St-Chinian report 2023: Latest releases tasted

St-Chinian 2021 vintage rating: 4 / 5

St-Chinian 2020 vintage rating: 4.5 / 5

If there’s one thing to remember about St-Chinian (beyond the fact that its reds, and increasingly whites, are of exceptional quality), it would be the two terroir heavyweights of the appellation: schist vs limestone. More or less divided in two, schist dominates in the northwest and limestone in the southeast.

Broadly speaking, the wines from schist soils are more accessible early on, with distinct coffee bean and roasted characters and fine tannins, whereas those from limestone soils have a denser tannic structure yet good freshness.

White wines were added to the St-Chinian appellation in 2004, but they remain a relative rarity – only 5% of production is white. There’s great promise for St-Chinian whites though; Grenache Blanc, Roussanne, Marsanne, Rolle, Carignan Blanc, Clairette and Viognier form the painter’s palette. Many of the whites have seen some oak, are well structured and tend towards opulence. Rolle lends its lovely floral fragrance, Grenache Blanc brings bitter stoniness. When all is in balance, a fresh and chalky, rocky structure is engraved with rich notes of nut oil and preserved lemons, and it’s really quite captivating. Paring back on overt oak might give these wines even more definition.

Out of the dichotomy of its two terroirs St-Chinian emerges as a high-quality appellation making characterful wines worthy of attention, and the most recent vintages support this. However, as consumers look towards lighter, fresher wines with lower alcohol, some of the over-extracted, overtly oaked examples that are still being produced may not prove popular.

See the Languedoc report 2023 homepage

Scroll down to see tasting notes and scores for the top St-Chinian wines from 2020 & 2021

2020

The growing season

Following a mild winter and fairly warm spring, rain arrived in May and brought with it problems of disease in the vines. Yves Falmet, of Domaine Terres Falmet in the south of the appellation, recalls that there was ‘strong mildew pressure’. Overall, though, this was a very good vintage, with a hot summer producing good ripeness and well-balanced wines.

Whites

There are a few 2020 whites on the market now, but most have moved onto 2021s. The 2020s tasted showed the ripeness and heat of the vintage, with good concentration and fruit complexity.

Reds

The 2020 reds are excellent, with supple berry fruit, lots of spice, deep charred characters and really succulent acidity. They’re drinking very well now. That being said, some still tend towards over-extraction and jamminess. This is likely a stylistic choice though, with some wines feeling a little old-fashioned.

See the Languedoc latest releases score tables:

All top-scoring wines

All top-scoring white wines

All top-scoring red wines

See notes and scores for all St-Chinian latest releases rated

2021

The growing season

‘Spring frosts meant that maturity arrived late, and there was a small yield,’ says Thierry Navarre of his eponymous domaine in the town of Roquebrun, in the northern, schist-dominant part of the appellation. 

The frosts were fairly localised though, and due to the extremely varied topography of the entire St-Chinian growing area, those with vines on slopes avoided the worst of it.

Falmet has vines on a north-facing outcrop of limestone, ‘some nearby vineyards were impacted by the frost, but as my vines are on a slope, the cold air stays at the bottom, my vines weren’t really affected,’ he says. The fact that he also prunes particularly late means that the vines had not yet gone through budbreak by the time the frost arrived.

Whites

Overall the 2021 whites really impressed. Delicate, floral, with great intensity of citrus fruit and lots of textural complexity.

A quick note on the 2022 whites, many of which are now on the market: these need a little more time in bottle; they’re plush, luscious and a little waxy.

Reds

Where the whites excelled, the reds didn’t quite meet the same heights. 2021 reds had hefty tannins, which appear a little spiky in some of the wines. There seems to be enough ripeness, though, so they should soften in time.

Idividual appellation analysis:

Limoux | Corbières & Minervois | Faugères | Picpoul de Pinet | Terrasses de Larzac | Pic St Loup | La Clape

Top-scoring wines

White

Domaine des Pradels-Quartironi, Le Moineau des Glycines, St-Chinian 2020 – 94 points

Red

Thierry Navarre, Ribeyrenc, St-Chinian 2021 – 94 points

Thierry Navarre, Le Laouzil, St-Chinian 2021 – 94 points

Terres Falmet, L’Ivresse des Cimes, St-Chinian 2021 – 94 points

Top five value wines

Domaine La Linquière, Fleur de Lin, St-Chinian 2021 – 93 points

Les Vignobles Foncalieu, Petit Paradis, St-Chinian 2022 – 88 points

Cave de Roquebrun, Les Fiefs d’Aupenac, St-Chinian 2020 – 93 points

Clos la Rivière, St-Chinian 2019 – 93 points

Clos Bagatelle, Sentiers de Bagatelle, Colline, St-Chinian 2020 – 90 points

Top five producers to look out for

Domaine de Pech Ménel

A domaine run by sisters Elisabeth and Marie-Françoise Poux whose wines show the elegance and ageability of St-Chinian reds.

Domaine des Pradels-Quartironi

An organic family domaine in the north of the appellation, I was particularly impressed by the white, which offers great value for money.

Domaine La Linquière

A domaine of 25ha, it was the white that took my breath away here, Rolle and Grenache Blanc in a delicate blend of crushed rocks and apple blossom.

Domaine Terres Falmet

Vines on the north face of a steep limestone slope, which looks more like a landscape found in Burgundy or Champagne. Grapes are harvested ultra ripe, macerations are long, the wines are structured yet poised, with good freshness and character. As well as a top-class St-Chinian cuvée, owner and winemaker Yves Falmet makes a number of single-variety wines, giving Aramon, Carignan, Mourvèdre and Cinsault their time in the spotlight.

Thierry Navarre

Based in the picturesque town of Roquebrun, Thierry Navarre followed in the footsteps of his grandfather and father, who were also ‘des hommes de la terre’ (men of the earth), he says. From the early days he has been a proponent of ancient local varieties, such as Rivairenc.

See the Languedoc report 2023 homepage

Tasting notes and scores for the top St-Chinian latest releases:

The wines below are listed by score.

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