Notify me
2020 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: | 2020 |
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
Banyuls “Reserva”
France | Languedoc-Roussillon
You will be surprised how well this dessert wine will pair with toasted almonds, bleu cheese or nice dark chocolate.
2021 Saint-Chinian Blanc
France | Languedoc-Roussillon
Showcasing impressive texture and flavors of citrus, stone fruit, and spring flowers, this offers a great pairing for grilled fish or seared scallops.
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.
2019 Languedoc Montpeyroux Rouge “Les Cocalières”
France | Languedoc-Roussillon
Fadat’s bottlings from this terroir have proven to be among the most complex and elegant wines of southern France.
Vin de Pays Memoire “d’Automnes”
France | Languedoc-Roussillon
With its aromas of toasted almonds and butterscotch, the resulting bone-dry wine is nothing short of enthralling.
2021 Saint-Chinian Blanc “Montmajou”
France | Languedoc-Roussillon
** New Wine Added ** The Jurassic limestone soil and high elevation lieu-dit where the name “Montmajou” springs from lend this blanc a lean elegance.
2022 Collioure Blanc “Les Canadells”
France | Languedoc-Roussillon
Grenache (gris and blanc) gives this cuvée impressive body and grip while Vermentino and Macabeu lend it freshness and lift
2022 Pic Saint Loup Rouge
France | Languedoc-Roussillon
There is something timeless to La Roque’s Pic Saint Loup, its herbal bouquet and rich, fleshy texture, all free from any hint of modern trappings.
2022 Vin de France Blanc “L'Estrade”
France | Languedoc-Roussillon
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.
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.
More from Languedoc-Roussillon or France
2022 Pic Saint Loup Rosé
Héritage du Pic Saint Loup France | Languedoc-Roussillon
2022 Languedoc Blanc “Cuvée Sainte Agnès”
Héritage du Pic Saint Loup France | Languedoc-Roussillon
2019 Corbières Rouge “Campagnès”
Maxime Magnon France | Languedoc-Roussillon
2021 Corbières Blanc
“La Bégou”
Maxime Magnon France | Languedoc-Roussillon
2022 Vin de France Blanc “L'Estrade”
Maxime Magnon France | Languedoc-Roussillon
Vin de Pays Memoire “d’Automnes”
Domaine La Tour Vieille France | Languedoc-Roussillon
2022 Pic Saint Loup Rouge
Château La Roque France | Languedoc-Roussillon
2022 Pic Saint Loup “Tour de Pierres”
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
2021 Saint-Chinian Blanc “Montmajou”
Les Eminades France | Languedoc-Roussillon
2022 Pic Saint-Loup Rosé
Château La Roque France | Languedoc-Roussillon
2022 Pic Saint Loup Rosé
Héritage du Pic Saint Loup France | Languedoc-Roussillon
2022 Languedoc Blanc “Cuvée Sainte Agnès”
Héritage du Pic Saint Loup France | Languedoc-Roussillon
2019 Corbières Rouge “Campagnès”
Maxime Magnon France | Languedoc-Roussillon
2021 Corbières Blanc
“La Bégou”
Maxime Magnon France | Languedoc-Roussillon
2022 Vin de France Blanc “L'Estrade”
Maxime Magnon France | Languedoc-Roussillon
Vin de Pays Memoire “d’Automnes”
Domaine La Tour Vieille France | Languedoc-Roussillon
2022 Pic Saint Loup Rouge
Château La Roque France | Languedoc-Roussillon
2022 Pic Saint Loup “Tour de Pierres”
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
2021 Saint-Chinian Blanc “Montmajou”
Les Eminades France | Languedoc-Roussillon
2022 Pic Saint-Loup Rosé
Château La Roque France | Languedoc-Roussillon
Kermit once said...
Kermit once said...
I want you to realize once and for all: Even the winemaker does not know what aging is going to do to a new vintage; Robert Parker does not know; I do not know. We all make educated (hopefully) guesses about what the future will bring, but guesses they are. And one of the pleasures of a wine cellar is the opportunity it provides for you to witness the evolution of your various selections. Living wines have ups and downs just as people do, periods of glory and dog days, too. If wine did not remind me of real life, I would not care about it so much.
Inspiring Thirst, page 171