Coteaux du Languedoc 1989 – Prieuré de Saint-Jean de Bébian – Alc. 13.3% - was made mainly from Syrah, Grenache and Mourvèdre. I was worried by a leaky and crumbly cork and a level about 2-3cm below the cork. Initial impressions of orange mixed with a touch of cabbage coming from the decanter did not reassure. Happily aromas of dark fruit, forest floor, herbs, tar, gentle liquorice and old books rapidly came up and dominated. The palate was medium bodied with fine mat texture, good depth and complexity, enough resolved tannic support for the long finish and was above all harmonious in the style of a Mourvèdre marked mature CndP. Along with a Mas Jullien Cailloutis 1989, this is the finest mature Languedoc which has come my way and proves that the best are capable of ageing; 17/20++.
(This was made in the time of the estate’s original owner, A. Roux, who replanted the vines in the 70s and matured the wines in cement vats. In the early 90s, Chantal Lecouty and Jean-Claude Lebrun, the former managers of la Revue du Vin de France, took over and the estate retained its lustre http://www.bebian.com/index_e.html. At the end of 2008 it has been sold to Swiss investors and reviews of their efforts are less enthusiastic.)
. Can you imagine the same between Anglos and Quebecois in Canada? Come to think of it today's was also near the language frontier.