Notify me
2019 Pic Saint Loup Rouge “Sainte Agnès”
Ermitage du Pic Saint LoupI’ve said it before, and it bears repeating: Pic Saint Loup is perhaps the most underrated and undervalued appellation in all of France. Just as the Pic itself dramatically rises above the Languedocien landscape, its sheer façades culminating in a majestic limestone summit, the wines here benefit from an exceptional terroir that allows them to tower over the region’s sea of vin ordinaire.
The three Ravaille brothers who make up Ermitage du Pic Saint Loup—Pierre, Jean-Marc, and Xavier—have gone to great lengths to reap the full potential from these stone-ridden slopes. Their conversion to biodynamics proved crucial, allowing for living soils better able to resist heat and drought, ultimately resulting in purer wines with lower alcohol and greater aromatic finesse. Farming some of the best vineyards in the appellation—cool, high-elevation sites littered with calcareous rubble—certainly doesn’t hurt, either.
Their Cuvée Sainte Agnès demonstrates the potential for wines of uncommon elegance in the Languedoc’s most temperate appellation. Syrah planted here shows a kinship with the northern Rhône, echoing aromas of black olive and violets found in bottles from Clape and Allemand the Ravailles fondly hold in their impressive personal cellar. Grenache and Mourvèdre fill out the blend to provide an appropriate Mediterranean soulfulness, but this bottling is more about restraint and perfume than bombastic fruit. Savory and floral, with bright accents of orange zest, it soars over the palate with grace and finishes with a freshness reminiscent of cool stone.
If a stunning 1999 opened at the domaine recently is any indication, the best wines from this appellation can go the distance and stand toe to toe with southern France’s finest reds. The Ravaille brothers’ Sainte Agnès is proof that it is time to start paying attention to Pic Saint Loup.
—Anthony Lynch
Wine Type: | red |
Vintage: | 2019 |
Bottle Size: | 750mL |
Blend: | 50% Syrah, 40% Grenache, 10% Mourvèdre |
Appellation: | 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 in foudres and barriques |
Farming: | Biodynamic (practicing) |
Alcohol: | 14% |
More from this Producer or Region
2021 Corbières Blanc“La Bégou”
France | Languedoc-Roussillon
Just different and obscure enough to deliver the thrill of introducing someone to a gorgeous wine that is familiar, but new.
2021 Languedoc Rouge “Lou Maset”
France | Languedoc-Roussillon
There is a strangely beautiful harmony between earth, sun, and man.
2022 Languedoc Blanc “Cuvée Sainte Agnès”
France | Languedoc-Roussillon
One of southern France’s truly amazing values in white wine.
2020 Vin de France “Le Carignan”
France | Languedoc-Roussillon
Old vines give this Carignan a supple, suede-like texture, along with loads of dark fruit, a peaty smokiness, and great minerality.
2020 Saint-Chinian Rouge “Clos de la Simonette”
France | Languedoc-Roussillon
A Mourvèdre-majority masterpiece, lots of pleasure and even more soul.
2020 Pic Saint Loup Rouge “Cupa Numismae”
France | Languedoc-Roussillon
It’s dense, noble, with grip and grit, the kind of cuvée that could generate a lot of awe and attention... and also a much higher price tag.
2022 Collioure Rouge “Puig Ambeille”
France | Languedoc-Roussillon
A stony, spicy cuvée full of Mediterranean sunshine, aromatic garrigue, and a hint of salinity that offers a perfect match for grilled rosemary lamb chops.
Cap de Creus “Ranci Sec”
France | Languedoc-Roussillon
Evaporation over time has concentrated the wine, giving it considerable strength to go with its trademark rancio aromas of walnuts and brine.
2022 Pays d’Oc Blanc “Les Traverses de Fontanès”
France | Languedoc-Roussillon
Melony, snappy, bright, and clean, this is a delightful everyday white with a refreshingly different flavor profile.
2020 Pic Saint Loup Rouge “Sainte Agnès”
France | Languedoc-Roussillon
Shows a kinship with the northern Rhône, echoing aromas of black olive and violets.
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.
More from Languedoc-Roussillon or France
2022 Corbières Rosé “Gris de Gris”
Domaine de Fontsainte France | Languedoc-Roussillon
2021 Monts de la Grage Blanc
Mas Champart France | Languedoc-Roussillon
2022 Languedoc Blanc
Château La Roque France | Languedoc-Roussillon
2020 Faugères “Jadis”
Leon Barral France | Languedoc-Roussillon
2022 Languedoc Blanc “Cuvée Sainte Agnès”
Héritage du Pic Saint Loup France | Languedoc-Roussillon
2020 Corbières “Rozeta”
Maxime Magnon France | Languedoc-Roussillon
Cap de Creus “Ranci Sec”
Domaine La Tour Vieille France | Languedoc-Roussillon
Banyuls “Reserva”
Domaine La Tour Vieille France | Languedoc-Roussillon
2021 Corbières Rouge “Réserve La Demoiselle”
Domaine de Fontsainte France | Languedoc-Roussillon
2022 Pic Saint-Loup Rouge
Château Fontanès France | Languedoc-Roussillon
2020 Gard Rouge “Clausus”
Ludovic Engelvin France | Languedoc-Roussillon
2019 Faugères “Jadis”
Domaine Leon Barral France | Languedoc-Roussillon
2022 Corbières Rosé “Gris de Gris”
Domaine de Fontsainte France | Languedoc-Roussillon
2021 Monts de la Grage Blanc
Mas Champart France | Languedoc-Roussillon
2022 Languedoc Blanc
Château La Roque France | Languedoc-Roussillon
2020 Faugères “Jadis”
Leon Barral France | Languedoc-Roussillon
2022 Languedoc Blanc “Cuvée Sainte Agnès”
Héritage du Pic Saint Loup France | Languedoc-Roussillon
2020 Corbières “Rozeta”
Maxime Magnon France | Languedoc-Roussillon
Cap de Creus “Ranci Sec”
Domaine La Tour Vieille France | Languedoc-Roussillon
Banyuls “Reserva”
Domaine La Tour Vieille France | Languedoc-Roussillon
2021 Corbières Rouge “Réserve La Demoiselle”
Domaine de Fontsainte France | Languedoc-Roussillon
2022 Pic Saint-Loup Rouge
Château Fontanès France | Languedoc-Roussillon
2020 Gard Rouge “Clausus”
Ludovic Engelvin France | Languedoc-Roussillon
2019 Faugères “Jadis”
Domaine Leon Barral France | Languedoc-Roussillon
Kermit once said...
Kermit once said...
If you're looking for value, look where no one else is looking.
Inspiring Thirst, page 211