2009 Chateau Puech Haut Saint Drézéry Prestige Red Blend

Wow! Welcome to France's foremost wine frontier.
Over the last 30 years, the Languedoc region in Southern France has been striving to break away from a not so glorious past. It is nowadays considered a treasure trove for wine and food lovers, thanks to a number of investors from France and around the world, who like the Romans did in their days, recognised the region's stunning potential. One of the many ventures is Chateau Puech Haut, located in the village of Saint Drezery, north east of the city of Montpellie. Part of the wider Coteaux du Languedoc appellation, Saint Drezery is not only the name of a village but also a bona fide geographical denomination that the vignerons are allowed to affix next to the wider AOC (as is the case in the nearby Rhone valley, a regional appellation can sometimes recognize the specificity of certain terroirs confined within its boundaries - think Cotes du Rhone Villages "Plan de dieu", "Roaix", "Valreas" etc...). The peculiar terroir of St Drezery is a case in point. In fact, it's not dissimilar to that of the best in the Southern Rhone. During the Quaternary era, the Rhone river, which has never recognised such administrative boundaries, deposited the same round Alpine pebbles over a sandstone and marls bedrock that are found in the prestigious 'Chateauneuf du Pape' about 100 kms away. Combine this with annual rainfalls 100mm lower than that of nearby villages and the buffering effect of cool Mediterranean breezes and Saint Drezery comes into its own. It's little wonder that it's rapidly become acknowledged as a benchmark in Languedoc. Chateau Puech Haut is the creation of proprietor and hedonist, Gerard Bru, who converted what was originally an olive grove into a state of the art winery, planting the sides of the "Puech" ("hill" in the local dialect) with vineyards. The varietal pool is typically Mediterranean with Grenache, Syrah, Cinsault and Carignan, as well as the white varietals Viognier, Marsanne and Roussane. Tasting note....
This delicious Languedoc red is produced from a blend of 55% Grenache Noir, 35% Syrah and 10% Carignan. Youthful opaque black purple colour with deep dark purple hue. Aromas of ripe black cherry and dark raspberry followed by some spice and subtle meaty earth like end notes. Full bodied possessing excellent richness the palate delivers generous mouthfilling flavours of blackberry, black cherry and spice followed by some liquorice with a meaty back palate. Firmish and dry tannins provide good structure. Excellent depth with long aftertaste of blackberry, black cherry, spice & meaty earth like characters.
Cellar 3-4 years (2011-2015)
Alc 14.5% Other Reviews....
... From a bio-dynamically farmed estate, all planted in limestone soils, and aged completely in concrete tanks. This remarkable offering is a naked expression of the vivid terroir and excellent fruit found in this region. The incredible aromatics consist of forest floor, spring flowers, sweet black currants, raspberries, licorice, and incense. With a pure, velvety, seamless, full-bodied texture and a finish that lasts 30+ seconds, this wine possesses a stunning integration of acidity, tannin, and alcohol, suggesting this 2009 will age nicely for 3-5 years, possibly as long as a decade. However, it will be hard to resist given its current performance. Bravo!.
93 points
Robert Parker - The Wine Advocate