Mocha, honey, cassis, lightly-cooked cherry, and iris inform the strikingly bitter-sweet and complex 2006 Coteaux du Languedoc Terrasses du Larzac La Peira. Its confectionary hints as well as its ultra-polished texture suggest butter cream on the palate, with bitter-sweet floral perfume wafting throughout, and the same reservoir of fresh-fruit juiciness that is retained by all of the wines in this collection. The lift and refinement surpass the already in those respects remarkable Las Flores, although this cuvee is slightly less enveloping in its richness. A shimmering, crystalline sense of minerality here is no less remarkable for being illusive, and is in distinct contrast with the chalky manifestations found in the 2007. - David Schildknecht

Healthy crimson. A cooler year maybe but a much more refined wine than the very slightly rustic 2005. Polished with a wonderfully sumptuous texture and delightful freshness on the finish after a richly dark-fruited start. There's something black about this wine: tar? liquorice? But overall it has great presence on the palate. Neat finish. 17.5/20