Mas Jullien 1999

Mas Jullien belongs to the handful Languedoc wine estates that have been making a name for themselves for two decades now. Young Olivier Jullien is renowned for vinous France’s most contagious smile, but also for his humble approach to terroir and winemaking; his three wines (apart from the rare white and flagship red, there is a lighter, more affordable red aptly named États d’Âme) are probably the most transparent, stone-driven in the entire region.

Always too early.

I admit to have a patchy record with Mas Jullien. On several occasions the wine was either totally dumb, or filthily corked. On other ones, it was too young, and only hinting at its real dimension. I have a mixed case of vintages in the cellar but every time I think about opening a bottle, I withdraw in the fear it is too early.

On a recent trip to Wiesbaden I visited Weincontor, an outstanding wine merchant with the guts (a rare thing today) to cellar most of the wines they buy and release them when roughly ready to drink. Thus, 1998 Chianti, 1995 Mosel Riesling, 1999 Châteauneuf and 1998 dry Jurançon were purchased for forthcoming ‘occasions’. For drinking today, a Mas Jullien.

Contrary to what I expected, the Mas Jullien Coteaux du Languedoc 1999 is everything but mature. Typically for this wine, the colour is not too concentrated, showing a warm red tinge. On the nose, we get a core of solid cherry fruit, a bit of alcohol, and what I identified as Carignan herbiness (which is partnered by Syrah here). Surely an impressive wine on the palate, concentrated with lots of presence. Surprising acidity and surprising backwardness: not even merely mature, even though the tannins are softened and quiet. Really lots of zest: it is a Mediterranean wine, but there is also a high-grown uprightness and austerity of the high-perched limestone vineyards that the current vinous nomenclature labels Terrasses de Larzac.

This is a grown-up wine. If you come to the Languedoc for its luscious spicy fruit, look elsewhere (though you need look no farther than Mas Jullien’s États d’Âme). If you’re on your way down from Burgundy or Barolo, you’ll want to stay.