Domaine Treloar Cotes du Roussillon Three Peaks, Languedoc-Roussillon, France

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Smoky, resinous, and tar-like notes hover over scents of ripe black fruits in the nose of Treloar's 2009 Cotes du Roussillon Three Peaks, which I tasted shortly before it was to have been bottled, and which represents a blend of Grenache, Syrah and Mourvedre. This well-concentrated effort would benefit from a bit more sap and primary juiciness in its finish but there is decent length and an admirable sense of flavor interplay that corresponds to the intrigue of its aroma. Hesford says that in general his 2008s were - and he still finds them - more expressive than the corresponding 2009s, but he wonders aloud whether his 2009s might be longer-lived. On the evidence in the present glass, I would anticipate this being best drunk within the same 3-4 year window that I project for the corresponding 2008. But then, it's early days not only in this wine's evolution but, relatively speaking, in terms of track record for this estate as well. Like so many modern wine growers, English-born Jonathan Hesford - trained as a physicist - admits to having "just started out as a lover of wine" and then gotten carried-away. He and his wife Rachel Treloar left her native New Zealand in 2005 after acquiring a run-down old winery in Trouillas (not far south of Perpignan) with diverse parcels of various cepages. The attraction of Roussillon was - as it has been for so many "outsiders" - the availability of proven terroir and old vines at a reasonable price; and "what impressed me," says Hesford about the Les Aspres sector, "is that there's a lot of (water-retentive) clay in the soil, so you get a bit more freshness into the wine. For the kinds of wine I wanted to make, I thought this was more appropriate than, say, the Agly Valley." The kinds of wine Hesford makes are really quite diverse, not to mention evolving, and promising.There is at present no U.S. importer.

Scents of leather, game, and diverse black fruits in Treloar's 2008 Cotes du Roussillon Three Peaks acquire an attractive and intriguing sense of beef marrow richness on the palate, and this finishes with a purer expression of fruit and cleaner meatiness than were projected on the nose. Hints of ginger and resin add further interest to a cuvee matured for one year in older barriques, and which, incidentally, may soon be renamed "Trois Pics" not only to promote sales inside France but to clarify its identity internationally as a wine from France. I would expect this to perform well for at least 4-5 years. Like so many modern wine growers, English-born Jonathan Hesford - trained as a physicist - admits to having "just started out as a lover of wine" and then gotten carried-away. He and his wife Rachel Treloar left her native New Zealand in 2005 after acquiring a run-down old winery in Trouillas (not far south of Perpignan) with diverse parcels of various cepages. The attraction of Roussillon was - as it has been for so many "outsiders" - the availability of proven terroir and old vines at a reasonable price; and "what impressed me," says Hesford about the Les Aspres sector, "is that there's a lot of (water-retentive) clay in the soil, so you get a bit more freshness into the wine. For the kinds of wine I wanted to make, I thought this was more appropriate than, say, the Agly Valley." The kinds of wine Hesford makes are really quite diverse, not to mention evolving, and promising.There is at present no U.S. importer.