17/20 Aromatic high altitude wine strongly marked by Syrah – although it also contains Grenache and Mourvedre. Really very refined. Almost more like northern Rhone than Languedoc – no grit, all polish. 13.5% – Drink 2009-13
16,5/20 Syrah and Mourvedre. Dark, gamey and spicy with quite firm, dry tannins. Wait a while for this. A little hole in the middle for now. 14% – Drink 2011-15
16,5/20 Grenache, Syrah and Carignan. Rich, ripe and concentrated. Dry tannins – truly a Roussillon wine. Very dry finish. 14.5% – Drink 2010-14
16,5/20 Parmi la gamme de cet excellent négoce, le meilleur vin nous paraît être le Faugères, velouté et profond, à l’élégance soulignée par un élevage en filigrane. Inspiré, distingué, le 2006 séduit par ses douces notes d’agrumes et ses petits amers nobles en finale. 25€
91/100 The pungent smokiness one associates with schist is prominent in the nose of the H & B 2005 Saint-Chinian (even though the blend favors more Grenache and Mourvedre and more chalk soil than in 2006), along with ripe yet bright cherry fruit, and alluring perfume of iris. In the mouth, the contrast of soothing […]
92/100 The 2005 Cotes du Roussillon Villages – from what Hecht and Bannier call “a perfect vintage for Roussillon” – pours forth aromas and juicy sumptuous profusion of ripe black raspberry and cassis, but smoke, pencil lead, salt, chalk, and wet stone are never any farther from the surface than is the mother rock in […]
91/100 Hecht & Bannier’s 2005 Faugeres is a great tribute not just to its outstanding terroir, but to the skill with which the down-sides of this vintage have been overcome to present a wine of palpable density but remarkably refined tannins and fresh fruit. That said, this is more than anything else about mineral and […]
Gregory Hecht and Francois Bannier’s negociant partnership – entering its seventh year – is singularly quality-oriented, and their connections with growers and tireless tasting trips throughout the Languedoc and Roussillon (350-400 visits each year) are rewarding wine lovers wherever their limited production is sold. Make no mistake: wines under the Hecht & Bannier label can […]
88/100 Constituated primarily of Syrah from Saint Chinian and the Terrases du Larzac, and Grenache from Roussillon. The wine is so exuberantly and insistently redolent of fresh black raspberry, so salty, incisively bright, pungently herbal, and spicy, that it should act like a tonic on uninitiated and jaded palates alike. It certainly stimulated my appetite […]
(90-91)/100 Hecht & Bannier’s 2007 Minervois leans heavily on Syrah from La Liviniere, along with some Grenache and Carignan. Prior to bottling (and with the blend subject to small final adjustments), it smells of cassis, marjoram, and white pepper. Lush and silken in texture on the palate, it combines richness with vivacity and freshness of […]
