-priced offering.