Assembled (from Syrah with Grenache and a bit of Carignan) just before I tasted it – though not destined for bottling before the end of the year – Lancyre’s tank-rendered 2010 Coteaux du Languedoc Pic Saint-Loup La Coste d’Aleyrac busts with ripe, fresh cherry and black raspberry, its piquancy of fruit pit and undertone of wet stone well-integrated so as to in no way diminish the sheer juicy refreshment of a sustained finish. For now, this is admittedly a bit simple, but it is compellingly exuberant and pure-fruited. Perhaps more complexity will emerge, even short-term. Look for it to offer plenty of pleasure not to mention outstanding value for at least 2-3 years after bottling. Regis Valentin once again displayed many successes across a stylistically diverse range. The 2009s here are however mildly disappointing – a circumstance not unfamiliar from Pic Saint-Loup – especially when directly compared with results from 2008, whose October harvest of Syrah, incidentally, was the latest in the estate’s history. As so often, though, 2010 is especially exciting, and the young reds from this vintage were already too deliciously expressive for me to resist publishing notes. Re-tasting the 2007 reds – on which I had last reported before bottling in issue 183 – they remain impressive (with the exception of the Grande Cuvee, now performing on the lower side of my pre-bottling projection), although their bitter elements and tannin were somewhat enhanced, and I re-rated both the Coste d’Aleyrac and Vieilles Vignes 90 points. Valentin graciously consented on this occasion to my request to taste some older vintages of his Roussanne – bottles of which I was thrilled to discover that he indeed cellars, and that you and I should, too!Imported by Handpicked Selections, Warrenton, VA; tel. (540) 347 9400

Lancyre’s 2009 Coteaux du Languedoc Pic Saint-Loup La Coste d’Aleyrac – to whose Syrah and Grenache, in consideration of vintage heat and low acidity, a touch of Cinsault rather than of Carignan has been added – exhibits a surprising degree of refreshment and levity for its vintage, with piquant cherry stone and crunch of berry seed invigoratingly accenting its ripe red and black fruits, while an undertone of roasted red meat lends depth. Disappointing is merely the slight tendency of the tannins here to leave one’s gums a bit numb, something I am skeptical will diminish with time in bottle. But certainly this ought to drink well for at least the next several years. Regis Valentin once again displayed many successes across a stylistically diverse range. The 2009s here are however mildly disappointing – a circumstance not unfamiliar from Pic Saint-Loup – especially when directly compared with results from 2008, whose October harvest of Syrah, incidentally, was the latest in the estate’s history. As so often, though, 2010 is especially exciting, and the young reds from this vintage were already too deliciously expressive for me to resist publishing notes. Re-tasting the 2007 reds – on which I had last reported before bottling in issue 183 – they remain impressive (with the exception of the Grande Cuvee, now performing on the lower side of my pre-bottling projection), although their bitter elements and tannin were somewhat enhanced, and I re-rated both the Coste d’Aleyrac and Vieilles Vignes 90 points. Valentin graciously consented on this occasion to my request to taste some older vintages of his Roussanne – bottles of which I was thrilled to discover that he indeed cellars, and that you and I should, too!Imported by Handpicked Selections, Warrenton, VA; tel. (540) 347 9400

A cuvee of Syrah and Grenache with a bit of Carignan first essayed in 2000, the Lanceyre 2007 Coteaux du Languedoc Pic Saint-Loup La Coste d’Aleyrac – due to have been bottled in February – is full of ripe black fruits to be sure, but offers more herbal, carnal, and mineral dimensions than the corresponding 2006. An impression of saline, marjoram-laced beef bouillon with cherry and purple plum extend to a long, satisfyingly juicy, clear, faintly and stimulatingly bitter finish. Look for this exceptional value to offer pleasure for another 3-4 years. Bernard Durand and Regis Valentin continue to render distinctively delicious wines that offer outstanding value of a sort not always to be found in the increasingly renowned Pic Saint-Loup sub-appellation.Imported by Hand Picked Selections, Warrenton, VA; tel. (540) 347 9400