2007 Mas Champart SAINT-CHINIAN "Causse du Bousquet" (Languedoc, Southern France)

A really good and distinctive wine at its peak.*  65% Syrah, 15% Grenache; 20% Mourvedre.


Completely saturated black color with ruby highlights.  Deep, complex nose of blackberry compote, toasty, saline-tinged sandstone, and roast pork.  Mouthfilling, yet not as heavy as the color would lead you to expect.  It has intensely minerally/stony flavbors enveloping a core of very ripe cassis fruit.  Loads of tannin but it is so fine-grained that the textural impression is soft.  Very stone/minerally finish.  Surprisingly good acidity for a wine from this region (that's not to say the acidity is high, but that it's not too low).  Nicely balanced.  A-.  Imported by Kermit Lynch, I got this from Zachys.com several months ago for $16/bottle.


*  I say "at its peak" because while it was still good the second night, it started to noticeably deteriorate the third night, even though I had it vacuum sealed.  That generally indicates to me that a wine is at or near peaking.

2009 Chapoutier "Bila-Haut" COTES DU ROUSSILLON-VILLAGES (Southern France)

Many wines from this hot, arid region have historically been chunky, low acid, earthy and dull-fruited.  Recently, however, there has been an up-tick in quality as lots of youthful growers has begun tending their vineyards more carefully and organically, and bottling their own wines, rather than selling fruit to a co-op or larger negociant.  And some of the more respected Rhone negociant/growers (like Chapoutier) have ventured west as well.

This Grenache, Syrah, and old vine Carignan blend is one of the most elegant, balanced Cotes du Roussillon Villages I've ever had.

Nearly saturated, luxurious black ruby/plasma color.  Rich, smoky, plummy, gravelly nose.  Mouthfilling flavors of blackberry, smoky cocoa, and stones.  Full-bodied, and with substantial but refined tannins, this wine has a balanced, long finish.  Very nice indeed.  A-.  I got this for $16.99 at Houston Wine Merchant on South Shepherd.