2013 Le Cirque Rouge Cotes Catalanes 750 ml

Parker’s Wine Advocate: 2013 Le Cirque will “compete with $20-$30 Rhônes”

Reporting from Montpelier: The windswept hillsides of Languedoc-Roussillon have long given birth to the richest and most powerfully structured red wine bargains in the world. But once again, as we travel the back roads from Montpelier to the outskirts of Perpignan, we’re reminded that while these two appellations are often separated by just a hyphen, the differences are far greater than most think.

The wines of Languedoc, generally speaking, are most similar to those of the southern Rhône and, in the cooler sections, to the Syrahs of the northern Rhône. The soils of the Roussillon, however, are quite different, riddled with flaky schist. The wind howls off the Mediterranean, often topping 100 mph on hot summer days. Old-vine Carignan and Grenache struggle to eke out 2 tons per acre. Skin-to-juice ratio is high. The top wines tend to be dark purple in color, filled with black-fruit preserves, while still remaining light on their feet as the high schist content makes for low finished pH and vibrant acidity.

Due to the often-excessive summer heat, the most compelling vintages are usually the cool years, where there’s no risk of blistering or desiccation. 2013 — one of the cooler years on the Côtes Catalanes, which concluded with a textbook Indian summer — was just such a vintage. Here’s how it played out.

Flowering came in early June, two weeks later than the norm. July and August were fairly cool, punctuated by rainstorms, soon followed by the Tramontane wind. The call to harvest came in late September with early-maturing Syrah, but later-ripening Grenache, Carignan, and Mourvèdre wouldn’t come in until early October. Yields were small, as was berry size. Natural concentration was superb, even as acids remained vibrant and tannins firm.

Over the last decade, precious few under-$13 reds have earned raves from Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate. But in the case of the 2013 Le Cirque Côtes Catalanes — one of most compelling French country reds of the year — The Wine Advocate went wild, describing “a smoking blend of 60% Grenache, 20% Syrah and the balance Carignan. … tons of black raspberry, kirsch, licorice and spice to go with a medium to full-bodied, pure, polished style on the palate. … 91 points.”

$12.99/bottle, shipping included on cases. Last call: 480 bottles.