92/100
The Hecht & Bannier 2003 Saint Chinian (from Syrah, Grenache and Mourvèdre) utterly belies its vintage, while demonstrating the heights to which its appellation can aspire. Wood smoke, wet stones, sweat, and toasted walnut all inflect the blueberry and boysenberry aromas, leading to a luscious, smoothly-textured palate full of blue fruit and meat stock underlain by chalk and stone, and accented by hints of fruit pit bitterness. This displays amazing lift for a Languedoc red (not to mention of vintage 2003) and finishes with tenacity yet refinement. Precisely because it is so delicious now, such an amazing value and from a producer so new, I’d be tempted to stock away a few bottles and see what develops over the next several years. US$ 23
