89+/100
Leaning heavily on Syrah from schist, the Hecht & Bannier 2006 Saint-Chinian was nearly two years in a combination of tank and barrels. Smoke and crushed stone seem to hover over the glass, and an adamant mineral tone persists throughout, with bitter- and tartly-edged black fruits reflecting the relatively low pH of the vintage. This concentrated essence of an appellation (albeit one geologically heterogeneous) has just recently retreated into a shell, say Hecht and Bannier. It certainly looks likely to benefit from a couple of years in bottle and probably will be worth following for a comparably long period thereafter. US$22
