2002 Coteaux du Languedoc Clos des Cistes

A big, ripe and voluptuous Syrah, with some maturity, the 2002 Languedoc Clos de Cistes has lots of currants, black raspberry, iodine and roasted meat-like aromas and flavors. Sweetly fruit, with full-bodied richness and a decadent, yet concentrated and balanced profile, it’s hard to resist now, but should also hold through 2020.||These are big, rich, character filled and absolutely singular wines by proprietress Marlene Soria, who first came to the Languedoc in 1991. She fashions three cuvees; the Syrah heavy Clos de Cistes; the more Grenache dominated Marlene N3; and lastly, the Syrah Leone, which incorporates a splash of Mourvedre. Yields here are tiny, and the wines see long macerations followed by an extended élevage in tank and older foudre prior to bottling. While I believe the 2005s are the current releases, I was thrilled to be able to taste a small retrospective of each cuvee. eRobertParker.com.April, 2015