Lancyre Clos des Combes 2016

198 acres planted to Syrah, Grenache, Mourvèdre, Cinsault, Carignan, Roussanne, Marsanne, and Viognier. Clay/limestone based soils. Vines average nearly 500 feet in elevation, with the highest parcels at 650 feet above sea level. Sustainably grown.

Pic Saint-Loup is widely viewed as the Languedoc’s best wine district. It is the most northerly of all Languedoc appellations, and stylistically, the wines are closer to Northern Rhône wines than their Southern Rhône counterparts (think Hermitage and Côte-Rôtie, not Châteauneuf-du-Pape).

Pic Saint-Loup is widely viewed as the Languedoc’s best wine district. Vineyards are 15 miles inland from the Mediterranean, at almost 2,000 feet above sea level. Summer days are blazingly hot (103°F!), but night-time temperatures almost always drop to below 60°F – sometimes even below 50°F!

Syrah (the principal grape of Pic Saint-Loup) is usually picked in early October, and not in late August, as it is in many Languedoc and Southern Rhône vineyards. Stylistically, the wines are closer to Northern Rhône wines than their Southern Rhône counterparts (think Hermitage and Côte-Rôtie, not Châteauneuf-du-Pape).