Mas Belles Eaux Languedoc Sainte Helene, Languedoc-Roussillon, France

美泉盛蓮干紅葡萄酒

點擊次數：7569

Kelp, dark tobacco, conifers, and resinous herbs mingle with dark cherry, prune, and their distilled counterparts in an intense aromatic display from Belles Eaux's 2006 Languedoc Sainte Helene. Hints of vanilla, caramel, and wood spice contribute a sort of additional complexity though frankly not one I find particularly interesting, and there is a somewhat stiff tannic note to the finish here. A soy-like and marine mineral streak to the finish doesn't prove all that saliva-inducing, perhaps because the finishing tannin or hints of barrel somehow deactivate it. There is a lot to impress here, even if not to charm. I am skeptical about the value of aging it beyond the next several years, but only time can really tell.While due to press of time I had to rely on samples of recent Mas Belles Eaux releases, I did make use of a half hour noon break in my travel schedule one day to walk their vineyards on the edge of Caux, which are as impeccably cared-for as I expected, knowing that this now nearly decade-old domaine was created by the A.X.A. insurance group (owners of Chateau Pichon Baron, etc.) now directed by Christian Seely. The estate is one of the few to have adopted the ultra-umbrella appellation "Languedoc" almost from its inception four years ago. Les Coteaux, the estate's principle wine, is a blend of Syrah, Grenache, and Mourvedre reflecting diverse variations on chalk-clay and cobbled Villafranchian soils, and matured for 15 months in barriques of 1-3 years age. The Saint Helene bottling is not handled much differently, but comes from the highest, best-drained parcels on the estate, and is composed of Syrah, Grenache, and Carignan.Imported by Vintus, Pleasantville, NY; tel. (919) 769-3000