90/100 A great wine that’s sure to please. Ripe and fruity with cherry, red raspberry, thyme and eucalyptus on the nose. The mouth has a solid structure and is well integrated with prominent but not overpowering tannins and red plum guts on the palate. The finish is kissed with a hint of mocha. US$22 – […]
H&B n’est pas une marque de whisky mais les initiales de Hecht et Bannier. Toute l’activité est en négoce et donne un très bon panorama de ce qu’est le Languedoc actuellement. Cette région qui a connu de profonds changements ces 20 dernières années a un ambassadeur efficace pour une entrée en matière. Les vins sont […]
17/20 Aged in demi- muids. Syrah with Grenache. Very deep crimson. Sweet, sumptuous, rather burgundian nose and all the vigour of a fine Chateauneuf on the palate. Should be GV. Very long and no hurry to drink this. Tannins a- plenty. 14% – Drink 2010-14
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 […]