2017 Domaine la Bergerie de l'Arcade, Languedoc

About this wine The 2017 Domaine la Bergerie de l'Arcade Languedoc is a Grenache-Syrah blend from one of the Languedoc's most quietly ambitious young estates. Pascal and Gilles Soulas, brothers from a fruit-farming family in Pouzols-en-Languedoc, Hérault, released their first vintage in 2016, and within just a few releases the wine had earned a place alongside Clos d'Ora, Château La Negly La Porte du Ciel and La Coume du Roy Maury in Wine-Searcher's annual round-up of the new "blue chip" Languedoc. The Soulas brothers learned their craft alongside the late Laurent Vaillé of Domaine de la Grange des Pères, the legendary cult Languedoc winemaker, and that lineage shows: the wines are concentrated, structured, finely framed, deeply mineral. The 2017 is split half Grenache, half Syrah, drawn from the brousses (scrubland) of Puechabon and Aniane, vineyards directly adjacent to Grange des Pères' own terroir. Twelve months in oak barrels followed by ten months in vat. The 2017 vintage in the Languedoc was warm and generous, and the wine carries that depth: dark fruits, liquorice, fine garrigue, and a long structured finish framed by remarkably refined tannins. 91 points from Wine-Searcher's critical aggregate. Drink now through 2030. About Domaine la Bergerie de l'Arcade Domaine la Bergerie de l'Arcade is a young Languedoc estate based in Pouzols, in the Hérault département, owned and run by brothers Pascal and Gilles Soulas. The family had farmed fruit trees in the area for generations before the brothers turned to wine, learning the craft alongside the late Laurent Vaillé at Domaine de la Grange des Pères, one of the most legendary cult estates in southern France. Their first vintage was released in 2016 and within a few years the domaine had been recognised as part of the new prestige tier of Languedoc producers, included by Wine-Searcher among the region's emerging blue chips alongside Clos d'Ora and Château La Negly. The reds are Grenache-Syrah-based blends (Mourvèdre joins in some vintages), aged 12 months in oak barrels then 10 months in vat, made under sustainable viticulture from old-vine parcels in Puechabon and Aniane. Production is small, allocations are tight, and the wines are increasingly scarce on the US market.