Revue de presse


Régis VALENTIN
Par Claude Langlois — Art de vivre

Château de Lancyre 1998 Pic Saint-Loup, Côteaux du Languedoc

Belle bouche sur la syrah (le vin en contient 65%), beau fruit, un vin sérieux qui a de la mâche et de la profondeur.

Et je devrais également ajouter son grand frère, le Château de Lancyre, la Grande Cuvée 1997  encore disponible ici et là et dont attend de toute façon 300 caisses supplémentaires bientôt, un vin fait de 75% syrah, 15% grenache et 10 mourvèdre, le tout élevé en barriques.

Le nez a de l'éclat, la bouche est ample en attaque, le vin a de la sève, de la profondeur, une belle texture et c'est franchement délicieux. Voilà une maison fiable et sérieuse, dirigés par des gens fiers de leurs produits.

Coteaux du Languedoc, Château de Lancyre "Vieilles vignes" 1998 :

Note : 13,5 vers 14 - 

· Couleur vive, violacée mais pas opaque.· Joli nez de fruit (mûre, cassis), avec de petites inflexions viandées.· Bouche agréable, sur le fruit, assez simple mais faisant preuve à la fois de concentration et de fraîcheur.

5. Coteaux du Languedoc, Château de Lancyre "Grande Cuvée" 1998 :

Note : 14,5 vers 15 - 

· Robe dense, noire et brillante.· Nez intense et ambitieusement boisé, très grillé et crémeux, avec un fruit profond de myrtille écrasée, très Syrah ; on note une intéressante complexification à l'aération : notes fumées, viandées, laurier.· Matière concentrée et fortement extraite mais dotée d'un grain tannique assez fin, saveur puissante, boisé dominant mais intégré offrant des notes balsamiques et empyreumatiques. Un vin bien construit, prometteur, malgré une finale légèrement alcooleuse.

La grande cuvée du château de Lancyre (15,7/20) fait partie du trio de tête avec un vin bâti pour une très longue garde. Le nez est complexe avec ses notes d’hydrocarbures, de cassis, de myrtille, d’agrumes et de garrigue. La bouche est superbe, concentrée, ample et surtout remarquablement équilibrée.

Articles en Anglais

Chateau de Lancyre 1996 Vieilles Vignes, Pic St Loup, Coteaux de Languedoc
65% Syrah, 35% Grenache
A dark wine with smoky, meaty and earthy flavours. The Syrah also contributes some bacon-fat character. Good concentration, 'terroir-driven' and with complexity, this is a very good wine. This producer also make a Grande Cuvee, which is similar in flavour profile but has been matured in new oak.

Château de Lancyre Grande Cuvée 1997, Pic Saint-Loup, Coteaux du Languedoc AOC
From a 73 Ha estate, this is a blend of Syrah, Grenache and Mourvèdre matured for 12 months in barriques. A red/purple colour, this is wonderful stuff. A smoky nose is followed by a smoky, meaty, herby palate with medium body and quite high acidity. There are hints of tea and tobacco, firm tannins and some cherry fruit. Complex and refined, this is archetypal Pic Saint-Loup with quite a life ahead of it. Very good/ excellent.

Chateau de Lancyre Vieilles Vignes 1996, Pic St Loup
Another superb, individual and well priced wine from the South of France. 65% Syrah, 35% Grenache, this has good concentration and is a beautifully stinky, smoky, brambly red with smoked bacon and blackberry fruit left to run free without the encumberance of new oak. Bold and characterful, I'm now keen to try their Grand Cuvee.(Tesco £5.99) 1/99

Pic St Loup - acclaimed by Parker
and the Spectator as the top district
in Languedoc!
40/40 Grenache/Syrah
10/10 Carignan/Cinsault
Vine age 20 - 70 years!
yields 45 hectolitres per hectare
(3 tons per acre)
1 year's ageing in large old oak
1 year in bottle before release

Find Your Local Source! The Critics Agree
87 points - Advocate - recommended
85 points - Spectator - World's Best Wine Values

"Warm, mature-tasting, with dried plum flavors and spicy mocha notes on the finish..."
The Wine Spectator
"exhibits plack raspberry and cherry aromas... velvety, focused, and flavorful. This well-made powerful wine is packed with black fruits, road tar and hints of cedar. It will be at its best if drunk over the next 4 years."
The Wine Advocate
It needs lamb like a sheep needs a shepherd, yet will not be insulted if you place beef before the glass. Enjoy with sturdy, simple food that fills the stomach and soothes the soul without frills or fussiness. Wash down your dinner with it, then keep it on the table if you finish with cheese.

FRANCE / LANGUEDOC
Chateau de Lancyre
Coteaux du Languedoc Pic St.-Loup Vieilles Vignes 1998
90 points
1,500 cases imported

This delicious and well-priced Syrah-based red comes from the rugged Pic St.-Loup appellation north of the city of Montpellier in southern France. It is an unfiltered blend of some of Lascaux's oldest vines, and ranks as one of the top wines so far from the much touted '98 vintage in the Languedoc. It is tightly wound, powerful and graceful, with mouthcoating flavors of dark plum and black cherry and concentrated mineral and smoke elements. Tannins punch through on the finish with a minty note, adding to the power. Drinkable now, but should improve with a year or two in the cellar.

 

Chateau de Lancyre

Lancyre, which is just south of Lauret, in the town of Valflaunes makes two reds, two whites and a single rose. The wines are of very good quality, limited in availability and always refreshing.

1998 La Rouviere Blanc is a blend of equal parts Rousanne and Viognier. It has a rich pineapple aroma, kiwi, lemon, lime and citrus on the nose. On the palate tart kiwi fruit, apples, pears, apricots, melons and papaya come through. It has a really long finish with hints of anise and licorice.

1998 Grande Cuvee is also a blend of Rousanne and Viognier, but unlike the La Rouviere it sees time in the barrel. It is very tight, with exceptionally young fruit, melons, apricots, pears and apples. This wine needs time to evolve. It ends with touches of caramel and butterscotch on the finish.

1998 Vin Rose is a blend of Grenache and Syrah. A light pink color, it is already rounded and fully developed. Packed with raspberry fruit, green spice, peppermint, spearmint and blueberries, this is one of the better rose wines I've had this trip.

1998 Clos du Combes is a blend of young Syrah and Grenache. This is a full throttle in your facebistro or café' wine. You immediately get a big hit of Syrah when you first take a whiff of the wine. It is dark purple in color, with blueberries, limestone tart cranberry, and hints of crenshaw and watermelon on the finish. Not a wine full of finesse, it ends with a bit of a hot streak.

1998 Vielle Vignes is also a blend of Syrah and Grenache, but from the older vines. The color is a very dark black purple, with super deep extraction. Right now the wine is tight, needing time to fully develop. There is some Garrigue spice, a bit of tart fruit, and of course the oak. It has berries, cherries and plums, and can be drunk in the next two years or aged five to seven quite easily.

1997 Grand Cuvee is a blend of Mourvedre, Syrah and Grenache. Loaded with Garrigue spice, you get it all at first whiff along with the scent of fresh blueberry pie. Possessing a deep purple color, the wine still shows its youthfulness and oak barrel aging. The wine flavors evoke sensations of rounded berries, plums and black currants. The Grand Cuvee has a good finish already and shows that of the three reds it is the best wine to age, likely 10-15 years or so.

1998 Chateau de Lancyre, "Hautes Terres," Coteaux du Languedoc ($13.99)

Ruby in color with good legs, this wine has a warm earthy, barnyard nose with hints of mushroom. One taster definitely thought that the nose had a vegetal or broccoli character. Medium to full bodied, this wine is quite dry and well structured, with soft tannins enveloping loads of rich plum flavors. It has a nice finish as well. We found this wine to be quite good with the meal.

1998 Chateau de Lancyre, Pic Saint Loup, Coteaux du Languedoc, "Grande Cuvee" ($25.00)

Deep ruby in color with long, long legs, this wine has a big forward nose of oak and spice with black cherry notes. On the palate, it’s satiny smooth. Dry and full bodied, it delivers deep coffee-bean flavors, with hints of currants, and has a good toasty finish. "A sexy wine," remarked one taster. This wine is not yet at its peak and needs another two to three years in the bottle. Excellent with the food. A star of the tasting; but again beyond our price point. Given the excellent quality of this wine, however, it is still a bargain.

1995 Chateau De Lancyre "Pic Saint-Loup," France, $11.99. About the only thing I can tell you for sure is that this is the best red I have tasted in this price category for ages. "It’s a Rhone-style blend," I was told at the wine shop, when I was seeking out the wines imported by Dan Kravitz of Hand Picked Selections, based in Virginia. So, that probably means it’s a Syrah. Well, whatever it is, this wine is smooth as a baby’s bottom, ready to drink and reminds me of a bowl of blueberries. This is a find. After I track down Kravitz, who is hosting a dinner at Morel’s in Bingham Farms this week, I will let you know more.

This property is one of the best in Pic St Loup, which is among the best in all of Languedoc and will soon be promoted to its own Appellation Controlee (a good thing).

The Grande Cuvee is only made in great years and is very limited. Let me tell you, this is what wine is all about...black currants, coffee, cedar, tobacco, smoked meats and the entire kitchen sink go into this powerful, dense red. It also has a very cool nose of flowers and some kind of sweet liqueur that I can not pinpoint...Made mostly of Syrah (yeah, this is my favorite grape) with some Grenache and Mourvedre. A perfect match for steak, roast beef, lamb, hard cheeses and hearty pasta dishes. Drink it now or let it cellar for 5-8 years.

chateaudelancyre@wanadoo.fr 

Accueil Domaine Terroir Vignoble Vins Vente Contact

Copyright©Château de Lancyre 2002