I really didn’t know that much about Pic Saint-Loup. Sure, I knew it was French, Languedoc region. But these are things you can pick up from the label. Let me backtrack.
The other night after a light dinner of angel hair pasta with sauteed onions, mushrooms, zucchini and garlic thrown into a tomato sauce, I headed downstairs looking for a bottle of red–somewhat after the fact, yes. Lying next to the Reininger 2002 Cab that I’ve been holding on to, I saw this bottle of Domaine des Lambrusques “Esprit Sauvage” Pic Saint-Loup 2004. From Coteaux du Languedoc. I vaguely remembered friends having picked it up for me at Pike & Western Wine Shop in Seattle, saying they knew we had a dearth of decent import selections here in Walla Walla. (So unfortunately true.)
Grab the bottle of “wild spirit” and check it out, I said to myself. Not my most adventurous dinner of the week; perhaps this wine would spice things up a bit.
I was pleasantly surprised by how much I liked it. For $10 a bottle, this is a wine I must keep on hand. Nice nose; I got cherry tart–and I mean the home-made kind like my grandma used to make–and gingerbread. Supple in the mouth. Little bit of pepper. Well made, solid wine. Is it something to write home about? Probably not, but I’d be happy to have another glass. And I did.
Then I needed to find out more and try some other wines from the region.
Pic Saint-Loup is a small region in the northeast of Languedoc. In the hills that surround Montpellier, it has cool nights and long summers, perfect for good grapes. The limestone also adds to the terroir. Although terroir is a much debated topic, there is a noticeable minerality to the Lambrusques I tried. The region produces primarily Syrah, Mourvédre, and Grenache. At Walla Walla Wine Cellar we recently wrote about Grenache, a grape getting more notice here in Washington.
It turns out to be a bargain region! Producing consistently good wines, from what I can tell, the prices throughout the region are affordable. I hope that lasts. With import prices rising in the US, I certainly hope prices from Pic Saint-Loup don’t rise too quickly as they gain more recognition.
I’m hooked.
For more information on the region there is a website (available in French and English): www.pic-saint-loup.com
