Domaine de l'Hortus Grande Cuvée Pic Saint-Loup 2020
Domaine de l'Hortus
Domaine de l'Hortus Grande Cuvée is a masterful expression of Pic Saint-Loup — a region where the altitude and dramatic temperature swings between day and night produce wines of remarkable freshness despite the Mediterranean heat. This is serious Languedoc red at a fraction of Rhône Valley prices.
Kit Aromas
Nose
Dark berry fruits — blackcurrant and black cherry — mingle with garrigue herbs and crushed violet. A cedar undertone and a whiff of warm stone emerge as the wine breathes.
Palate
Full-bodied but not heavy. Black cherry and blackcurrant are framed by fine-grained tannins, with dried herbs and a distinct mineral quality running through the mid-palate. A touch of toasted oak adds structure without dominating the fruit.
Finish
Long and savory, with lingering cedar, dried herbs, and a final note of violet. The tannins resolve cleanly.
- Varietal
- Syrah
- Blend
- Syrah, Mourvèdre, Grenache
- Vineyards
- Estate vineyards at 250m altitude on limestone soils at the foot of Pic Saint-Loup
- Alcohol
- 14%
- Organic / Biodynamic
- No
Food Pairing
The wine's garrigue character and structured tannins are a natural match for herb-rubbed lamb, the rosemary and thyme in the rub echoing the wild herb notes of Pic Saint-Loup.
Jean Orliac planted his vines in the shadow of the Pic Saint-Loup mountain in the early 1980s, and today his family produces some of the Languedoc's most elegant reds from Syrah, Mourvèdre, and Grenache grown on limestone at altitude.
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