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2016 Pic Saint Loup Rouge “Sainte Agnès”
Ermitage du Pic Saint LoupBiodynamic agriculture may seem like voodoo medicine to some, but few are more convinced of its worth than the three Ravaille brothers, who farm the limestone slopes around Pic Saint Loup in the Languedoc. Since beginning the conversion to biodynamics in 1999, the Ravailles have been quick to sing the praises of this philosophy—homeopathic remedies for vines, if you will. According to cellar master Pierre Ravaille, biodynamics brought noticeable improvements to vineyard health and overall quality within years. Here is a red to support that claim, a blend of mainly Syrah and Grenache from high altitude on poor, thin, rocky soil. Its mystical perfume evokes wild blackberries, smoke, spice, and olive brine in a chewy, mineral-driven expression of this underrated southern French terroir. Drinkable now, it is also a great bargain cellar candidate, and an excellent ambassador for biodynamic viticulture.
—Anthony Lynch
Wine Type: | red |
Vintage: | 2016 |
Bottle Size: | 750mL |
Blend: | 50% Syrah, 40% Grenache, 10% Mourvèdre |
Appellation: | Languedoc Pic Saint Loup |
Country: | France |
Region: | Languedoc-Roussillon |
Producer: | Ermitage du Pic Saint Loup |
Winemaker: | Xavier, Pierre, and Jean-Marc Ravaille |
Vineyard: | 40 – 50 years, 10 ha |
Soil: | Limestone |
Aging: | Aged for 12 months |
Farming: | Biodynamic (practicing) |
Alcohol: | 14% |
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About The Producer
Ermitage du Pic Saint Loup
About The Region
Languedoc-Roussillon
Ask wine drinkers around the world, and the word “Languedoc” is sure to elicit mixed reactions. On the one hand, the region is still strongly tied to its past as a producer of cheap, insipid bulk wine in the eyes of many consumers. On the other hand, it is the source of countless great values providing affordable everyday pleasure, with an increasing number of higher-end wines capable of rivaling the best from other parts of France.
While there’s no denying the Languedoc’s checkered history, the last two decades have seen a noticeable shift to fine wine, with an emphasis on terroir. Ambitious growers have sought out vineyard sites with poor, well draining soils in hilly zones, curbed back on irrigation and the use of synthetic fertilizers and pesticides, and looked to balance traditional production methods with technological advancements to craft wines with elegance, balance, and a clear sense of place. Today, the overall quality and variety of wines being made in the Languedoc is as high as ever.
Shaped like a crescent hugging the Mediterranean coast, the region boasts an enormous variety of soil types and microclimates depending on elevation, exposition, and relative distance from the coastline and the cooler foothills farther inland. While the warm Mediterranean climate is conducive to the production of reds, there are world-class whites and rosés to be found as well, along with stunning dessert wines revered by connoisseurs for centuries.
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Where the newsletter started
Where the newsletter started
Every three or four months I would send my clients a cheaply made list of my inventory, but it began to dawn on me that business did not pick up afterwards. It occurred to me that my clientele might not know what Château Grillet is, either. One month in 1974 I had an especially esoteric collection of wines arriving, so I decided to put a short explanation about each wine into my price list, to try and let my clients know what to expect when they uncorked a bottle. The day after I mailed that brochure, people showed up at the shop, and that is how these little propaganda pieces for fine wine were born.—Kermit Lynch