2019 Ermitage du Pic Saint-Loup Tour de Pierres, Languedoc-Roussillon, France (750ml)

Pierre, Jean-Marc, and Xavier Ravaille took over their mother’s estate in 1992, and soon began converting their 100+ acres to organic farming. Now they incorporate biodynamics into their regime as well, a practice made easier by the fact that they have hardly any neighbors: They own more than 1,300 acres of forest and field. This wine—a “tour of stones”—incorporates fruit off vines grown on various soil types, from red clay to crumbly scree. It conjures up the wildness of their sprawling estate in its scents of garrigue, rich earth and hot stone. The tannins imbue the fruit with a deeply satisfying meatiness and a structure to hold it fresh for days after opening; their grip suggests that this will only get better, too, with a few more years in the cellar

- Wine & Spirits, 95 pts.