2019 Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi Classico Superiore “Capovolto”La Marca di San Michele
Italy | Le Marche
$27
Producers
The northernmost, coolest appellation of the Languedoc, Pic-Saint-Loup has all the makings of an exceptional terroir for rosé. Its rocky calcareous slopes, covered in garrigue and wild pine forest, reach altitudes that favor vivid fruit and a crackling freshness in wines of all three colors. The Ravaille brothers of Ermitage du Pic Saint Loup, who have practiced biodynamics for more than twenty years, steer far from commercial considerations with their rosé, as its deep color attests. Its intense aromatics brazenly translate the Pic’s rugged nature, and an almost chewable minerality brings to mind slabs of shattered limestone incarnated as energy, drive, and uncommon length on the palate.
—Anthony Lynch
Wine Type: | Rosé |
Vintage: | 2020 |
Bottle Size: | 750mL |
Blend: | 40% Syrah, 30% Mourvèdre, 20% Grenache, 10% Cinsault |
Appellation: | Pic Saint Loup |
Country: | France |
Region: | Languedoc-Roussillon |
Producer: | Ermitage du Pic Saint Loup |
Winemaker: | Xavier, Pierre, and Jean-Marc Ravaille |
Vineyard: | 10 – 50 years, 4 ha |
Soil: | Red Clay, Marly Limestone |
Farming: | Biodynamic (practicing) |
Alcohol: | 13.5% |
Ermitage du Pic Saint Loup France | Languedoc-Roussillon | Languedoc
Ermitage du Pic Saint Loup France | Languedoc-Roussillon | Pic Saint Loup
Ermitage du Pic Saint Loup France | Languedoc-Roussillon | Pic Saint Loup
Domaine La Tour Vieille France | Languedoc-Roussillon | Collioure
Maxime Magnon France | Languedoc-Roussillon | Corbières
Domaine Les Mille Vignes France | Languedoc-Roussillon | Fitou
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.
Domaine d’Aupilhac France | Languedoc-Roussillon | Languedoc
Château Fontanès France | Languedoc-Roussillon | Vin de Pays d’Oc
Ludovic Engelvin France | Languedoc-Roussillon | Gard
Domaine Les Mille Vignes France | Languedoc-Roussillon | Vin de Pay de l’Aude
Mas Champart France | Languedoc-Roussillon | Saint-Chinian
Domaine de Fontsainte France | Languedoc-Roussillon | Corbières
Mas Champart France | Languedoc-Roussillon | Saint-Chinian
Domaine d’Aupilhac France | Languedoc-Roussillon | Vin de Pays de Mont Baudile
Domaine Leon Barral France | Languedoc-Roussillon | Faugères
Ermitage du Pic Saint Loup France | Languedoc-Roussillon | Pic Saint Loup
Domaine d’Aupilhac France | Languedoc-Roussillon | Languedoc Montpeyroux
Domaine de Fontsainte France | Languedoc-Roussillon | Corbières
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
Drinking distilled spirits, beer, coolers, wine and other alcoholic beverages may increase cancer risk, and, during pregnancy, can cause birth defects. For more information go to www.P65Warnings.ca.gov/alcohol
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