2006 La Peira Terrasses du Larzac Languedoc-Roussillon

The 2006 Coteaux du Languedoc Terrasses du Larzac Las Flors de la Peira--with a bit more Grenache and correspondingly less Syrah than its 2007 counterpart--displays a simultaneously ravishing and decadent nose of fading lilies, iris, candied black fruits, mint chocolate, resin, and baking spices. Chalky, stony foundations under-gird the chocolate-drenched and spice-dusted black fruits on the palate, and an inner mouth floral profusion persists right though to a superbly soothing finish. In both perfume and its cocoa-powder richness and velvet texture, this puts me in mind of a great Pomerol. For as far-gone on sheer ripeness and decadence as it is, this retains a wonderful sense of lift and elegance. Here is further proof (in a dramatically different style from Olivier Jullien’s wine) that 2006 was especially favored in this sector of the Terrasses du Larzac, and certainly this wine bids fair to evolve fascinatingly for at least a decade. Review Date: June 2009