Tales from the Wine Trail
Tasting Notes - Grès Saint Paul, Lunel - July 2008
Our second stop of the day on July 4 was at Grès Saint Paul in Lunel. Here we are in Côteaux du Languedoc - once again on prime terroir at the top of the southern slope to the Mediterranean where excellent exposure ensures ripening and the land benefits from the cool evening marine breezes made from the sea. The Villafranchian sandstone and deep soils naturally offer all the elements for producing quality grapes.
We tasted the most recent vintages with Phillipe Salasc (Jean-Philippe Servière was elsewhere in France) and can report that the upcoming vintages are already showing very well.
Côteaux du Languedoc - Grange Phillipe "Costa Santene" 06 - welcoming kirsch and red fruit, bit ls on nose, some spice and good extraction on palate, some tannins, bright finish and good length.*
Côteaux du Languedoc - Grès Saint Paul "Romanis" 06 - beautiful nose of flowers/dark fruit and eau-de-vie, ripeon palate with good tannins, very good length*
Côteaux du Languedoc, Grès de Montpellier - Grès Saint Paul "Antonin" 05 - excellent nose of red fruits in eau-de-vie, lovely concentrated fruit, sweet and full on the palate, elegant and well-balanced, very good length
Côteaux du Languedoc - Grès Saint Paul "Syrhus" 05 - 100% Syrah still closed and some vegital notes on the nose, excellent concentration and tannic, excellent length but still very tight 24 months in barrels, recenlty bottled.
Muscat Moelleux, Vendanges Passerillées - Grès Saint Paul "Bohémienne" 07 - slight reductuon in sugar this vintage; still a bit tight on nose, fresh but perhaps a touch less complex so far, exoctic fruit and Lilly of the valley, excellent length.
Muscat du Lunel - Grès Saint Paul "Rosanna" 05 - lovely sweet yellow fruit and pear, follows onto the palate full, sweet, rich, super bright, excellent length.