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2021 Languedoc Blanc “Cuvée Sainte Agnès”
Ermitage du Pic Saint LoupHere’s one of those white wines that leave you wishing the south of France had planted more white grapes back in the day. This cuvée is the sole blanc of the estate, production is tiny, and the wine is gone in a flash. The new vintage is freshly arrived, so grab your chance to enjoy its smooth, round, southern texture, with an herbal, verbena, white fruit expression that is tough not to love. Perfect with a light chill on its own, or with small bites, Sainte Agnès serves as the ideal segue before you reach for a rounder rouge.
—Chris Santini
Wine Type: | white |
Vintage: | 2021 |
Bottle Size: | 750mL |
Blend: | 50% Roussanne, 30% Clairette, 10% Marsanne, 10% Grenache Blanc |
Appellation: | Languedoc |
Country: | France |
Region: | Languedoc-Roussillon |
Producer: | Ermitage du Pic Saint Loup |
Winemaker: | Xavier, Pierre, and Jean-Marc Ravaille |
Vineyard: | 15 – 80 years, 8 ha |
Soil: | Clay, Limestone, Dolomite |
Aging: | Whites are fermented and aged in foudres and demi-muids for 10 months, aged for 12 months |
Farming: | Biodynamic (practicing) |
Alcohol: | 13% |
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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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Kermit once said...
Kermit once said...
Let the brett nerds retire into protective bubbles, and whenever they thirst for wine it can be passed in to them through a sterile filter. Those of us on the outside can continue to enjoy complex, natural, living wines.
Inspiring Thirst, page 236