Winemaker Notes
Garnet color with violet hues, the nose is marked by black and ripe berries with a touch of oak. The palate is intense and generous, wrapped by an aromatic palette of red, black fruits and spice notes with a very balanced finish.
Blend: 70% Syrah, 20% Grenache, 8% Mourvèdre, 2% Carignan
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
This is an elegant, floral-led red blend. The wine has a perfumed nose of vanilla, spice cake, blackberry, dried red cherry, violet blossom and a hint of dried field herbs. The midpalate has an undercurrent of chalk and black plum that lend concentration through to the long finish. Drink now–2034.
Editors' Choice -
Wilfred Wong of Wine.com
The 2021 Chateau Puech-Haut is one of the Languedoc's top wines. This wine offers aromas and flavors of cedarwood, blackberries, and aromatic spices. Enjoy this wine with a thick grilled veal chop. (Tasted: July 19, 2024, San Francisco, CA)
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James Suckling
An intense, dense, textured and concentrated red with aromas of blackberries, bark, dried herbs, grilled meat and baking spices. It’s full-bodied with plush tannins. The creamy texture is so dense. Plenty of fruit and spice on offer with a vivid, energetic finish.
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Wine Spectator
For fans of the modern style, this dark, rich and opulent red speaks of its sunny origins. There's a chewy feel to its stream of cherry paste, licorice, toasted aniseed and mocha, with graphite underpinnings. Velvety tannins and smoky, toasty apple wood hints round out the full-bodied finish, with a touch of olive tapenade. Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre and Carignan. Drink now through 2028. 1,600 cases made, 28 cases imported.
Nestled on the shores of the Mediterranean and the foothills of the Cevennes region of southern France, Chateau Puech-Haut’s vineyards span 625 acres in Côteaux du Languedoc AOC, including 230 acres in Saint Drézéry and 55 acres in Pic Saint Loup. The estate’s vineyards are mainly planted to Syrah, Grenache, Carignan (50-60-year-old vines), Viognier, Marsanne and Roussanne.
The history of Château Puech-Haut is above all the story of Gérard Bru, a visionary man who built his vineyard just as he built his own life: starting from nothing and creating and achieving a dream without question. In 1980, Bru bought a parcel that was planted to olive trees and wasn’t part of the Languedoc A.O.C. classification. Bru was impressed with the area’s unique terroir and believed it was ideal for growing premium grapes, with its clay and limestone soils topped with a layer of rounded pebbles. The property was converted from olives to grapes and the property’s farmhouse evolved to Château Puech-Haut, producing its first wines a few years later.
The wines of Château Puech-Haut are all full of history and endowed with a singular identity with strong character. In summarizing the Estate’s philosophy, Gérard Bru states, “Our objective is clear: produce the greatest wines by respecting and captivating various terroirs is the philosophy of Puech Haut.”
With bold fruit flavors and accents of sweet spice, Grenache, Syrah and Mourvèdre form the base of the classic Rhône Red Blend, while Carignan, Cinsault and Counoise often come in to play. Though they originated from France’s southern Rhône Valley, with some creative interpretation, Rhône blends have also become popular in other countries. Somm Secret—Putting their own local spin on the Rhône Red Blend, those from Priorat often include Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. In California, it is not uncommon to see Petite Sirah make an appearance.
Approved for both red and rosé wines, Saint-Drézéry sits between Montpellier and Nîmes at the eastern end of the Languedoc, deep in the hot, dry lowlands along the Mediterranean coast. Comprised of the great southern French grapes, Syrah, Grenache and Mourvèdre, with traditional Languedoc favorite Carignan blended in for rustic grip, the wines are robust and full-bodied, but retain acidity due to low rainfall and cool nights. Tending toward the meaty, roasted style of Languedoc red, the region’s wines show fig, stewed plum, and blackberry fruit, with licorice and pepper spice. The product of a wine tradition which traces its roots to the Romans, the quality of Saint-Drézéry reds have been recognized for centuries. Learn about Barossa wine, common tasting notes, where the region is and more ...