2009 Coteaux de Languedoc Puech Noble

From as typical 70% Syrah with 15% each Grenache and Mourvedre, the Puech Noble 2009 Coteaux du Languedoc displays surprising brightness and tartness of red fruits for its vintage (a circumstance already reflected in its Vassal, i.e. second wine) and the fact that two-thirds of the Syrah here was as usual kept in tank rather than going to barrique has no doubt accentuated the sense of freshness and vivacity (which, notes Rostaing, “was always part of my vision for this wine”). The tannins here are far finer than in the corresponding Vassal, although there is an admirable sense of sheer density. An undertone of roasted red meat and maritime salty and alkaline notes lend mouthwatering savor to a penetrating and protracted finish. Look for this athletically lean and energetic wine to benefit from 2-3 years in bottle and be worth following for at least half a dozen. Renee Rostaing – for more about whose Domaine Puech Noble, consult my report in issue 183 – remains a staunch if rare partisan of rotary fermentors such as he has used in his Ampuis winery for three decades, and at this estate in Langlade (just southwest of Nimes) since its 1999 inception. They offer, he claims, a unique degree of efficiency as well as security, retaining as they do during maceration a protective blanket of CO2 and allegedly promoting homogenous extraction. Rostaing’s manifest success with this method is just one more instance confirming that many possible routes lead to Languedoc success. The Puech Noble grand vin is usually based on four different fermentative lots and assembled – with last-minute decisions on fine-tuning – only shortly before bottling. But the raw materials of 2010 give every indication of adding up to as fine a Puech Noble as has been bottled, capturing the spirit of the outstanding 2008 but with greater density and richness. That said, the 2009 is also impressive and the 2007 remains so, consistency being a notable recent Puech Noble virtue. (Readers are reminded that prior to 2008 this estate was known as Puech Chaud, so that notes on earlier vintages must be accessed under that name.) Imported by The Rare Wine Co., Sonoma, CA; tel. (800) 999-4342

Although my colleague, David Schildknecht, covers the Coteaux de Languedoc region, when I visit Rostaing I always taste his Coteaux de Languedoc Puech Noble, and his 2009 is a blend of 70% Syrah, the rest equal parts Mourvedre and Grenache, and includes 100% stems. A sleeper of the vintage that sells for a song, it is one of those wines I search for on restaurant wine lists when I am traveling as it is a great value. Rich, peppery, blackberry and black currant notes intermixed with notions of kirsch, licorice and tapenade are found in this stunning 2009. The good news is that there are approximately 1,400 cases produced. Dec 2011, www.robertparker.com