Domaine du Mas Blanc Collioure Les Junquets, Languedoc-Roussilloon, France

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The Mas Blanc 2007 Collioure les Junquets – an unorthodox blend of Syrah with Roussanne and Marsanne, grown largely on gneiss – was aged in one new demi-muid and four older barriques. (That’s right: only around 160 cases total were produced this vintage.) The blend offers an aroma of cassis and chocolate with hints of sweet floral perfume, as well as coconut, vanilla, and resin related to oak. In the mouth, this is expansive and rich, quite caressing in texture, with deep cocoa powder and black fruits tinged with brown spices and chalk, and a long, soothing finish. I sense that there is additional complexity to emerge here even in the short term, but this should be unusually flattering out of the starting gate by estate standards, and still worthy of 5-7 years cellaring. Jean-Michel Parce’s barrel regimen here required some explanation, after I was offered samples of 2007s, one of which was to my surprise entirely dominated by new wood. It transpires that certain specific barrels of Collioure Cosprons are selected by the U.S. importer – none of them new – whereas there is a single assemblage of all barrels of the other two crus, of which my samples had not been representative. Armed with that information, I was able to achieve from barrel a close approximation to the wines that will eventually appear in the U.S. market, and on which my notes and ratings are based. Parce considers 2007 an exceptional vintage, on a par with 2001 in his estate’s recent history.Importer: Vineyard Brands, Birmingham, AL; tel. (205) 980-8802