Panel tasting: How good is rising star Terrasses du Larzac? November 4, 2018 One of Languedoc's newest appellations, Terrasses du Larzac, offered a glimpse of future greatness and largely outperformed the more established Minervois La Livinière in this clash of full-bodied reds from southern France. But it's still a work-in-progress. Read the full report below. Our tasters each pick their top three wines from the tasting: Simon Field MW Field was a buyer for Berry Bros & Rudd for more than two decades. He now works as a consultant in areas which particularly interested him during that time, with the Rhône, Languedoc and Champagne topping the list in France, and Spain and the fortified category also featuring prominently. Château Capion, Le Chemin des Garennes, Terrasses du Larzac 2016 The times are a-changing at Capion it seems, and this is a far cry from the varietal domination I recall from way-back-when; changes all for the best judging by this lifted and richly complex wine. 94 Drink 2019-2024 Mas des Brousses, Terrasses du Larzac 2016 A magnificently exciting Terrasses take on a Bandol theme, with its brooding Mourvèdre, dense organic backdrop and very finely honed tannins to complete the picture. 94 Drink 2019-2023 Château Ste-Eulalie, Minervois La Livinière 2016 Open and richly textured – for me an archetype from the appellation – marrying tradition, courtesy of the Carignan, with colour and a fleshy texture, thanks to the Syrah and Grenache. 93 Drink 2019-2023 Justin Howard-Sneyd MW In 2012 Howard-Sneyd founded The Hive Wine Consulting. His biggest client is Direct Wines, where he previously spent three years as global wine director. He is a DWWA Regional co-Chair for Languedoc- Roussillon, and he also makes wine with his family and partners at the 4ha Domaine of the Bee estate in Roussillon. Gérard Bertrand, Le Viala, Minervois La Livinière 2015 Gérard’s wines certainly don’t lack in ambition, with eyebrow-raising pricing and heavy glass bottles, but I can’t help loving the wines too: hugely impressive concentration and complexity, underpinned by minimal intervention production methods and biodynamic farming. 95 Drink 2019-2022 Domaine La Rouviole, Minervois La Livinière 2013 I really enjoyed this more mature wine from an underestimated vintage. Impressive concentration, notes of garrigue herbs and church incense. 94 Drink 2018-2021 Clos Aguilem, Terrasses du Larzac 2016 A very small and relatively new project, not really showing up on most people’s radar yet. A 6.7ha vineyard owned by 16 wine-loving friends. This shone, with extremely expressive and very ripe black fruit. 93 Drink 2019-2024 James Lawther MW A contributing editor to Decanter and Regional co-Chair for Languedoc-Roussillon at the DWWA, Lawther is an independent wine writer, lecturer and tour guide based in Bordeaux. A Master of Wine since 1993, he has been writing about the Languedoc-Roussillon for the last 20 years. Mas des Brousses, Terrasses du Larzac 2016 50% Mourvèdre shapes the dark, firm, complex character of this wine. A percentage comes from massal selection at Domaine Tempier in Bandol, so it’s impeccably sourced. 94 Drink 2019-2023 Château Ste-Eulalie, Minervois La Livinière 2016 The emphasis is on the raw material with an equal blend of old vine Carignan (80-100 years), Grenache (80 years) and some relatively youthful Syrah, bottled early with no oak. Delicious. 92 Drink 2019-2023 Mas Cal Demoura, Terre de Jonquières, Terrasses du Larzac 2016 The flagship wine from this estate is produced from the five permitted grape varieties and is always dark and intense, the tannins rounded out by ageing in 600-litre demi-muids and larger foudres. 92 Drink 2019-2024 See all 58 tasting notes & scores (end of article) Top-rated Languedoc reds from this panel tasting: Mas des Brousses, Terrasses du Larzac, 2016 Complex and finely-etched, with a minty dark fruit aroma ceding to a firm and layered yet rounded and refined palate. Full of resonance, and with ageing potential. Points 94 Château Capion, Terrasses du Larzac, Le Chemin des Garennes Complex and confident yet reined-in, with loganberry and summer pudding aromas.The palate is agreeably ripe, round and lush, with fine balancing acidity. Long and poised, with ageing potential. Points 93 Château Ste-Eulalie, Minervois, La Livinière, 2016 A big, modern, bramble-fruited style with a well-judged ripeness and firm yet graceful tannins. Long, impressive and easy to appreciate. Points 92 Clos du Prieur, Terrasses du Larzac, 2016 Exuberant yet elegant and finely-crafted, with red fruit aromatics leading to a less ripe, cooler-climate palate that delivers an intriguing herbal complexity. Points 92 Mas des Quernes, Terrasses du Larzac, La Villa Romaine, 2016 Dark and dense, with aromas and flavours of rosemary partnering cedary red fruit and a red-gum sweetness, intensified by finely-etched acidity. Solid in structure, yet layered and lush. Points 92 Mas Haut-Buis, Terrasses du Larzac, Costa Caoude, 2016 Restrained blackberry liqueur nose augmented by a hint of charcuterie and black pepper. Dense, savoury and earthy on the palate, with plenty of extract. Characterful and impressive. Points 91 Domaine Coudoulet, Minervois, La Livinière, Château A dense, complex style, oaky without being excessively so, savoury yet tight-knit, with evident but supple and refined tannins. Expressive and resolute. Points 90 Château Crès Ricard, Terrasses du Larzac, Stécia, 2016 Smooth and suave, offering aniseed, herbal and eucalyptus nuances against a backdrop of smoky red fruit and touches of vanilla oak. Rounded, long and fresh. Points 90 Château Laville Bertrou, Minervois, La Livinière, 2016 An attractive tripartite blend, with elegant tannins adorning notes of spiced black fruit, toasted nuts and hints of wild strawberry. Nicely judged, offering lots of Southern French rusticity. Points 90 Clos Aguilem, Terrasses du Larzac, 2016 Evidence of some new oak here, with tell-tale notes of vanillin and mocha. Plush and rich in extract, yet with deliciously mouthwatering acidity and rounded tannins. Points 90 Domaine La Rouviole, Minervois, La Livinière, 2013 A big, more mature, oaky style, with a notable herbal-garrigue character encircling a lush sweetness of fruit, indicating this is still in great shape. Lovely. Points 90 Frédèric Portalié, Terrasses du Larzac, Domaine de Attractive and easy-going yet with a generous volume of red berry fruit and a fair dose of minty new oak, with acidity bringing a welcome freshness. Points 90 Gérard Bertrand, Minervois, La Livinière, Le Viala, 2015 A more modern style with a big, powerful vanilla oak nose ushering in a ripe and full palate with lots of extraction and lush Syrah fruit. Highly impressive and concentrated, if not for the faint hearted. Points 90 Domaine de la Réserve d’O, Terrasses du Larzac, Hissez O, A modern oaky style, with savoury, meaty aromas unveiling a muscular palate underpinned by a firm tannic base. Deep, rounded and impressive, if not especially delicate. Points 90 Mas Cal Demoura, Terrasses du Larzac, Terre de Jonquières, Nose of finely judged oak embellished with aromas of clove, violet and incense, while tightly packed red fruit and ripe, lush tannins mobilise the palate. Generous and persistent. Points 90 Mollard & Fillon, Terrasses du Larzac, Vu d'En Haut, 2016 A proper 'terroir' wine, with inviting aromas of garrigue, rosemary and pine that mirror the palate. Rounded yet grippy, with a satisfying acid freshness lifting the finish. Most appealing. Points 90 See all 58 wines from this panel tasting (end of article) The summary Though no wines wowed, our judges found a good range of full-bodied reds, spanning reliably traditional and more modern styles. James Lawther MW reports… The prospect of two leading lights in the Languedoc, Minervois La Livinière and Terrasses du Larzac, going head to head over two notable years, 2016 and 2015, gave an air of expectancy to this tasting. The judges’ enthusiasm was palpable, hence the disappointment with the results at the end of the day. The highlights just seemed wanting; the upshot being an absence of any Outstanding or Exceptional wines in either category. Were the judges over-expectant? Seventeen Highly Recommended (nearly one-third of the wines tasted), with almost two-thirds Recommended is an honourable score, but it was the ultimate lack of excitement that tipped the scales. One possible reason is that the 2016s, accounting for more than half the wines tasted, are rather firm and reserved at the moment. I had already heard this explanation from producers, particularly in Terrasses du Larzac, and the theory was supported by the fact that a wine that won Platinum at the Decanter World Wine Awards back in early May only received a Recommended score here. The 2016 vintage is good but it’s a keeper with marked acidity and structure, so bide your time and enjoy later. Certainly 2016 fared better than 2015, the generosity of the latter seemingly absent. Minervois La Livinière As to the individual appellations, Justin Howard-Sneyd MW felt there was probably more consistency in style among the wines from Minervois La Livinière. ‘They tend to be Syrah-dominated and fruit-forward and stylistically more recognisable.’ Simon Field MW, who wrote his Master of Wine thesis on Minervois La Lavinière in 2001, found the standard correct but felt that there hadn’t been much evolution in the intervening years. All the judges commented on one point: how the winemaking often submerged the terroir. There were definitely a number of wines where over-extraction and the use of (new) oak seemed heavy-handed. That said, it’s worth pointing out that the highest scoring Minervois La Livinière wine came from an unoaked blend of one-third each of Carignan, Grenache and Syrah.