2005 Domaine Lacroix-Vanel Languedoc-Pézenas Clos Mélanie

WineAlign

• By Sara d'Amato
  5/23/2011, (See more on WineAlign...)

  (Domaine Lacroix Vanel Cuvée Clos Mélanie, Ac Coteaux De Languedoc red) Login and sign up and see review text.

Garagiste

• By Jon Rimmerman
  7/31/2008, (See more on Garagiste...)

  (MELANIE Lacroix-Vanel) Melanie Dear Friends, In my continuing attempt to open the door of creativity and break down the barriers of wine lethargy in the US (attributed to megalith importers force-feeding you the wine they determine will make them the most money), we introduce another producer that deserves all the accolades that will hopefully come his way - he is old-school, focussed and determined to make his winery one of the beacons of France - one taster at a time. La Crioix-Vanel produces 3-4 different cuvees, but it is the top-end "Melanie" that has a chance to become a defining force. Last year's 2004 Melanie was one of the star examples of the Languedoc (with reviews to match) and I enjoyed several bottles of it on my travels in the fall of 2007 (one was left open for almost a week and it continued to improve - the other was enjoyed in Burgundy of all places). The wine was successful enough that I sought the source to secure a parcel. When I tasted the 2004 and 2005 side-by-side, it was clear that I wanted to wait until the 2005 was ready (summer 2008). The 2004 was very good but the 2005 takes that success to another level - it is a wine I can get all of our muscle behind. It is old-vine tannic, purple stained wine that is heavy on the Syrah without any oak influence at all (there is no oak used) - this is what northerly Chateaneuf used to be like before the heavily oaked luxury cuvees were created - think Janasse mixed with a barrel sample of old-school Clape Cornas (made in the Languedoc) and you will be close. When I first tasted the 2005 last winter my only comment was "people will stop in their tracks over this" - I didn't need to write anything else. This is a special producer, not just another winemaker, and I hope that is apparent to all of you. For now, the Melanie remains an insider's bargain wine of the highest order. With that in mind, I consistently receive requests for large-scaled, old-world wine in the $15-20 range but many of the Syrah-based examples stop short of the outstanding bar - not here. This wine will get noticed and it reaffirms the notion that you don't have to spend a ton of money to have the very best in the world - a producer on the brink of the big time. Already very hard to find in Europe, for the next few days, we have a chance to allocate more than one case per person (until they complete winery allocations on August 1st) - take advantage: VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED for outstanding varietal expression and extract intensity without any oak 2005 Domaine La Croix-Vanel "Clos Melanie" (Coteaux du Languedoc) Thank you, Jon Rimmerman Garagiste Seattle, WA SOFR8820