Bordering almost

Bourdoudresques “Sentinelle de Massiac” 2008 Minervois (Languedoc) – Blocky and monolithic. This is my experience of far, far too many Minervois in their youth, and I’ve gotten to the point where I rarely understand the purpose in drinking them at this age…not just because they’re not that interesting, but because it’s not easy to tell if age is going to help matters. I think, in this case, it might, for there’s some juicy, black-fruited meat stuffing…but there’s also a solid wall of chunky tannin and not really any evident life to the wine. (9/11)

Fingers

Iché “Château d’Oupia” 2008 Minervois (Languedoc) – Unlike many previous vintages of this wine…well, actually, all with which I was familiar…this didn’t taste good right out of the gate, or at least no bottle I tried did. As a result, I made two decisions: one good, one potentially bad. The latter was, unfortunately, to go short on cellaring some of this absurdly undervalued wine, because I lacked confidence. The former was to put what little I did have away for a short while. And right now, it’s drinking very prettily (for Minervois) in a way that reminds me of how all the other vintages drank in their first flush of youth. Oh well, my mistake. Here we have meat, baked earth, rosemary stem, and darkness without the overt density that can afflict the wines of the region. There’s structure, though it’s a little tremulous and I do still wonder about the future. The present, however, is very nice. And I’ve already been wrong once about this wine. (4/11)

And scratchy

Iché “Château d’Oupia” 2007 Minervois (Languedoc) – I really did not care for this wine at release, and was suspicious about what I’d find. My fears were unfounded; it’s as classic an Oupia Minervois as any other, dark and soil-browed, with the faintest tinge of an herbal licorice to the dark fruit and meat-roasting spices. I don’t know that I’d call the wine “expressive,” but it does express something…and quite clearly, too. (9/10)

Like a bedroom

Boudouresques “Château Massiac” 2006 Minervois (Languedoc) – Earthmeat, grit, layers of rough structure, and the darkest precursors of blackened berries. Scowling. Probably closing up, but it feels a little overstructured anyway. I guess time will tell. (6/10)

Boudouresques “Château Massiac” 2007 Minervois (Languedoc) – More open than the 2006, with much greater generosity of black fruit and a lighter foot on the tannin pedal. Otherwise, mostly the same in terms of overall organoleptics and structure. This is promising. (7/10)

Frodo

Sénat 2007 Minervois “La Nine” (Languedoc) – Seems dominated by the aromatics of its grenache (bubblegum and sticky raspberry) and the structure of its mourvèdre, but while there’s both ballooning fruit and shouldery structure, I’m not sure where this wine’s head is. Time it needs, and time it will get, but I do wonder about its future. (5/09)

Jugie & jury

Alliance Minervois “Jacques de la Jugie” 2006 Minervois La Livinière “Cella Vinaria” (Languedoc) – Were there a Minervois Nouveau (and for all I know, maybe there is), I suspect it would taste a little like this: the dark, soil-infused leather of Minervois in a surprisingly light, crisp, approachable way. I find this a little shocking in a Livinière-labeled bottling – I expect extra layers of density and difficulty at this age – but it’s hard to deny the wine’s appeal. (4/09)

House & Sénat

Sénat 2004 Minervois “Le Bois des Merveilles” (Languedoc) – Grenache and mourvèdre. While this shows the darkest possible fruit, there’s a sweetness and purity to it. Leather, earth, black-‘n’-blueberry, cèpes…all concentrated and very, very long. Terrific balance. Marvelous. Or rather, merveilleux. (10/06)

The lamb lies down on Bois-way

Sénat 1996 Minervois “Le Bois des Merveilles” (Languedoc) – Despite the name, compositionally similar to “La Nine.” Very spicy, with black earth, seared chanterelles and morels, and black truffles. The ‘shrooms dominate, but there’s also a core of wild blueberry and wild thyme. Delicious, and while it’s not fully mature, it could very well be approaching its best. (10/06)

A stitch in time

Sénat 2005 Minervois “La Nine” (Languedoc) – Grenache, carignan, and mourvèdre. Raspberry bubblegum with a large-boned structure and a thick waist. Raw leather, blackberry, and blueberry infused with herbs rush through the palate, and there’s a good deal of earthiness underneath that occasionally hints towards a tar-like quality. Impressively long. There are little nits at which to pick here, but it’s a good wine. (10/06)

Julien calendar

Villerambert-Julien 2007 Minervois Rosé (Languedoc) – Sharp, then soft, then anonymous. OK…strawberry, leaves, cranberry, some sun-dried soil, some tomato…but mostly a chug-and-forget rosé. Very, very dry, and perhaps not entirely to its benefit. This has been significantly better in other vintages. (10/08)

John, Mike, Marie, Tess

Miquel “Domaine de Barroubio” 2002 Minervois “Cuvée Jean-Miquel” (Languedoc) – Carignan-dominated, with grenache playing the supporting role. Grapey and thick, with a rough texture and a slightly green finish. There’s not much form or cohesion here, nor are the elements particularly appealing. (10/06)

Miquel “Domaine de Barroubio” 2003 Minervois “Cuvée Marie-Thérèse” (Languedoc) – Here, syrah is king, with some grenache along for the ride. Denser than the Jean-Miquel, with a thick earthiness that feels almost sludgy. The fruit has a nutty character that’s a little odd, but ultimately intriguing. That said, it’s not very interesting now, though a short stretch of time might help. (10/06)

Minervois mouse

Julien “Château Villerambert Julien” 2001 Minervois (Languedoc) – While it smells authentic enough (leather-wrapped meat, just a bare hint of blackberry), the palate just sort of sits there, reflecting the nose but adding nothing other than a vague shrug in the direction of tannin. Maybe age will help, but this lacks the out-of-the-gate complexity and interest of the region’s better producers. (4/08)

Iché fingers

Iché “Château d’Oupia” 2006 Minervois (Languedoc) – Very light mercaptans, funky and difficult throughout. Tannic, as well. I don’t think this is ready for the spotlight quite yet. Maybe the wine is in mourning for its creator, who died last year. I know I am. (1/08)

Itchy corks

Iché “Château d’Oupia” 2005 Minervois (Languedoc) – Corked. (12/07)

Eulalie, ooh-la-la

Coustal “Château Sainte Eulalie” 2004 Minervois “Plaisir d’Eulalie” (Languedoc) – Dark-fruited and meaty, with a sort of soil-infused stew of herbs and heavily-roasted walnuts bubbling around underneath. There’s also a granular, graphite-like texture to the tannin (I don’t have a great deal of experience, but I think this is a signature of the Livinière sub-region), which adds a welcome note of complexity. That said, there are signs that the wine is advancing more quickly than might be expected (a touch of soy on the finish, a general browning cast to the fruit). It’s still quite good, and everything feels primary, but keep a careful eye on it if you’ve got any, because things could turn quickly. (12/07)

Oustal for time

Fonquerle “l’Oustal Blanc” Vin de Table “Naïck” (France) – Apparently, this is a blend of cinsault, carignan, syrah and grenache from vineyards in both Minervois and St-Chinian, hence the VdT designation. And I think this is the 2004 version, though of course there’s no vintage on the label. Anyway, it’s meaty and dense, with an excellent black trumpet-studded earthen foundation and nice structure. The wine seems like it should be blocky, but the aromatics are a good deal more vivid than one expects. It should age for a while, but it’s an excellent foil for strongly-flavored meat right now. (11/07)

Iché fingers

Iché “Château d’Oupia” 2005 Minervois (Languedoc) – More tightly-wound than its heretical brother, and a bit difficult to discern; there’s a dark, brooking surliness to the wine that repels the inquisitive. Layers of thick tannin seem to be the vintage’s signature (8/07)

Panis button

Panis “Chateau du Donjon” 2004 Minervois Rosé (Languedoc) – Tastes off-dry, but even if it’s not it’s candied and not all that refreshing. Strawberries and raspberries abound, but it’s just too plastic for my tastes. A fellow diner comments that “it tastes like communion wine,” which is never good. (8/07)