2017 Coteaux de Languedoc Puech Noble

More complex as well as elegant, the 2017 Languedoc Puech Noble offers lots of blackberries, kirsch, ground herbs, graphite, and sappy flower aromas and flavors. It's medium to full-bodied, textured, and beautifully balanced. This was another power-packed lineup from the Rostaing Family, and you can’t go wrong with any of these new releases. The 2017s show the sunny yet also elegant style of the vintage and have beautifully polished, ripe tannins. These wines offer pleasure even today but do your best to give bottles 4-5 years of bottle age, especially the single vineyard releases. Looking at the 2018s, these are largely in the same style yet have slightly more concentrated, structured profiles. My money is on the 2018s requiring slightly more bottle age, but I’ll report on those from bottle this time next year. In addition to the Côte Rôties, don’t miss a chance to try the Languedoc and Collines Rhodaniennes releases. Both represent terrific wines as well as value.

Similar in makeup to the le Vassal, the 2017 Languedoc Puech Noble is just a bit more intense and even fresher on the finish. Notes of almond paste and green peppercorn remain in the background, while tart pie cherries provide plenty of lively fruit in this medium to full-bodied red that finishes taut and crisp but with silky tannins. It includes about 5% Carignan, used to boost the wine's acidity without resorting to other means.