The 2009 Collioure les Junquets - as usual, comprising Syrah accented by Roussanne and Marsanne - was the sole member of Mas Blanc's classic Collioure trio of this vintage that they permitted me to taste from cask this April. Unlike the awkward 2008, this displays in admirably clear form - as it were, through pure pools of cherry and plum fruit - the unusual, marine mineral dimension that characterizes this cuvee, suggesting iodine, oyster shell, salt, and shrimp shell reduction. Notes of fennel as well as spice from barrel are restrained and nicely-integrated, although there is a hint of heat in the finish. I expect this will be worth following for at least half a dozen years. New importer pending.

A slightly musty, almost dusty as well as resinous overtone shrouds the ripe black fruits and covers over any mineral or floral nuances such as one might have anticipated from Mas Blanc's 2008 Collioure les Junquets with its unorthodox blend of Syrah augmented by Roussanne and Marsanne. Fresh purple plum and cherry on the palate take on a faintly medicinal but not unattractive sense of iodine and bitter herbs though the musty aspect persists albeit mutedly and the finish here strikes me as slightly dried by the exposure to barrel. I would plan on drinking this over the next 2-3 years. New importer pending.

The Mas Blanc 2007 Collioure les Junquets – an unorthodox blend of Syrah with Roussanne and Marsanne, grown largely on gneiss – was aged in one new demi-muid and four older barriques. (That’s right: only around 160 cases total were produced this vintage.) The blend offers an aroma of cassis and chocolate with hints of sweet floral perfume, as well as coconut, vanilla, and resin related to oak. In the mouth, this is expansive and rich, quite caressing in texture, with deep cocoa powder and black fruits tinged with brown spices and chalk, and a long, soothing finish. I sense that there is additional complexity to emerge here even in the short term, but this should be unusually flattering out of the starting gate by estate standards, and still worthy of 5-7 years cellaring. Jean-Michel Parce’s barrel regimen here required some explanation, after I was offered samples of 2007s, one of which was to my surprise entirely dominated by new wood. It transpires that certain specific barrels of Collioure Cosprons are selected by the U.S. importer – none of them new – whereas there is a single assemblage of all barrels of the other two crus, of which my samples had not been representative. Armed with that information, I was able to achieve from barrel a close approximation to the wines that will eventually appear in the U.S. market, and on which my notes and ratings are based. Parce considers 2007 an exceptional vintage, on a par with 2001 in his estate’s recent history.Importer: Vineyard Brands, Birmingham, AL; tel. (205) 980-8802

The 2006 Collioure les Junquets is pungently scented with lavender, rosemary, and star anise, along with cassis and slightly detached notes of resin, spice, and vanilla from toasted oak. Impressively concentrated on the palate, it remains somewhat superficially marked by its wood, a circumstance which I am inclined to believe might long prevail. But there is considerable compensation in the wine’s complexity, as well as refined tannins. Black pepper and smoke meat along with a reprise of fragrant herbs mark the lingering finish. I would be inclined to drink this in the next 4-6 years and not to bank on the wood element entirely integrating. Jean-Michel Parce’s barrel regimen here required some explanation, after I was offered samples of 2007s, one of which was to my surprise entirely dominated by new wood. It transpires that certain specific barrels of Collioure Cosprons are selected by the U.S. importer – none of them new – whereas there is a single assemblage of all barrels of the other two crus, of which my samples had not been representative. Armed with that information, I was able to achieve from barrel a close approximation to the wines that will eventually appear in the U.S. market, and on which my notes and ratings are based. Parce considers 2007 an exceptional vintage, on a par with 2001 in his estate’s recent history.Importer: Vineyard Brands, Birmingham, AL; tel. (205) 980-8802