2012 Domaine de L’ Hortus “Grande Cuvee” Pic Saint Loup, Languedoc-Roussillon, France.
It was a pleasure to taste the L’ Hortus wines with Yves Orliac, who was visiting recently, and while all the wines were really deserving of attention, I fell for the Grande Cuvee the hardest. This area of the Languedoc, not far from Montpellier, is a a bit higher up and cooler in climate than you might expect, it is great Syrah country and the rocky soils really add to the complexity, and this 2012, based on Syrah, is lovely and vibrant wine with deep layers and a dose of spice and garrigue, it reminds me of Chateau du Saint-Cosme’s Syrah based wines, and that is a good thing, it shows verve, style and length. The 2012 Orliac Domaine de L’ Hortus Grande Cuvee Pic Saint Loup starts with crushed violets, flinty earth, pepper and black raspberry coulis leading to a rich and vigorous palate of blackberry, boysenberry, plum and currant fruits along with black olives, peppercorns, lavender and a hint of kirsch, this dark hued red finishes with lingering minty herb, saline, fig paste, strawberry and black licorice. This is very impressive stuff, focused, serious and vital with plenty of pleasure and interest to keep your attention, drink from 2015 to 2020.
($30 Est.) 93 Points, grapelive