Exploring Lirac (7) an overview and a big tasting of Lirac wines
Lirac is one of the crus of the Rhône valley, and it’s just northwest of Avignon, next door to Tavel and over the river from Châteauneuf-du-Pape. It became a cru back in 1947. This is a warm, sunny place for growing grape vines with 2700 sun-hours per year, and a strong influence from the Mistral wind from the northeast.
The most well known terroir here are the large river stones (galets roulés), but there are also some sandy soils and even some limestone in various parts.
This is a relatively small cru with 841 hectares under vine, and production hovering around 30 000 hectolitres a year. 87% of production is red, with 3% rosé and 10% white.
This tasting looked at a range of current releases, in white, pink and red.
Lirac Blanc
Ogier Lirac Blanc 2023
13.5% alcohol. Fresh, bright and aromatic on the nose with sweet pear and citrus fruit with some floral hints. Bright and focused on the palate with crisp citrus fruit, a touch of honeysuckle, and nice brightness. Has a stony mineral edge. Very appealing. 91/100
Château Manissy l’Avant Goût du Paradis Lirac Blanc 2023
14% alcohol. Grenache, Rousanne and Clairette, biodynamically farmed. Full yellow/gold colour. Refined nose of spicy citrus with some pear and peach, and a hint of nuts. Really fresh and invigorating. The palate is broad, intense and slightly saline with a nice saline twist and nice depth to the fruit. It’s not at all heavy, despite the full flavour. 94/100
Domaine Corne-Loup Lirac Blanc 2023
14.5% alcohol. Bold, rich and textural with nice depth. Lush pear and peach fruit but kept fresh by a lovely spicy citrus character. There’s depth here and a nice subtle toast frill on the finish. Rich but balanced. 92/100
Château d’Aqueria Lirac Blanc 2023
14% alcohol. Compact, ripe and stony with nice bright citrus fruit. Has depth with good acidity and precision. Nice supple pear and white peach fruit with some delicacy on the finish. There’s quite a bit of mid-palate volume here. 91/100
Domaine Maby Lirac Blanc La Fermade 2023
14.5% alcohol. Organic. Grenache Blanc, Clairette and Piquepoul Blanc. This is richly textured but also fresh with bright citrus with a touch of white peach. Really crisp and focused with nice precision to the fruit. Really crystalline on the finish. 93/100
Château Le Devoy Martine Lirac Blanc Via Secreta 2023
14% alcohol. Nicely textured, this is a rich dry white with some lemon, pear and peach fruit, showing good acidity supporting the finely spiced fruit. Nice depth here with a lovely tapering finish. 92/100
Domaine de la Mordorée La Reine des Bois Lirac Blanc 2022
14% alcohol. Biodynamically farmed Grenache Blanc, Clairette, Viognier and Roussanne. This has richness and detail with a sweet pear and peach core, a touch of apricot, some subtle creaminess on the palate, and nice freshness on the finish. Bright and detailed with a hint of aniseed on the finish. 94/100
Château de Bouchassy Lirac Blanc Magnolia 2022
13.5% alcohol. Grenache, Clairette, Roussanne and Viognier. This is really bright with a wet stone mineral note and zippy citrus and green apple fruit. Vivid and fresh with good acidity and focus. Very lively and bright. 90/100
Château Boucarut Lirac Blanc D’Schlànga 2022
13% alcohol. Naturally made, biodynamically farmed by Saskia and Maurice Goetschy. Full yellow colour with some green hints, this is saline and detailed with beautiful, complex pear and apple fruit as well as some crystalline citrus. Such precision and detail here: this is distinctive but really fine and beautiful. Superb stuff. 95/100
Domaine des Carabiniers Lirac Blanc 2022
13% alcohol. 50% Grenache Blanc and equal parts Roussanne and Viognier, biodynamically farmed. This has a distinctive creamy, dairy quality under the bright pear and citrus fruit with some buttery notes that are a bit of a distraction from the lovely fruit quality. But this is fine and fresh with white peach and crystalline citrus fruit. 90/100
Château de Montfaucon Lirac Blanc Comtesse Madeleine 2022
13.5% alcohol. Organically famred Marsanne, Clairette, Grenache Blanc and Piquepoul Blanc. Full yellow colour with bright citrus and peach fruit, showing nice depth. Has a stony mineral edge to the fruit with a twist of grapefruit and lime on the finish. Lively stuff. 93/100
Lirac Rosé
Les Vignerons de Tavel & Lirac L’Inattendu Lirac Rosé 2023
13% alcohol. Pink/orange in colour this has a subtle creamy edge to the bright cherry and pear fruit, with some stony notes on the finish. Dry and appealing with some character. 88/100
Domaine Jocelyn Raoux Lirac Rosé 2023
14.5% alcohol. Despite the alcohol, this pale-coloured rosé is fresh and delicate with nice pear, citrus and cranberry notes, with pure fruit and nice texture, finishing with bright acidity. 90/100
Lirac Rouge
Ogier Lirac Le Petit Prince 2022
14.5% alcohol. Sweetly aromatic with ripe cherries and plums, with some warmth on the nose. The palate is supple, stony and gravelly with ripe red fruits and a spicy, savoury edge. Has a touch of development. 88/100
Les Vignerons de Tavel & Lirac Les Hauts d’Anantalys Lirac 2022
14.5% alcohol. Supple, warm, spicy and with a bright finish. The palate shows stewed plums, red cherries and some garrigue-like herb notes. Broad and satisfying with a bit of tannic bite. 88/100
La Réserve Saint Dominique Lirac 2022
14.5% alcohol. Organic. 65% Grenache, 30% Syrah, 5% Mourvèdre. Concentrated and bold with a core of sweet raspberry and cherry fruit with some warmth, finishing with exotic Provençale herbs and a slight stoniness. Has some evolution. 89/100
Domaine Coudoulis Lirac Evidence 2021
15% alcohol. Organically farmed Grenache, Syrah and Mourvèdre grown on galets roulés. Bright, lively, spicy and structured with good acidity adding a juicy quality to the fruit. There’s nice volume of sweet berry fruits here with a touch of spice on the finish. 90/100
Domaine Jocelyn Raoux Lirac 2022
15% alcohol. From galets roules over clay/limestone, and then some calcareous soils. A blend of Grenache and Syrah. Ripe and concentrated with lush, sweet cherry and berry fruit with a stony, mineral twist. Has a core of sweet fruit but also some savoury, grainy characters. A rich style but with some complexity. 91/100
Domaine des Causses Réserve Syrah Lirac 2022
13.5% alcohol. Ripe sweet plum and cherry fruit but with a savoury, spicy, grainy edge to the fruit. Nice depth with some garrigue-like herbal elements and a savoury, grainy finish. 90/100
Domaine La Lôyane Cuvée Elie Lirac 2022
14.5% alcohol. Organic Grenache and Syrah raised in barrels. Sweet plums, pepper and spice on the nose leading to a palate where spicy, savoury oak supports sweet black cherry and blackberry fruit. Has some mint and olive in the mix, and finishes firm. 90/100
J-M Delorme Lirac Les Baumes 2022
14% alcohol. Organic Grenache and Syrah grown on galets roulés and sand. Sweetly fruited with a savoury, mineral twist to the sweet cherries and plums. Some olive and pepper with a sleek, ripe dark fruits character, finishing savoury. 91/100
Château Aqueria Lirac 2022
14.5% alcohol. Sweetly fruited with red cherries and berries, but has a hint of tar and cocoa, as well as cedar. There seems to be some smoky oak influence here and it gets in the way a bit. A nice dry red, but doesn’t have much local personality and feels a bit made. 88/100
Calvet Lirac 2022
14.5% alcohol. Grainy and grippy with sweet stewed plum and raspberry fruit. Slightly faded with a mineral, earthy, herbal savouriness under the ripe fruit. Midweight and nicely balanced, but not very characterful. 87/100
Domaine La Lôyane Cuvée Marie Lirac 2021
14.5% alcohol. Mainly Grenache, raised in barriques. Grippy and structured with firm tannins under the bright cherry and berry fruit. Quite firm and unyielding but with nice fruit intensity: this could develop well. 89/100
Domaine Castel Oualou Lirac Réserve Fût de Chêne 2021
13.5% alcohol. First bottle: savoury, dusty and a bit peppery, this shows some evolution with stewed plums and herbs, as well as some hints of earth. Supple with some brightness to the fruit, but overall a bit faded and savoury. Second bottle: there’s brighter, clearer fruit here with a core of sweet cherries and plums, as well as some red cherries. Has a nice openness with red fruits to the core and then a supple, herb-kissed finish. Much better! 91/100
Château Boucarut Lirac Pierres Vivantes 2021
14% alcohol. Organic and natural. Nice intensity here with a savoury, spicy, stony edge to the plush cherry and berry fruits. It has fruit but also savoury complexity, with appropriate tannins and a slightly drying finish. Stylish with lots of personality and a nice core of fruit. 94/100
Domaine Maby Bel Canto Lirac 2021
15% alcohol. Grenache on galets roulés. Ripe, appealing, bright and voluminous with a core of sweet cherry and berry fruits, as well as some wild strawberry. There’s a twist of white pepper, but the key feature of this wine is the sweet, rounded, juicy red fruits with a slight saltiness on the finish. There’s quite a bit of tannin hiding under the fruit, too. 93/100
Domaine Les Colombettes Lirac 2021
14.5% alcohol. Sweetly fruited with nice structure sitting under the cherry and plum fruit. Notes of pepper, garrigues and turned earth as well as ripe plums and a slight gravelly savouriness on the finish. Finishes lively. 92/100
Château Mont-Redon Lirac 2021
14.5% alcohol. Ripe berry fruits here coupled with some savoury, grainy, gravelly structure. It’s a bold wine with some brightness to the fruit. Sweet raspberries and cherries with a bit of grip, and a slightly saline twist to the finish, along with some herbal notes. 92/100
Domaine des Pères de l’Eglise Saint Augustin Lirac 2021
15% alcohol. Grenache, Syrah and Carignan aged in foudres. Nicely concentrated sweet berry fruits with some nice spiciness. Has a savoury, herbal twist to the fruit. Fine grained, slightly peppery, with some earthy hints. 90/100
Domaine Corne-Loup Cuvée du Gouverneur Lirac 2021
14% alcohol. Grenache, Syrah and Mourvèdre (30%). A powerful, spicy expression of Lirac with ripe, bold fruit and then some spicy oak framing the sweet fruit. Polished and modern, and bottled in a Bordeaux-style bottle, this isn’t entirely typical for Lirac. 89/100
Château Manissy Lirac 2021
14% alcohol. Biodynamically farmed Grenache and Syrah. Brooding with a nice savoury, spicy edge to the juicy strawberry and cherry fruit with some dried herbs and a twist of sour cherry on the finish. A little bit earthy, finishing structured and quite dry. 92/100
Domaine des Carabiniers Lirac 2021
13% alcohol. A blend of biodynamically farmed Grenache, Mourvèdre and Syrah. Focused with keen acidity supporting the bright cherry and raspberry fruit, with some stewed strawberry and dried herbs in the mix. Quite tart, balancing sweet fruit with savoury elements. Juicy, vivid and linear with nice acidity. 90/100
Château Trinquevedel Lirac Le Sablon 2021
15% alcohol. Nice sweet cherry and berry fruits with some brooding black fruit richness and a firmly structured, savoury finish. Has a bit of grip and finishes drying. 89/100
Château de Bouchassy Lirac Quatuor 2020
14.5% alcohol. Grenache, Syrah, Cinsault and Mourvèdre. Sweet cherries and plums on the nose with some spicy, herbal detail. The palate has a stony, savoury edge with sweet, slightly stewed fruit and some gravel and spice on the finish. 90/100
Château Trinquevedel Lirac Le Sablon 2020
14.5% alcohol. Appealing spice-laden cherry and plum fruit with some aniseed and cedar savouriness. There seems to be some oak here making its presence felt. Finishes dry. 88/100
Domaine Coudoulis Lirac Hommage 2020
15% alcohol. From the best parcels of Grenache and Syrah. Nice fruit here: sweet rounded cherries and plums with a hint of creaminess to the texture. Sweetly fruited with a bit of grip on the balance. Lovely balance here. 93/100
Maison Sinnae Lirac Les Cosses Vacquières 2020
15.5% alcohol. Bright and fruity with nice sweet red cherry and red berry fruit. Smooth and with some nice depth, showing a touch of stewed plum and a soft texture. Ripe but still has balance. 90/100
Domaine de la Mordorée Lirac La Reine des Bois 2020
15.5% alcohol. Biodynamically farmed Grenache, Syrah and Mourvèdre. Ripe but balanced with a fine-grained savoury structure supporting sweet cherries and plums with a twist of liquorice and white pepper. Good concentration and fruit purity here, with appropriate structure, and carries the high alcohol well. 94/100
Château de Montfaucon Lirac Baron Louis 2019
15% alcohol. Grenache, Syrah, Cinsault, Carignan, Mourvèdre. Ripe and sweetly fruited with rich berry fruits as well as some sweet strawberry and stewed plum. Grainy structure with some warmth on the finish. Lots of concentration here, in a ripe style. 92/100
Xavier Vignon Lirac 2019
15% alcohol. Ripe, lush and sweetly fruited with some herbal notes as well as ripe strawberry and red cherry fruit. Has some autumnal undergrowth savouriness in the background and finishes slightly salty. Lush and sweet, and quite appealing. Good structure. 92/100
EXPLORING LIRAC
