2009 Les Vignes Oubliées du Jean-Baptiste Granier Terrasses du Larza

The Vignes Oubliees 2009 Coteaux du Languedoc Terrasses du Larzac displays abundant confitured black and red fruits on a high-toned nose and a quite seamlessly rich palate. A small component of older barriques is employed (in 2010 - which I didn't taste - there are some larger casks) to open-up this cuvee; and those components that weren't vinified together were assembled almost immediately thereafter. The approach certainly succeeded, even if there is not huge complexity - just hints of stone and herb - to accompany this cuvee's sheer, sappy, quite compelling persistence. Representing a collaborative project whose first commercial vintage was 2008 between Montpellier wine merchant Jean-Baptiste Granier and Olivier Jullien of Mas Julien (for a report on whose profound estate wines, see elsewhere in this report), Les Vignes Oubliees is based on largely old -forgotten vines- of Grenache, Syrah, Carignan, and Cinsault grown principally on sandstone and schist in St.-Privat, high above better-known St.-Jean-de-Blaquiere. I'm not aware of any U.S. importer for these wines.