A blend of 60 percent Carignan, 35 percent Syrah, five percent Grenache Noir, 60 percent of the wine is aged in oak (40 percent in 500-litre demi-muids and 20 percent in wooden vats). Red berry fruits dominate the nose with layers of complexity added with hints of spice, mint and black olives. Firm, grainy tannins are balanced against a silky texture on the palate and crisp acidity.

Winemaker Olivier Jullien first started making wine in the Languedoc in the early 1980s when much of the Languedoc was known for producing commercial wine. Arriving after such a great vintage as 2010, the 2011 was always destined to suffer by comparison. Olivier was keen to stress that he was not planning to make a “petit frère”, but rather to work hard to create a wine with its own personality, one that truly reflects the vintage.

Located to the northeast of Montpellier, the modish Terrasses du Larzac produce this Southern Rhône blend. Comprising Syrah, Mourvèdre and Carignan, the wine is full-bodied and rich. This is a heady wine with rich fruit backed by firm tannins and a full-bodied structure. It will pair well with big, rich dishes.
The 2011 Coteaux du Languedoc Terrasses du Larzac shows fine form, with ample black and purple fruits, searing minerality, and a tight, compact feel that just begs for additional cellar time. Full-bodied, beautifully concentrated and with polished, yet present tannin, it should be at its best from 2016-2026.

Established in 1985 and covering 15 hectares around the village of Jonquieres, north of Montpellier and in the Terrasses du Larzac region, Mas Jullien is run by the passionate Olivier Jullien, who was one of the early pioneers of the region to push for quality.

Farming all organically, he uses varying degrees of whole clusters during fermentation, vinifies each variety separately and utilizes primarily larger format barrels for aging. The entire lineup is stacked with quality and the wines show distinct, individual personalities. Moving to the reds, Jullien does two cuvees, the Terrasses du Larzac release which is a blend of Carignan, Mourvedre and Syrah, and cuvee Carlan, which is mostly Grenache, with smaller parts Carignan, Cinsault and Syrah.
94/100 Jeb Dunnuck eRobertParker.com #212 Apr 2014

The old vines in question here are made up of 40% Grenache, 30% Carignan, 10% Mourvèdre, 20% Syrah and their ages range from 25 to over 100 years. The wine is fermented in large concreter vat and matured in foudre for fifteen months.

2011 was a cooler year than some and the wine has silky composure, fine balanced acidity and impressive length.

Simon Field MW – Wine Buyer

First planted by the Romans, these beautiful vineyards share the terrain with the Roquefort-producing sheep and the wild savagery of the garrigue. The “domaine” consists of a stone barn, its location almost exactly halfway between the two great properties of Grange des Pères and Mas de Daumas Gassac.

Syrah dominates the blend once again in 2011, with Grenache and Mourvèdre lending support. The 2011 vintage is an attractive, forward, somewhat underappreciated vintage (by all but the growers and select cognoscenti!); all positive when one reflects upon the sheer inscrutable power of La Peira in “big” vintages. Elegance is all here, with cassis and plum fruit evocative of Médoc class and a spicy, gently peppery finish rendering suitable homage to the Mediterranean.

Decomposed marine deposits and fossils, squeezed between the sea, the Pyrenees and the hills of Corbières, make up the every particular landscape of the Gauby Empire in the heart of Roussillon.  60 year old Grenache Blanc and Grenache Gris stand as bush vines and are farmed at parsimonious yields of 15 hl/ha, then barrel fermented and matured in 50% new and 50% one-year old barrels.

The result is an extraordinary elixir; textured, rich and nutty, but with a shard of pure acidity haunting its core adding freshness to the fascinating mid-palate notes of orange, gingerbread and beeswax.

Simon Field MW – Wine Buyer