2019 Coteaux du Languedoc La Clape Porte du Ciel
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Tasting notes
From a two-hectare parcel of Syrah, aged in a combination of Darnajou barriques (two-thirds) and Taransaud pièces (one-third), the 2019 La Clape La Porte du Ciel isn't quite as seamless at this young stage as some other vintages have been, but it retains enormous appeal. Ripe cherries and blueberries mingle on the nose, while the full-bodied, creamy-textured palate is backed by a backbone of prominent acidity and another structural component akin to brine. It's long and supple on the finish, where it picks up hints of cocoa and gentle spice notes.
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Average Score
Tamlyn Currin, jancisrobinson.com
Jeb Dunnuck
More reviews and scores
Full bottle 1,627 g. Bottle 1,023 out of 4,000. From a single, 3.2-ha vineyard next to the château, close to the sea. Mostly Syrah with some 30-year-old Grenache vines. The wine macerates for 60 days in tronconic new-oak tanks during fermentation and then spends 24 months in new French oak barriques. Smells like blackberry jam. Wild, brambly, sweet. Toasted coconut, dark chocolate melting on the tongue into violets and a lick of sugared coffee grounds. This is massive, thespian, rich as Croesus and rampantly lavish. Hot stones, The tannins stand monolithic and intractable, but the fruit just melts over them like a blackberry and chocolate gelato on a searingly hot day. It's outrageous, but it'll draw the crowds. There's something irresistible there... (TC)
Tasted from barrel, the 2019 Coteaux Du Languedoc La Clape Porte Du Ciel is all destemmed Syrah from the incredibly beautiful La Clape AOC located just outside of Narbonne, in the Languedoc. Brought up in new barrels, its dense purple color is followed by a gorgeous nose of blackberries, cured meats, bacon fat, iodine, and scorched earth. The purity is spot on and the wine is full-bodied, with a deep, layered mid-palate, flawless balance, and a great, great finish. It has a slightly fresher style yet is still very much in the style of the estate, and this pure, balanced, gorgeous wine reminds me of the 2018 (and a little of the 2016). As always, it's a singular Syrah. It's going to benefit from 4-5 years of bottle age and have 20-25 years of overall longevity.