Taste Languedoc - a blog about the wines of the South of France

TASTING ROUSSILLON CHEZ RAEBURN FINE WINES

2012-02-13T13:47:00.005Z

Raeburn Fine Wines shop in Edinburgh comes into the category of ‘once visited, never forgotten’. I had never seen quite so many bottles crammed into such a small space ..... and what bottles. So when an invitation arrived for a tasting in London, I accepted with alacrity. This was no ordinary tasting, but a series of verticals from some of the many fine estates that they follow. There was Dry River from New Zealand, the most delicious Pouilly Fuissé from Saumaize-Michelin, some amazing Ribolla Gialla from Josko Gravner - wines that are aged on their skins in amphora for eight months – some elegant Nebbiolo from Luca Roagna and some extraordinary sherries and Pedro Ximenez from Lorenzo de Soto. And for the purposes of this blog, an estate in Roussillon that was unknown to me: Clot de l’Origine in the village of Maury.

This is one of the many new estates of the village. Marc Barriot made his first vintage in 2004. Unfortunately the bad weather had kept him in France, so he was unavailable for questions at the tasting. Apparently he studied at Toulouse and worked in Bandol for ten years before settling in Roussillon. He has 17 different plots, totaling 10.5 hectares, not just in Maury, but also in nearby villages, Calce, Estagel, Montner and Latour de France. All are farmed biodynamically. What I really loved about the red wines was their wonderful freshness, that is relatively atypical for Roussillon. But first there were white wines, Les Quilles Libres. Prices are Raeburn Fine Wines’ retail price, but not every vintage is available.

2010 Les Quilles Libres, Côtes Catalanes
A blend of Grenache Gris and Blanc,
Light golden colour. Quite a rich resinous nose. Very texured, with layers of flavours. Notes of dry honey; a dry but rich palate. Lovely mouth feel. It was a great start to the whole tasting.

2009 - £18.50
Grenache Gris, Côtes Catalanes
A more delicate nose, compared to the 2010. Drier, more herbal notes on the nose. And the palate was tighter, less resinous, with more acidity. A dry finish, and again some intriguing layers of flavour.

2008 – There were two wines from the 2008 vintage, each with a slightly different élevage.
Lot 1 - £17.50
This is how Marc explained the vinification process, by email: Pressing on 7th September and the clear juice goes into two 400 litre barrels. The wine is aged until end of May in barrel, and then transferred in tank without fining and filtration, and left to settle for 2 months. He usually adds 20 mg of sulphur at that time. Bottling is done by hand in August, and then the wine is left to settle for ten months before release.

Delicate herbal nose. Lightly nutty palate; elegantly rich, with good acidity. Elegantly balanced, with a fresh mineral finish. The oak is beautifully integrated.

Lot 3
Was kept in old Bandol tonneaux for three months. Quite a firm nose. Curiously I found a touch of newer oak on the nose, compared to Lot 1. Altogether tighter, firmer and more youthful. A tight knit and structured palate, with possibly longer ageing potential.

2007
Light golden. Rich and resinous on the palate. Good fruit, with layers of flavour. Evolving beautifully, but with quite an oaky finish.

2006
Light amber colour. Lovely dry nutty mineral notes on the nose, and even more so on the palate. Very good acidity. And very intriguing. One of those wines that keeps you guessing.

And then on to the reds, which were either Côtes du Roussillon Villages, Côtes du Roussillon, or in one instance just plain vin de table. And there was also a Côtes Catalanes. Essentially the wines are a blend of Carignan, Grenache and Syrah.

2010 Soif de Plaisir
Medium colour. Fresh red fruit on the nose. Quite a firm mineral palate with good fruit, supple tannins and a dry finish. The hallmark of these wines was elegance, comparing favourably to some of the more opulent and alcoholic wines that can come from Roussillon.

2009 Soif de Plaisir - £14.50
Light delicate nose contrasting with a richer fuller palate. Quite a dry leathery note on the palate, and a touch of warmth. Quite a firm finish.

2008 - £13.99
Medium colour. Quite an elegant nose, with elegant red fruit. Drinking very nicely, with some firm dry fruit and a touch of minerality. Very satisfying with lots of nuances to discover.

2007
Good colour. Quite a rich nose, but quire full and leathery. Nicely maturing fruit, dry and leathery with quite a rich mouth-filling finish.

2006
Medium colour. Quite a firm stony mineral nose. Again quite a firm palate; mineral notes. Quite tight knit with a dry leathery note and good depth and a long finish.

2005
Good depth of fruit on the nose, quite rich and leathery, with rich dry spice on the palate and some lovely fruit. Drinking very well now.

2004
Côtes Catalanes - £11.99
Medium colour. Quite a fresh spicy nose, with more mature, leathery notes on the palate. Quite a firm finish, and drinking very well.

www.vin-de-l-origine.com

www.raeburnfinewines.com

MORE VIGNERONS INDEPENDENTS

2012-02-08T11:41:00.003Z

A couple more estates from the tasting des Vignerons Independents at Lords, before moving on elsewhere.

DOMAINE DES GRANDES COSTES

An estate at Vacquières, with vines in three villages, Vacquières, Corconne and Sauteyrargues Jean-Christophe Garnier explained that he and his brother Guillaume have 14 hectares and bottled their first wine in 2000. For the moment Vacquières in not part of the Pic St. Loup but that will change in 2014. Pic St. Loup should also be recognised as an appellation in its own right for the 2013 vintage and they are also working towards a white Pic St. Loup. At the moment any white wine is Coteaux du Languedoc or vin de pays, or IGP.

2010 Coteaux du Languedoc. Musardises 9.00€
A blend of 70% Cinsaut with 15% each Grenache and Syrah. Attractive perfumed nose, very Cinsaut. Quite ripe spicy confit palate. Quite supple and rounded. Easy drinking

2008 Coteaux du Languedoc, la Sarabande – 12€
25% each of Cinsaut, Grenache Noir, Syrah and Carignan, with 24 months in vat. I thought the nose a touch reduced, but liked the palate a lot. Nice rounded fruit, quite supple with a streak of tannin. A sunny wine.

2009 Pic St. Loup - 18€
Half and half Syrah and Grenache – eighteen month élevage. 60% in wood. Quite ripe and perfumed with an oaky streak. On the palate I found that the oak needs time to tone down, as the wine has only just been bottled. So a bit adolescent, but with plenty of potential.

2006 Coteaux du Languedoc 7 Rangées. 35€
A blend of Syrah and Grenache. This has spent 24 months in new wood, and is then given 12 months ageing in bottle before release. I tend to be a bit allergic to new oak, but this really worked. It comes from one small plot, rather than just seven rows. Quite a ripe rounded spicy nose. Some attractive leathery notes on the palate. The oak is nicely integrated and the wine is evolving in a very satisfying way, showing some lovely fruit.

CHATEAU DE CABRIAC

I don’t normally associate Corbières with white wine; white is part of the appellation but in pretty limited quantity. However, I’ve had a soft spot for the white wine of Château de Cabriac for a few years, so was very pleased to have the chance to taste the 2011, a blend of Grenache, Roussanne and Rolle. 6.90€. The wine was not yet bottled, but it had already developed some attractive ripe rounded fruit, with some hints of white blossom, though it still had a slight adolescent note, which will obviously disappear once it has settled in bottle.

2009 Corbières Tradition – 6/.60€
This was showing very well, with some fresh spicy fruit on the nose, and a satisfyingly rounded palate, with some ripe fruit and a leathery finish. Quite a gutsy Corbières, but at the same time quite accessible.

AUBAI MEMA

2012-02-07T11:07:00.002Z

Mark Haynes is an Englishman with a wine estate in the village Aubais outside Nimes. His wines are usually IGP Pays d’Oc. He bought ten hectares back in 2002, which he is now in the process of converting to organic viticulture.. I enjoyed the wines of Aubai Mema and thought they deserved to be better known. Mark would say that he aims for ‘minimum intervention and maximum expression’.

2010 Albion, a blend of Chardonnay and Viognier - 12.00€
Light colour; delicate nose, lightly buttery, with a peachy hint from the Viognier, and a firm finish.

More characterful was a Chardonnay vin de table, with some ripe leesy fruit. Mark gives it lots of lees stirring in vat and it has some lovely textured flavours. A Chardonnay with an attitude. 7.50€

2010 Liverna – 6.00€
A blend of 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, with 20% Grenache and 10% Merlot, kept in old wood. Designed for easy drinking, with some ripe fruit, soft tannins and a rounded finish.

2010 L’Insoumise – 9.00€
From 60 year old Carignan vines. Half maceration carbonique and half a traditional fermentation, in old wood. Quite firm and structured, with a tannin streak, balanced with some fresh cherry fruit. Some ageing potential.

2008 Grenade – 9.00€
From old Grenache vines, 55 years or more. Spends six months in wood. Some cherry fruit on the nose, with a touch of oak, and more oak on the palate.

I preferred the 2010 Grenade, with was fresher and riper, with more integrated oak.

2006 La Douzième - 12.00€
Syrah with a touch of Viognier, co-fermented, as in Côte Rôtie. Quite a firm leathery nose, with some ripe spicy fruit, and more leathery notes on the palate. Still quite youthful, with a streak of tannin. Mark was still using 225 litres barriques in 2006. For his 2010 he used only demi-muids of 500 litres.

The 2010 was more perfumed on the nose, with some ripe spicy fruit. Quite a fleshy palate, ripe and perfumed. Some of the Syrah, two barrels worth, was fermented by carbonic maceration, which may enhance the perfume.

2009 Lunatico, Vin de France. 24€
From old Grenache, 55 years or more, grown on north facing slopes, given 18 months élevage. Medium colour; elegantly understated nose and palate. Very good balance of fruit and oak. A tannic streak. Plenty of potential for development in the bottle.

www.aubaimema.com

MAS AMIEL

2012-02-02T16:43:00.001Z

To continue with Roussillon, a great range from Mas Amiel, as always. It fully deserves its reputation as one of the leading producers of Maury.

2009 Plaisir Blanc, Côtes du Roussillon
A blend of 45% Grenache Blanc, 30% Maccabeu and 15% each of Marsanne and Roussanne.
Quite solid, rich and rounded, with a slightly resinous note on both nose and palate. Layers of flavours. Potential to develop in the bottle.

2008 Côtes du Roussillon Villages, Notre Terre. 13€
One third each of Syrah, Carignan and Grenache. The Syrah and Carignan are fermented in wood, and then blended with the Grenache, and aged in concrete tanks. Lovely ripe fruit. Ripe and spicy with a fresh edge. Rich and elegant. Wonderfully southern.

And then on to the Vins Doux:

2009 Maury Vintage – their best known wine. – 15.50€
Grenache aged for a few months in concrete tanks and then bottled. Intense ripe fruit on the nose. Rich cherry flavours; red fruit and chocolate. Quite intense. Rich and spicy with length, and some alcohol on the finish.

2007 Maury, Charles Dupuy – 32€
Named after the man who established the original reputation of Mas Amiel, when it was the only estate of any note in Maury. A selection of the oldest vines, Grenache that are 50 years old and more. Bottled in 2009. The élevage includes a few months in wood. Much richer and more concentrated on the palate, with a dry edge on the finish. I preferred the simpler wine.

But best of all was 1975 Maury – 50€
The traditional rancio style, Red tawny colour. Rich nutty, with some red fruit and an edge of acidity and a steak of tannin. Still remarkably young. Powerful and elegant. Lots of nuances and complexity. Combines power and elegance. Classic Maury and absolutely delicious.

And to finish. 2009 Muscat de Rivesaltes, a blend of both Muscat a petits grains and Muscat d’Alexandrie. 13€
Ripe and sweet, grapey fruit and the typical slightly bitter finish of Muscat.

DOMAINE MASTRIO

2012-02-01T17:48:00.002Z

Another new estate in Roussillon, in Ille sur Tet, within Côtes du Roussillon Caramany. I talked to Caty Dhoine Paetzold; she is Belgian and her husband comes from Germany. They made their first wine, just 1000 bottles in 2006 and have 20 hectares. Caty admitted that their yields are miniscule, 15 hl/ha. And their vines range in age from 25 to 102 years old.

We began with a rosé, 2010 Libertine – 11€ - made from Carignan, from grapes that are pressed. Pale orange pink colour. Very ripe and vinous. Quite a heavy food rosé. And quite mouth filling.

2008 Côtes du Roussillon Villages, Dynamique 11€ A blend of 60 % Syrah with Carignan. Made in vat. Medium colour. Quite ripe nose, with some warm spicy fruit on the palate. Balanced with some ripe leathery notes. Warm and supple, with notes of the garrigues on the finish. A lovely glass of wine.

2007 Côtes du Roussillon Villages Généreux– 17€
A blend of Syrah, Grenache and Carignan- about one third each, which spends 12 months in wood. Their first real vintage. I liked this less, the palate was quite solid and firm. I felt it was work in progress.

I much preferred 2007 Elégant, a pure Carignan It spent twelve months in oak, but from 2008, there was no more oak. Quite ripe and solid on the nose. A rounded palate; the oak was well integrated, with some ripe spicy fruit. Good body.

2009 Pain d’Oiseau Côtes Catalanes. Carignan blanc from vines that are between 60 and 120 years old. Élevage in vat. Quite rounded, ripe and textured. Almost nutty with ripe fruit. Very satisfying.

Again a new estate with considerable potential.

DOMAINE DE SABBAT

2012-02-01T17:42:00.000Z

A new estate in Roussillon, in the village of Latour de France. Sylvain Lejeune has bought nine hectares, and made his first wines in 2009. His vines are anything between 40 and 80 years old.

2010 Côtes du Roussillon – A blend of Grenache Gris, Grenache Blanc and Maccabeu, fermented in oak. The oak is still quite dominant on the nose, with a rounded oaky palate. A textured wine with lots of development potential and a long finish.

2010 Côtes du Roussillon Villages – 80% Carignan, with Syrah, and unusual for not having any Grenache. Spends four months in wood. Quite a firm peppery nose with some spicy fruit on the palate. Quite a firm oaky streak. The Syrah tempers the Carignan

2009 Côtes du Roussillon Villages, Printemps 1900
A blend of 60% Syrah with 40% Syrah. Spends 12 months in tonneaux. Quite a solid rounded mouthful of wine. Youthful and ripe with good texture. Full-bodied. A long rich finish. A touch of alcohol on the finish. Redolent of the warm south.

2010 Rivesaltes Grenat – pure Grenache Noir. Quite a deep colour. Quite ripe and rounded. Quite intensely sweet, rich and ripe, balanced with a youthful tannic streak.

On first taste, lots of potential and worth a visit.

DOMAINE LA COUME DU ROY

2012-01-30T14:25:00.001Z

A familiar name, as they were showing a couple of wines on the Maury walk last May. Agnès de Volantat –Bachelet explained that 75% of her vineyards are Grenache, with some Carignan, Syrah and Mourvèdre. And she also has some Muscat. And 2011 is the first vintage for Maury Sec, with about ten producers of a red table wine, and only red, to distinguish it from the surrounding Côtes du Roussillon Villages. Maury as Vin Doux can be white as well as red.

2007 Côtes du Roussillon Villages, Désir, a blend of Grenache and Syrah. – a future Maury Sec
Good colour; solid rounded ripe fruit, a touch oak, nicely full-bodied.

2010 Maury Traditionnel, from Grenache
Some spicy red fruit. Quite ripe, rounded spice on the palate. Well integrated alcohol. The alcohol is added to the juice.

2009 Maury Vintage
Again pure Grenache. Very deep colour. Youthful spice, medium weight palate, riper, more tannic with more concentration. The difference between mutage on juice, as in the previous wine, and mutage on skins, as for this wine, with three weeks skin contact with the alcohol. Lovely youthful spice.

Maury Blanc, again from Grenache, Blanc and Gris. Quite ripe and rounded, with juicy ripe fruit on the palate, with good acidity, some alcohol and a raisiny finish. 13.00€

1925 Maury Blanc, or rather tawny brown in colour. It was bottled in 2001, a foudre made by Agnès’ great grandfather, and a piece of history. Lovely ripe rich fruit, long lingering rich palate with a long elegant finish. Absolutely delicious. Elegantly dry, rich and nutty. Only 3000 bottles made – 350€

2010 Muscat de Rivesaltes, a blend of both Muscat à petits grains and Muscat d’Alexandrie. – Half and half. Fresh, ripe and grapey with a bitter Muscat finish. Classic.

SALON DES VIGNERONS INDEPENDENTS IN LONDON - Domaine du Grand Chemin

2012-01-27T16:40:00.001Z

I didn’t get to the Salon des Vignerons Independents in Paris this winter, for various reasons, but instead made up for that omission at a mini-salon at Lords last week. There was a good handful of growers from Languedoc-Roussillon, some new to me and some familiar. So my next few posts will focus on what I discovered at Lords.

First off was a new name – Domaine du Grand Chemin, with Emmanuel Floutier, at Savinargues in the Gard, not too far from Anduze and Alès. Most of the wines they were showing were IGP Pays d’Oc, but they also come within the Pays des Cevennes and Duché d’Uzès. Emmanuel’s first bottling was the 2003 vintage, but his father started bottling back in 1984. Altogether they have 60 hectares of vines and produce an eclectic range. Here are some of the highlights, or indeed just of few of the wines they make, as the number of wines was limited to six for each exhibitor – nowhere near enough, even with a couple more hidden under the table. I ended up tasting more of their wines that I anticipated which must be a good thing.

2011 Sauvignon – 4.50€
Quite a firm pithy nose. Crisp palate, with good acidity and a rounded finish.

2011 Viognier
A hint peachy on both nose and palate. No great depth but fresh with light varietal character.

2011 Chardonnay
Lightly buttery on the nose. Light fruit on the palate and nicely balanced.

2011 Rosé Gris – a blend of Cinsaut and Grenache. – 4.60€
This wine accounts for 40% of their production, and pretty good it was too. A light, pretty colour. A delicate nose, but on the palate quite ripe and vinous, with a rounded delicate fruity finish. A food rosé.

2010 Pinot Noir
They are in one of the cooler parts of the Languedoc, where Pinot Noir fares better. It was quite a simple wine, but none the worse for that. A delicate nose, with a hint of raspberry, and on the palate quite dry, with a hint of liquorice and a fresh finish. Easy simple drinking.

2010 Merlot
Quite ripe and rounded, with a tannic streak.

2009 Cabernet Sauvignon.
Quite rich, rounded cassis on the nose. Quite dry fruit on the palate, with good varietal character.

And then came a couple of blends:

2009 Cuvée JMF – after Emmanuel’s father Jean-Marc. -9.00€ A blend of 80% Cabernet Sauvignon with 20% Pinot Noir, blended together after six months of élevage, partly in old French oak and partly in vat. The nose was quite firm and oaky, with some perfumed fruit on the palate, some spicy oak and a fresh finish. I am not sure about blending Cabernet Sauvignon and Pinot Noir – I think they might argue a bit in the glass, but from memory it was the first time that I had tasted such a blend.

2010 Clos Rogé, a blend of 40% each of Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon, with 20% Petit Verdot which worked better. It was also more expensive at 14.50€ and included a higher percentage (80%) of oak ageing, in 400 litre tonneaux.. Quite firm and structured on the nose; quite powerful palate, with an elegant finish. Some good ageing potential.

www.domainedugrandchemin.com

THIS AND THAT AT LIBERTY WINES

2012-01-22T14:25:00.001Z

Liberty Wines celebrated their 15th anniversary this week with a mega tasting at the Oval Cricket ground. In my mind, they are known above all for what was a ground-breaking range of Italian, and especially Tuscan wine, when they first started up, but these days their list covers the world and includes some stars from the Languedoc, namely:

2011 Château la Tour de Bérard, Costières de Nîmes blanc
This is the sister property of the better known Château Mourgues de Grès. A blend of 40% Grenache Blanc with 30% each of Roussanne and Vermentino. Still very young with some pithy fruit with hints of white blossom and some good acidity. Nicely understated and plenty of potential for further development.

2010 Château la Tour de Bérard, Costières de Nîmes rouge
A blend of Syrah and Grenache, with some Mourvèdre and Carignan. Quite a deep colour. Very perfumed sunny fruit. Rounded ripe and spicy, with supple tannins. Lovely easy drinking.

2011 Domaine la Croix Gratiot, Picpoul de Pinet.
Quite a fresh stony nose, but more rounded and perfumed on the palate. Not the saline minerality that I expect for Picpoul or whether that will develop with a bit more bottle age. A slightly sweet finish.

There was also a 2011 Roussanne, IGP Pays d’Oc
Quit rounded, with white flowers and some perfume and a dry finish. Very pleasant easy drinking.

There were a couple of wines from Mas la Chevalière, the Domaine Laroche property outside Beziers. 2010 Chardonnay was a tank sample and was quite fresh without much real character. Nor was the 2010 Viognier particularly expressive. More satisfying was 2008 Vignoble Peyral, a blend of 85% Chardonnay and 15% Viognier, grown in vineyards at 200 metres. Quite solid, rounded and nutty, with a peachy hint from the Viognier.

Emmanuel Cazes, from Domaine Cazes in Rivesaltes, was at the tasting with a couple of wines:

2011 Le Canon du Maréchal Blanc, a blend of Muscat with 20% Viognier. Lovely grapey varietal character. Very Muscat, but with the potential bitterness of the Muscat on the finish softened by the peachiness of the Viognier. Easy drinking for an apéro.

2010 Marie Gabrielle, Côtes du Roussillon
60% Syrah, with 40% Grenache. Quite rounded and ripe, with a leathery tannic note. Ripe and spicy with a firm finish. Youthful, characterful and satisfying.

2009 Château Saint Roch, Chimères, Côtes du Roussillon Villages
Quite firm with some leathery fruit and some oak on the palate, which slightly overwhelms the fruit. I preferred the Cazes wine.

However, the real surprise of the tasting was the very first wine I have ever tasted from Armenia. Estate name Zorah, made by Zorik Gharibian with the help of Italian oenologist Alberto Antonini. The grape is an indigenous variety, Areni. No, I had never heard of it either. It is ungrafted – there is no phylloxera in the southern part of Armenia. The wine fermented in stainless steel and then undergoes a malo-lactic fermentation, partly in amphora – the mention karasi on the label indicates this – and also in French and Armenian oak. Armenian oak is apparently denser than French oak. And how did it taste? I had no idea what to expect. Elegance was the dominant characteristic; medium colour; quite a firm nose. Cherry fruit – not so dissimilar to Sangiovese, with a streak of tannin and freshness on the finish. A really lovely surprise.

The other extreme at the tasting were wines from England – a couple of sparkling wines from new producers Coates & Seely a blanc de blancs from Chardonnay and a rosé, with some ripe fruit. And then I spotted two wines from Stopham in West Sussex. This is a village that I associate with brass-rubbing in the church more years ago than I care to remember. Simon Woodhead was showing a Pinot Blanc and a Pinot Gris – I had no idea that these were planted anywhere near the South Downs. The 2010 Pinot Blanc was light and delicate with some fresh fruit, and while the 2010 Pinot Gris had a touch of residual sugar to round it out a bit, balanced with some spice and good acidity.

And to complete the unexpected flavours of the day, friends came to dinner bearing a bottle that their son-in-law had procured in the duty free shop at Adis Abeba airport – yes, it was an Ethiopian wine. A dry white wine, labelled Awash Cristal, from a possible appropriately named producer, Awash Wineries. The back label gave no clues about grape varieties, simply saying that it is ‘made from early grapes and produced with particular methods’. It would be kind to say that it was short on flavour – but it got full marks for originality of provenance.

TEN DAYS IN THE LANGUEDOC

2012-01-12T11:04:00.002Z

Ten days in the Languedoc, and not one cellar visit ....... but some highlights around a table. Vigneron friends came to dinner, but mainly English with a thirst for New Zealand. And French friends were introduced to the delights of English bubbles. Ridgeview’s Grosvenor came up trumps.

Dinner with my tasting buddy Lits, who produced both red and white from Finca Narraza in St. Paul de Fenouillet - new name for me, and definitely worth exploring further.

The 2006 white is a blend of Grenache Gris, Grenache Blanc and Macabeo, Camps del Roi, Côtes Catalanes. A light amber colour, with a rich nutty nose and palate. Initially it might seem oxidised, but it is most definitely not. A wine with great depth, character, richness and length. Very good acidity.

The red was also from the 2006 vintage, les Cigales, Côtes du Roussillon Villages a blend of Grenache, Carignan and Syrah. Deep young colour. Quite rich and intense on the nose, with ripe fruit on the palate. Quite tannic with a mineral streak. Again very intriguing with length and depth.

Friends from the village came to dinner and Françoise Ollier’s 2010 les Collines slipped own a treat – sunshine in a glass; with ripe spicy fruit. And Lizzie came bearing a bottle of 2004 No 7 from Domaine la Croix Belle. I admit to my shame that I omitted to write a tasting note sat the time, but from memory, it was drinking beautifully; any oak had long since integrated leaving a wonderful complete, harmonious glass of wine.

And the next evening a friend generously opened bottles of 2007 Mas de Daumas Gassac. It was sound, with firm tannins and firm fruit, but it simply did not sing, and I did not feel that it was going anywhere either. A bottle of the 2000 vintage drunk in London last autumn was so much better.

Dinner with Anne and Christian at Domaine de Monplézy, with fellow guests Deborah and Peter from Mas Gabriel, confirmed just how much I enjoy the wines from both estates – see earlier postings. And Christian is a dab hand with barbecued gigot d’agneau.

And before we rushed to the airport we checked out the new restaurant in our village, Le Petit Péché. It has to be said that the wine list needs a bit of work, but it did produce a cheerful 2010 Muscat Sec, Côtes de Thongue from Domaine Bonian. Light colour; ripe, grapey, pithy Muscat fruit, and fresh varietal character on the palate, with a sweet touch of grapy fruit and a slightly bitter Muscat finish. Very Muscat.

And the red wine was 2010 l’Ambrin Vin de la Grange, Languedoc, a blend of Syrah and Grenache – see my earlier posting about Eric Morot’s wines. This was quite solid on the nose, with rustic peppery black fruit on the palate. And went deliciously with a confit de canard.

And now I am off to taste some 2010 Chablis for a complete change of flavours.

BACK IN THE LANGUEDOC

2011-12-31T16:56:00.002Z

The first evening in our Languedoc home for three months and friends coming to dinner – so a good opportunity to open a bottle or two.

First was Villa Dondona’s 2010 Esperel,Coteaux du Languedoc Blanc, a blend of Vermentino and Grenache Blanc with a touch of Marsanne and Roussanne. Light colour, with some herbal notes on the nose. Some white blossom and a herbal note on the palate, balanced with refreshing acidity. Nicely understated. It made a good apéro. I first tried this in the spring when it won a trophy in the Vallée de l’Hérault competition and it was gratifying to find it just as good nine months on.

Next came 2009 Les Clauzes de Jo from Domaine des Belles Pierres. Damien Coste is a particularly talented white winemaker. And this was delicious, with a light colour and a slightly honeyed note on the nose. There was more honey on the palate, with a ripe flavour and a satisfying mouth feel, balanced with good acidity and a rounded finish. A blend of Roussanne, Grenache Blanc and Viognier.

And then we compared a pair of Carignan. First was 2009 Vieux Carignan, Cuvée Paul from Mas d’Amile in Montpeyroux, so an IGP Mont Baudile. Medium young colour. Some berry fruit on the nose, and even more on the palate with a streak of tannin. An elegant edge of rusticity. Nicely balanced fruit and tannins. Still quite youthful but drinking well now.

2004 Carignan from Jean-Louis Denois in Limoux, so a more mature wine from cooler vineyards. Medium colour. Quite a dry leathery quality on the nose, and also on the palate, with some dry fruit. A certain sturdy quality; a more masculine wine than Mas d’Amile. Quite rustic with dry warmth and very satisfying.

So two shining examples of the dramatic improvement in white wine making in the Languedoc, and two lovely examples of a once despised grape variety.

And for a quiet ‘this is not a New Year’s Eve dinner’, I am contemplating a bottle of Crémant de Limoux Rosé from Domaine Rives Blanques, and a bottle of Domaine de Clovallon’s best Pinot Noir, 2006 les Pomarèdes to accompany a guinea fowl.

Bonne Année to all lovers of Languedoc wines!

MAS GABRIEL at the Solicitors' Wine Society

2011-12-21T11:21:00.003Z

Christmas deadlines seem to have taken over and I’ve neglected my blog for the last week or three - apologies – I’m not sure where the days have gone, which is a pretty feeble excuse. But with the grey dank weather in London this morning, my thoughts turned to Languedoc sunshine. Earlier in the month I was invited by the Solicitors’ Wine Society to help with a tasting of the wines from Mas Gabriel. Those of you who read my blog with any regularity will know that Mas Gabriel is one of my favourite local estates and this tasting provided a great overview of their wines since their very first vintage in 2006. Deborah Core was a solicitor in a former life, so it was only fitting that she should present her wines to the solicitors.

The prices given below are those of specialist Languedoc importer Terroirs du Languedoc
www.terroirlanguedoc.co.uk

2010 Les Fleurs Sauvages Rosé - IGP Hérault - £11.50
A blend of Carignan and Cinsaut with 10% Grenache, made from pressed grapes. Light colour. Quite a rounded nose with a hint of strawberry and raspberry fruit. Quite a firm palate, with a streak of tannin and acidity, and balanced with a nicely vinous ripe finish. What I would call a food rosé – bring on the salade niçoise.

2010 Clos des Papillons Blanc IGP Hérault - £14.95
A great example of the revival of a lost white variety, Carignan Blanc. A little colour. Quite a perfumed herbal nose, with some intriguing fruit, length and depth on the palate. Lots of nuances. And there is a reason why Carignan Blanc performs so well in the Midi – its high level of acidity, so that it retains its freshness and does not develop the flabbiness of some northern varieties in the south.

Next came a mini vertical of Les Trois Terrasses, IGP Hérault – their pure Carignan

2010 – A vat sample. Very deep young colour. Firm mineral nose and quite closed. And on the palate, ripe black berry fruit; ripe and rounded with the rustic streak of Carignan. The blend includes one third of carbonic maceration, which softens the sometimes harsh tannins of Carignan. Peter and Deborah like to try something new each vintage.

2009 - £11.95
Deep young colour; firm and youthful on the nose. Quite a ripe dense palate, with more tannins than in the 2010. That may be a reflection of the vintage conditions, and also the vinification, as there is no maceration carbonic in this wine.

2008
Good young colour. Quite a closed nose. The wine is beginning to develop, some cedary hints, with some berry fruit. Nicely balanced, with an attractive rustic, tannic streak. Really quite elegant, especially for a Carignan. Fermented in a concrete tank, so not a hint of oak anywhere.

2006 Mas Gabriel, Coteaux du Languedoc
A blend of 63% Carignan, 28% Syrah and 9% Grenache. Their very first wine. Quite a deep colour; some oak on the nose. The palate is quite firm and tannic, dense and solid, and quite extracted, with what I call furry tannins. For a first vinification from vineyards that they did not know, it is pretty good, but it also shows how much Peter and Deborah’s winemaking has improved in subsequent vintages, as they got to know their vineyards and with more experience of the conditions of the Midi.

2008 Clos des Lièvres, Pézenas - £12.50
60% Syrah with 20% each of Grenache and Carignan. Deep colour. Quite a closed firm nose. Good fruit. Quite dense and rounded on the palate with a firm ripe streak of tannin. Youthful. Needs time to develop.

Clos des Lièvres 2009, Pézenas
A traditional fermentation. The same blend as the 2008. In 2010 the blend is Syrah with Grenache and no Carignan, which went into Les Trois Terrasses Good colour. A more elegant nose, with some berry fruit. Quite rounded and brambly, quite rich with a tannic streak. In fact, absolutely delicious and a great finale to the tasting.

ORGANIC AND BIODYNAMIC WINES FROM THE LANGUEDOC AND ROUSSILLON

2011-12-01T17:39:00.007Z

The autumn organic tasting at the Maison du Languedoc in Cavendish Square seems to have become an annual event. This year there were 18 producers, some from last year; some newcomers; some old friends; some new discoveries. What follows are some of the highlights. Most people were looking for some UK distribution, so no retail prices were available.

BORIE LA VITARELLE
www.borielavitarele.fr

Jean-Francois Izarn is a short, stocky guy, and somehow his wines follow his physique. They are ripe and rounded, rich and characterful. The estate is in the tiny village of Causses et Veyran, which is part of the appellation of St. Chinian. Jean-Francois explained that he has three different terroirs.

2010 Les Terres Blanches, St. Chinian
45% each of Grenache and Syrah, with 10% Mourvèdre, grown on limestone.
Deep colour; lots of ripe fruit on both nose and palate, very gourmand, ripe with supple tannins. A glass of sunshine.

2010 les Schistes, St. Chinian
Mainly Syrah and Grenache with a little Carignan. Aged in old 600 litres barrels, so that the oak is well integrated on the palate, with a fresh nose and some supple peppery notes on both the nose and palate.

2009 Les Cres St. Chinian
70% Syrah with 30% Mourvèdre, aged in 600 litre barrels of three wines. Grown on galets, not dissimilar to those of Chateauneuf-du-Pape. A more substantial nose, with a ripe, rounded palate. This wine has charpente or shoulders, with body and weight and a hint of ripe cherries. It needs time.

2009 Midi Rouge, St. Chinian
60% Syrah, 45% Mourvèdre, 5% Grenache. This is a new cuvée made for the first time in 2008. The idea is to take the best of each terroir, depending on the year and blend them together. The wine is fermented in open top demi muids and spends 18 months in barrel. It is quite solid and dense on the nose, with a ripe intense tannic palate, with good fruit and an edge of oak. Youthful tannins and a lot of matière and weight. Needs time

2009 La Combe, Coteaux de Murviel
70% Cabernet Sauvignon with 30% Syrah.
Quite ripe cassis – you immediately detect the presence of Cabernet Sauvignon after the flavours of the south. Quite a rounded palate, and not too tannic and quite full-bodied.

DOMAINE MARTINOLE
At Lézignan-Corbières
www.domaine-martinolle.com

2010 Corbières, based on Syrah.
Medium colour; quite spicy fruit on the nose. Medium weight, easy drinking with a touch of spice and supple tannins on the palate.

DOMAINE DELMAS
From the village of Antugnac in Limoux
www.blanquette-delmas-bio.com

NV Cuvée Tradition Blanquette de Limoux
A blend of Mauzac with 10% Chardonnay Their Blanquette spends 18 – 24 months on the lees, as opposed to the nine months dictated by the AC regulations.
Ripe creamy nose, with a ripe rounded palate, and a nice touch of creaminess on the finish.

2008 Crémant de Limoux, Cuvée Passion,
60% Chardonnay , with 10% Pinot Noir, 15% Chenin and 15% Mauzac. Again 18 – 24 months on lees, as opposed to 12 months in the AC regulations.
Quite rounded with a touch of maturity on the nose. Again a rounded palate, with some depth and a creamy finish.

2008 Crémant de Limoux, Cuvée des Sacres
The same blend as the previous wine, but a selection of the juice, in other words, the first juice out of the press, with 5% fermented in oak.
Generally riper, fuller, and more rounded on nose and palate. Good body with a fine harmonious balance.

Clair de Lune, Blanquette Méthode Ancestrale
The traditional style of sparkling Limoux, a pure Mauzac, and made by stopping the fermentation, and then allowing it to start again in the spring. In lateral drinking terms, this could a French Asti Spumante, as it is quite sweet with grapey fruit. Light nose. Rounded palate, ripe and honeyed, with an appley touch on the finish that is characteristic of Mauzac.

And they have a new wine in the pipe line – all fermented in oak, with no dosage and two years on the lees. Sounds very intriguing. I can’t wait to try it.

GRAND GUILHEM
www.grandguilhem.com
An estate that covers Fitou, Corbières as well as Rivesaltes.
The Fitou are all called Les 4 Nids - apparently it brings you good luck for the next harvest if you find a bird’s nest (nid) in your vines.

2007 Les 4 Nids, Fitou
47% Carignan, 37% Grenache, 14% Syrah, 2% Mourvèdre
Quite ripe and rounded, with good leathery fruit. In contrast, the 2008 vintage was more closed on the nose, with a warm leathery palate, and some firm tannin.

Rivesaltes Rancio
A blend of all three colours of Grenache. Lovely walnut fruit on the nose and palate. Beautiful balance with a certain bite on the finish. Just what it should be. Rivesaltes Rancio is one of the great drinks of the Midi, grossly underrated and overlooked, and usually quite delicious. .

DOMAINE JOREL
Manuel Jorel has just seven hectares at St Paul de Fenouillet in the Agly valley, close to Maury. I visited him a few years ago – I remember dramatically situated vineyards on one of those February days in the south that are too good to be true.

2007 Cuvée Un, IGP Pyrénées-Orientales
50 / 50 Grenache and Carignan Medium colour. Quite a firm cherry nose, with some liquorice and spice on the palate. Medium weight. Lovely spicy fruit.

And I liked the 2008 even more. The vines, sixty to eighty year old, are grown on granite and schist. The wine has more structure than the 2007, with some spicy brambly fruit and an edge of tannin. Deep colour.

2010 Pésquiès, IGP Pyrénées-Orientales
Pure Grenache grown on schist in Maury.
Quite a firm nose with ripe liqueur cherries on the palate. Ripe and rounded with a tannic edge

2009 Pétaillat IGP Pyrénées-Orientales
Old Grenache grown on limestone. With the ripe liqueur cherry fruit, that is typical of Grenache, but balanced with good acidity and tannin.

2008 Côtes du Roussillon Villages
A blend of Syrah, Carignan and Grenache. Part of the Syrah has been aged in old wood, for twelve months, after a four week maceration on the skins. Firmer more structured fruit on nose and palate. Quite dry leathery spice, with a peppery edge of Syrah. Quite ripe and full on the finish.

2008 Maury
A blend of Grenache and Carignan. Three years in barrel.
Young colour. The ripe rounded berry fruit of vintage Vin Doux. A streak of tannin. Well integrated alcohol. A youthful balance and fresh fruit.

DOMAINE MONPLEZY
See a previous posting about Anne’s s wines. But she did want me to taste the 2011 rosés, which were of course both vat samples

Plaisirs Rosé, a blend of Grenache, Cinsaut and Syrah.
Pale pink; fresh youthful fruit, a touch of raspberry and good acidity

2011 Plaisirs Interdits Rosé
From the same grape varieties, but with a deeper colour and a fuller riper palate.

HEGARTY CHAMANS
www.hegartychamans.com

A 15 hectare estate, bought ‘in a moment of madness’ by John Hegarty of advertising fame, with his wife Philippa. He is applying his broader vision to his wines, with some success. And he feels very strongly that he wants to put something back into the land, leaving it in a better condition than how they found it. I also liked his concept that wine needs to lose its mystery, but still maintain its magic. The wines are sold by Adnams in Southwold.

2008 No 2, Minervois
70% Grenache, 20% Mourvèdre, 10% Cinsaut 12 months in oak
Warm spicy nose with a touch of oak. Quite warm ripe and rich cherry fruit. Nice spice with a lift on the finish.

2008 Open Now, Minervois
50/50 Mourvèdre and Syrah- the latest addition to the range.
Advertising humour comes in to play here The cork sports the words ‘Well Done! congratulating you on the successful manipulation of the corkscrew. 20% of the Syrah is aged in wood, and the rest in tank. Some cherry spice on the nose with ripe fruit and a rounded, textured palate. An appealing entry level wine.

2008 les Chamans Blanc, Minervois
50/50 Roussanne / Marsanne fermented in oak and blended before élevage/ No fining or filtering.
Quite a rounded, textured palate. Well integrated oak with good depth of flavour and layers of nuances. Still quite young. Should develop more intriguing character, with some more bottle age.

2005 No 1 Minervois
60% Syrah and 40% Carignan, blended and aged for 16 months in barrel and then a further year in tank. Good young colour; quite firm leathery notes on both nose and palate. Good fruit. Quite sturdy with tannin and concentration. Dry peppery notes. The warm south with a sturdy edge on the finish.

CHEMINS DE BASSAC
www.cheminsdebassac.com
A 15 hectares estate in the Côtes de Thongue. Isabelle Ducellier was pouring her wines. I liked the white best 2010 Isa blanc, a blend of Roussanne and Viognier, with some rounded fruit and peachy hints, and a touch of honey. Medium weight.

DOMAINE VIRGILE JOLY
2010 le Joly Rouge
A blend of 50% Syrah, 40% Grenache and 10% Cinsaut
This was drinking deliciously on the day. Medium weight. Fresh ripe fruit on the nose, and lots of ripe cherries on the palate. Easy drinking, just as it is intended to be.

2009 Saturne blanc, Coteaux du Languedoc
Pure Grenache blanc.
Lovely leafy ripe fruit. Textured palate with layers of flavour. Nicely balanced. I prefer Saturne to the oakier Virgile Blanc.

DOMAINE DU TRAGINER
www.traginer.fr
A 7 hectare estate based in Banyuls.

2007 Cuvée Vieille Foudre, Collioure
25% each Grenache, Carignan Mourvèdre and Syrah, with some old vines and ageing in barrel.
Medium colour. Quite a light nose, with leathery notes. Quite a rounded ripe palate, with some weight and ripe leathery fruit. Quite powerfully elegant with a fresh finish.

2005 Cuvée d’Octobre, Collioure
Same percentages of the same four grape varieties as the previous wine, but a later harvest and 14 months in barrel.
Medium colour. Some leathery spice, and more leather, spice and oak on the palate. Medium weight.

2001 Ey Single Vineyard Banyuls
Grenache Noir. Quite a tawny colour. Some rounded nutty fruit on the palate. Nicely balanced and very satisfying.

DOMAINE SINGLA
www.domainesingla.com
A large, 54 hectare property, with vineyards near Vingrau, making a range of different Côtes du Roussillon, with different blends and ageing.

2007 La Pinède, Côtes du Roussillon
A blend of 70% Syrah, 20% Grenache Noir and 10% Carignan, aged in barrel
Quite deep colour. Rounded oaky leathery nose and palate.

2009 La Crinyane, Côtes du Roussillon Villages
Crinyane apparently means Carignan in Catalan, and that is the main grape variety, if not the only grape variety in the wine, though of course in theory Côtes du Roussillon Villages should be a blend of grape varieties. 13 months ageing in wood.
Quite a solid dense nose; solid rounded oaky palate, with ripe fruit, and a touch of alcohol on the finish.

2007 Arrels, Côtes du Roussillon Villages.
Predominantly Grenache Noir with a serious ex cellar price A selection of their four best barrels of Grenache Noir, so very limited quantity.
Quite a deep colour. Solid, dense and spicy oak on the nose, and on the palate intense fruit and oak. How will it age? Last week it packed a punch of flavour, but at the moment lacks subtlety for really enjoyable drinking.

LANGUEDOC FIGURES

2011-11-25T17:06:00.003Z

This figures came my way earlier in the week:

Compare 1980 with 2010:

Thirty years ago there were seven appellations, Fitou, Blanquette de Limoux, Clairette du Languedoc, and the Muscats of Frontignan, Mireval, Lunel and St. Jean de Minervois – now there are 21, or even more if you count each colour as an appellation.

And look how the cooperatives have changed:

In 1980 there were 550 coops, which produced 32 million hectolitres of wine.
In 2010 240 coops produced 12 million hectolitres.

In both instances they account for 70% of the wine production of the Languedoc.

LANGUEDOC CLARIFICATION - or not?

2011-11-15T16:33:00.002Z

This is an attempt, probably a vain attempt, to throw some light on the fluctuating classification system of the Languedoc

The INAO, the organisation that decides such matters, has said Non; the Languedoc’s aspirations to some wines of grand cru status are premature. Even though it originally made positive noises when the idea was first mooted. And it does not mean that the idea has been completely shelved. However, crus are fine, and there are indeed four existing Crus du Languedoc, namely Minervois la Livinière, Corbières Boutenac, St. Chinian Berlou and St. Chinian Roquebrun.

Other areas of the Languedoc have already asked for Cru du Languedoc status. La Clape and Pic St. Loup should be recognised as such very shortly, maybe within the next month or so. Others that were also in line for potential Grand Cru status are applying for Cru du Languedoc status, namely Montpeyroux, Saint Georges d’Orques, Saint Drézery, Grès de Montpellier, Terrasses du Larzac, Pézenas and Limoux Blanc. There are various technical and economic criteria that have to be met. This is the reason why Faugères is not on the list. Its cooperative is responsible for a large percentage of the production, with the result that the average retail price is lower than that considered desirable for a cru.

Meanwhile the following are currently recognised as Grand Vin du Languedoc:

- Minervois
- Corbières
- Saint Chinian
- Faugères*
- Cabardès
- Limoux *
- La Clape*
Picpoul de Pinet
- Pic Saint Loup*
- Terrasses du Larzac*
- Grès de Montpellier*
- Pézenas*
- Montpeyroux*
- La Méjanelle
- Saint Georges d’Orques*
- Saint Drézery *
- Saint Christol
- Quatourze
- Sommières

I have my good friend Christine, who works for the CIVL (Comité Interprofessionel des Vins du Languedoc) to thank for that list. She hopes she has not missed anyone out!

And the observant amongst you will have noticed an asterisk or two. Christine tells me that they are creating a new marketing status, between Grand Vin du Languedoc and Cru du Languedoc, namely Terroir d’exception du Languedoc. The asterisked areas have applied for that and will able to use the term to communicate about their area, but you will not see Terroir d’exception on a label.

I do hope you are still with me……. Really what it comes down to is that French appellations are very class conscious and like to put everything in an ordered hierarchy, which the hapless consumer does not always follow ……. My drinking decisions are based on the reputation of an estate, and maybe an area, but quite frankly whether it is a cru or a grand vin, is pretty irrelevant. Some of the most delicious wines of the Languedoc are Vins de Pays, Ooops, I mean IGP, or even Vin de France.

And another change – the appellation of Coteaux du Languedoc was set to disappear in April 2012, but it has now been given a stay of execution until May 2017.

NOTRE DAME DE MOUGERES

2011-11-07T17:25:00.002Z

Another new tasting caveau, this time at Notre Dame de Mougères. And as well as wine, you can buy delicious local honeys and various other flavours of the region. The vineyards, 32 hectares, outside Caux, belong to the sisters of the Chartreuse and the wine estate is run by Nicolas de St. Exupéry whose family also own Domaine Pech Céleyran in La Clape. There are family connections with Toulouse Lautrec and with Antoine de St. Exupéry, the author of Le Petit Prince.

Unusually for a Languedoc estate, they produce more white than red wine, with six different whites. I’ve always like their fresh pithy Muscat, which is a favourite in our village, but sadly they were sold out, and of the Sauvignon too.

So we tasted:
2010 Vermentino, Pays d’Oc – 5.00€
Quite rounded with a bit of acidity, and some fruit, but lacks the vivacity I normally associate with Vermentino

2010 Macabeo, Pays d’Oc – 5.00€
Quite rounded and pithy with some fruit and body on the palate. Quite satisfying, with some weight. A pure Macabeo is pretty unusual; it is usually part of a blend, but apparently a pure Macabeo is traditional to the estate.

2010 Le Pèlerin, Vin de Pays de Caux – 4.00€
A blend of Sauvignon and Vermentino. Some pithy Sauvignon fruit on the nose, which also dominates the palate. A touch of residual sugar on the finish. I almost thought that there was a hint of Muscat in the wine, but I was told not.

2009 Clos de l’Abbaye blanc, Pays d’Oc – 9.00€
Vermentino vinified in vat and given twelve months ageing in oak. A touch of oak on the nose and more so on the palate. Quite buttery and with notes of bananas. Will the oak fade with time? Quite a long finish.

2010 le Pèlerin Rose Vin de Pays de Caux - 4.00€
Cinsaut and Grenache – pressed. Pretty delicate colour, dry fresh fruit on the nose. Quite a crisp palate with some hints of ripe strawberry fruit.

2009 Languedoc Pérennité Rosé - 6.00€
Pure Mourvèdre. Saigné and fermented in vat. Light colour. A firmer, more vinous palate. More rounded with good acidity. Fresher than I would have expected from a 2009.

2010 le Pèlerin rouge, Vin de Pays de Caux - 4.00€
A blend of Syrah, Grenache, Mourvèdre, Carignan and Merlot. Medium colour; quite a stalky nose. And quite a firm palate, with some fruit. Fairly simple and one dimensional.

2009 Pérennité, Languedoc. 6.00€
A blend of Syrah, Grenache and Mourvèdre. Medium colour; quite firm fruit, with a peppery note and some spice, and a tannic streak. Dry spice on the finish.

2009 Clos de l’Abbaye rouge – 9.00€
A blend of Grenache, Syrah, Mourvèdre, and aged I oak. Quite a firm nose, and a touch of oak on the palate. Quite a rounded palate with fruit and tannins. Still quite youthful, but the oak is well-integrated. A winter wine, or more poetically in French, un vin du coin de la cheminée.

The church, which was built in 1794, is open to visitors – it has lovely simple lines in cool grey stone, and the sisters sing Vespers, that anyone may attend, usually at about 5.15 p.m. most afternoons.

VIN DE LA GRANGE - A STORY OF COURAGE

2011-10-31T18:16:00.014Z

It can take something dramatic to prompt a grape grower to start making their own wine. For Eric Morot it was the devastating hail storm that took place just one week before the harvest in 2008. I was at our house in the Languedoc and I remember it well; friends had come for supper and we were comfortably settled around the dining table, glass in hand, when suddenly the sky darkened; the rain began to fall and quickly turned to hail, making the most horrendous nose as golf balls hit the paving stones of our terrace. And the next morning we saw the damage to the nearby vines. Where the previous day there had been a full canopy of leaves and almost ripe grapes, the vineyards looked as though a herd of goats had rampaged through them; there were leaves and twigs on the ground and shredded leaves and split grapes on the vines. I had never seen hail damaged vines before, and it was shocking.

Eric has vines six hectares of vines in five plots around Vailhan and Neffiès, the worst affected villages. When he saw the devastation in his vineyards – the crop of 95% of them was totally destroyed, he was physically sick, but that very same evening, his courageous spirit took over. He decided that the next year he would make his own wine – and he did. He withdrew his vineyards from the cooperative. And 2009 saw his first cuvée – I have written about this wine in an earlier blog, but recently I went to visit Eric in his cellar and taste his 2010s.

He has a small cellar attached to his house just off the main street in Roujan. It is all very simple, some red steel vats and a press. There are no oak barrels, yet, but he is planning a pure Syrah, which he would like to age in oak. It was a friendly visit; we chatted and tasted and there was music playing in the background. Eric explained how he went back to studying at the age of 38 and did a BEP in agriculture and bought his first vines in 2006. He worked at the Abeilhan cooperative to get some experience, and with some other small wine growers, and then set up a partnership with his friend, Pierre. Nor would he be able to do all this without the support of his wife, Babette.

2010 L ‘Ampiéric is a blend of Syrah and Mourvèdre. Mainly carbonic maceration with an élevage in vat. Deep colour. Quite a ripe spicy nose. Quite a soft, rounded body, as carbonic maceration can soften the tannins. Medium weight, with some peppery red fruit and a rounded finish. 6.00€ The grapes are handpicked, by friends and family – I have yet to join the gang of pickers, but I am reliably informed that they are fortified with pâté and red wine mid-morning. Next year perhaps. Eric enjoys making up names for his wine, based on family and friends, so Ampiéric, comes from his daughter Ambre, Pierre his partner, and Eric.

Next we tried L’Ambrin 2010, a blend of Syrah and Grenache, again with carbonic maceration, with fresh tannins and nice peppery fruit and a touch of cassis. Roujan does not come within the new cru of Pézenas, so the wines are simple appellation Languedoc. Again the name is a play on words and names; his daughter Ambre and his son Marin, and embruns are sea breezes. And in 2011 he has made a Grenache rosé. For the moment it does not have a name. I left full of admiration for Eric’s courage and passion. He deserves so much to succeed.

DOMAINE DE MONPLEZY

2011-10-25T17:41:00.003+01:00

My friend Anne Sutra de Germa has just opened a neat little tasting caveau at Domaine de Monplézy, just outside Pézenas, so we went to check it out, which provided an opportunity for an update on her recent wines. The very first time we visited Anne we tasted round her kitchen table, interrupted by her daughter making chocolate cake. She made the mistake of saying that she really like English cooking – so I invited her to dinner and we have been good friends ever since. The tasting caveau is open most of the time during the summer - obviously a phone call does not hurt, to be sure of an appointment. She has 20 hectares of vines, five in the Côtes de Thongue and the rest in the recently created cru of Pézenas. It is an old family estate that came from her grandfather. Her labels have a distinctive hoopoe, as do the signs giving you directions off the road between Pézenas and Roujan.

2010 Plaisirs Interdits blanc. Côtes de Thongue – 7.00€
A wonderful blend of Vermentino, Muscat a petits grain, Roussanne, Grenache Blanc and Viognier. I found the nose quite Muscaty, with a pithy, grapey note. And on the palate, the Muscat was again quite pronounced, but balanced by the white blossom of the Roussanne. Nice fresh fruit.

2010 Félicité blanche, Côtes de Thongue – 13.00€
Marsanne, Roussanne and Viognier. This is altogether more serious as it is fermented and aged in oak. And the nose and palate are still very oaky, with some white blossom fruit underneath, and a fresh finish. It is still much too young and oaky for my taste, but there is good mouthful which will make for an attractive evolution. Anne had recently drunk the 2005 and said it was delicious – and I believe her!

2010 Plaisirs Rosé, Languedoc - 6.00€
Pretty pale colour. Ripe raspberry and strawberry fruit on nose and palate. Lovely ripe rounded palate, with good acidity. Quite vinous. A blend of Grenache, Cinsaut and Syrah. Just as we were enthusing about it, Anne announced that it was all sold out, and we would have to wait for the 2011, which would not be available until February.

2010 Plaisirs Interdits. Côtes de Thongue – 6.00€
Very bright vivid colour – a bit bonbons anglais. There is more Syrah, which makes for a deeper colour and a slightly longer maceration. Rounded fresh fruit on the nose and palate, and a slightly sweet finish. Anne admitted to a little residual sugar. Essentially it is made for easy drinking.

2009 Plaisirs Rouge, Pézenas – 7.00€
A blend of Carignan, Grenache, Cinsaut and Syrah. Medium colour; young. Quite ripe spice and fresh fruit on the nose. Some black fruit on the palate, balanced with a tannic streak with an edge of acidity. Fresh and youthful, with some lovely fruit. Lives up to its name. Sheer pleasure in the glass.

2006 Félicité – The 2006 is Côtes de Thongue; more recent vintages are Pézenas, as some of Anne’s vineyards were reclassified when the cru was created. – 13.00€
A blend of Carignan, Grenache and Syrah. Medium colour. Quite a rounded oaky nose and palate, with some good fruit and body, and peppery notes underneath the oak. Also a touch of chocolate. Nicely mouth filling with a long finish. Still very young, but with ageing potential.

2006 Emoción, Côtes de Thongue – 19.00€
95% Carignan with a drop of Syrah. Spends twelve months in oak. A deep, young colour. Quite a firm solid nose, with some oak. On the palate, firm fruit and structured tannins. Quite solid, dense and concentrated, with that underlying rustic note of Carignan. A gutsy mouth filling winter wine.

2007 Délice – 22.00€
A sweet note on which to finish. Late harvested Grenache Noir - a vin de table with the long-winded phrase about the grapes being partially fermented and coming from a vendange passerillé. It was delicious, some sweet spicy chocolate fruit. A taste of black chocolate and liqueur cherries, and just the thing to go with a chocolate pudding.

I didn't manage to take a photo of Anne with bottles or in her cellar, so instead here is one of her with her donkey Biscuit and two goats.

DOMAINE FONTEDICTO

2011-10-18T14:15:00.000+01:00

I first visited Bernard Bellahsen when I was researching The Wines of the South of France, when he was a lone pioneer of organic and bio-dynamic viticulture in the Languedoc. He was the first vigneron that I ever encountered who tilled his vineyards with a horse. Her name was Cassiopé. He now has a handsome Ardennais horse called Prince. We met again at the Natural Wine Fair in London earlier this year and I followed up that encounter with a cellar visit. Bernard is very much his own man; he is dismissive and highly critical of the various organisations that control organic viticulture, such as Demeter and Ecocert, and these days he does not have much time for the Comité des Vins du Languedoc, preferring to label his wine simply Vin de France.

His vineyards, 4.50 hectares, in one plot are well placed between the villages of Neffiès and Fontès on the slopes of an old volcano. There is some basalt and some limestone rock, with barely 10-20 centimetres of actual earth. The vineyards are north facing, at an altitude of 150 metres, with woods behind, and surrounded by garrigues, so no neighbours, and therefore no pollution from neighbouring sprays. Bernard, and his dog Vasco, gave us a friendly welcome. And we adjourned to the cellar for some tasting. Bernard had classical music playing; he has always played music in his cellar. It was lovely, but slightly distracting, as I kept trying, unsuccessfully, to recognise operatic extracts from a medley intriguingly his cellar is insulated with cork on the outside walls, which maintains the temperature at around 20˚C.

Bernard comes from Tunisia, his mother was Italian and he arrived in Perpignan in 1961 and studied history at Montpellier, but he realised that he wanted to work out of door, and spent fifteen years producing organic grape juice. Then it was time to buy another vineyard and make the transition from grape juice to wine. He is self-taught, and initially had doubts about making wine until he realised that grape juice is far more difficult than wine, as you must not let it ferment. His first vintage at Fontedicto was in 1994 and he gave up grape juice in 1998.

His winemaking is very thoughtful; everything is done slowly and must take its time.

First we tasted 2008 Coulisses, 18.00€
a blend of about 50% Carignan with equal parts of Syrah and Grenache, and just a touch of Aramon. Deep young colour; dense young berry fruit, and on the palate it is ripe and dense with acidity and some quite firm tannins, and youthful concentration. The different varieties are fermented together- the fact that they ripen at different times is not important - and the wine is aged in vat and this 2008 was bottled in June. There is a lot of fruit and concentration, but with length and finesse on the finish. He never uses any sulphur and protects his wine with carbon dioxide. Coulisse is not made every year – it is all depends on the Carignan. Coulisse has more Carignan, which gives the wine generosité and structure.

2006 Promise – 20.00€ - This has more Carignan than Coulisses, with some Grenache, Syrah and a touch of Aramon. 2006 was a warmer vintage than 2008. Good colour; very perfumed, very fresh, elegant and rich, and yet with an underlying freshness. Lovely ripe fruit, hints of raspberry and strawberry. Rounded and satisfying.

2005 Promise, Coteaux du Languedoc – his last wine to have an appellation label. The same blend, with a deep colour, and rich leathery, viandé notes on the palate. Quite rounded, and just beginning to evolve, with some hints of maturity. Elegant. Length and freshness, despite the power. For me, this was undoubtedly a vino da meditazione, as the Italians so eloquently say.

Bernard enthused about the satisfaction of working with a horse. For him it is essential if you are going to practice true organic agriculture. The respect for the soil comes with working with an animal. There is a natural rhythm, the balance between l’homme, l'animal, le vegetal et le mineral. He is completely anti-machines, and very happy that more young people are beginning to work with horses.

He also has fifty ares of Terret for white wine, which he had picked and pressed the day before our visit. Half a hectare has produced just 80 litres of juice; last year he made 105 bottles, and there was none left to taste. He has finished the 2011 harvest and is generally pleased with the quality.

And as we finished our tasting his wife Cecile arrived. She had been delivering bread, and then we discovered that Bernard also has six hectares of wheat, as well as some olive trees, and that he has built a bread oven adjacent to the cellar. I shall be looking out for his stall in the Marché Bio in Pézenas on Saturday morning.

CONCOURS DE ST APHRODISE - in London

2011-10-14T11:05:00.002+01:00

The wine competition named after St. Aphrodise, the patron saint of Béziers, concentrates on the white wines of the region. Not a trace of red or pink here. And earlier this week some of the recent winners were available for tasting in London, at a rather fine cheese emporium in South Kensington, la Cave à Fromage on Cromwell Place. However, tasting conditions were not ideal so my notes are a bit skimpy, but better than nothing ....

The wines were divided up as to their suitability with different cheeses. I have to admit that I was concentrating so much on the wines that I completely forgot to try any cheese, so I cannot on any suggested pairings..... All the wines come from the 2010 vintage. And varietal vins de pays tend to dominate the selection.

Domaine de l’Yole, Chardonnay, Pays d’Oc
Lightly oaky and rounded – perfectly pleasant, but with no great depth or character. As a Chablis enthusiast, I am often a little dubious about Chardonnay from the Languedoc, and this rather confirmed my fears.

Picpoul de Pinet, Prestige, Cave de l’Ormarine
A lovely example of Picpoul de Pinet from the Pinet coop. Everything that good Picpoul should be, fresh, herbal and pithy, with a hint of the sea. Bring on the oysters.

Muscat Sec, Pays d’Oc, Cave de Sérignan
Fresh pithy Muscat fruit. Quite grapey on the palate, and quite sweet on the finish. Sound varietal character.

Domaine la Croix Belle, Muscat Sec, Côtes de Thongue.
This is one of my favourite Muscats of the region. Lovely pithy fruit, quite dry with a rounded finish. Really good varietal character.

Picpoul de Pinet, Hugues de Beauvignac, Cave de Pomerols
Another lovely Picpoul de Pinet, though on the night l’Ormarine had the edge. This was a little crisper, with a fresh finish.

Domaine de la Colombette, Plume Chardonnay, Coteaux du Libron
One of the range of relatively low alcohol wines developed by the Puygibet family. This is soft and innocuous, and makes for easy drinking

Domaine de Preignes le Neuf. Chardonnay Prestige, Coteaux du Libron
The oak on this flattened any fruit, so I found it rather dull.

Cave de Richemer, Cuvée Henri de Richemer, Viognier, Côtes de Thau
Lightly peachy nose; quite soft, rounded palate

Domaine des Deux Ruisseaux, Muscat Sec, Pays d’Oc
Quite fresh and pithy on the nose; a touch of sweetness on the palate, balanced with a slightly bitter note on the finish, which can be typical of Muscat.

Cave de Pomerols, Sauvignon, Pays d’Oc
Soft Sauvignon nose; quite rounded; easy drinking; no great depth or pronounced varietal character.

Cave de Cers Portiragnes, Cuvée Fascination, Sauvignon Pays d’Oc
Quite ripe pithy fruit, with a stony mineral note on the palate.

Cave de Roquebrun, Viognier, Haute Vallée de l’Orb
This comes from one of the key coops of St. Chinian. Quite soft peachy apricot fruit on the nose and palate. Good varietal character.

Les Filles de Septembre, Viognier, Côtes de Thongue
Nice understated dry peachy fruit on the nose. Quite a firm peachy palate. Medium weight. Good varietal character.

Cave de Richemer, Cuvée Terre Mer, Terret, Côtes de Thau
Quite a firm fresh nose; crisp fresh palate. Not a lot of flavour, but good balance of acidity. Quite refreshing, making a good apéro.

Domaine des Terres Rousses, Pays d’Oc, Colombard Chardonnay
Quite a soft rounded nose. Soft acidity and some herbal fruit. Pleasantly innocuous.

Château le Thou, Coteaux du Languedoc
A blend of Roussanne, Marsanne and Grenache blanc. Quite rounded and buttery on both nose and palate. Some oak and some acidity. Youthful. May develop in bottle.

Domaine de l’Arjolle, Côtes de Thongue, Sauvignon
Light colour. Quite rounded with good mineral notes on the nose. Quite a ripe rounded palate, with good varietal character, in a warmer southern style. Nicely satisfying.

Cave de Cers Portiragnes, Cuvée Inspiration, Viognier, Pays d’Oc
A touch of dry peaches on the nose, and even more on the palate. Quite ripe and rounded, with dry peachy fruit, and a hint of oak on the finish.

Domaine St Martin des Champs, Pays d’Oc, Viognier
Quite a rounded peachy nose and palate. Good ripe fruit; more opulent than the previous wine.

Domaine la Colombette Coteaux du Libron, Sauvignon
Fresh crisp Sauvignon, on nose and palate. Possibly a hint of reduction on the nose, but that would disappear with air.

Domaine de la Yole, Muscat, Pays d’Oc, Moelleux Euphorie
Lightly grapey nose and palate. Quite rounded and ripe on the palate with a herbal hint, and a slightly cloying finish. Short on elegance.

Domaine de l’Arjolle, Côtes de Thongue, Equinoxe
A blend of Sauvignon, Viognier and Muscat à petits grains. Oak dominates the nose and palate, but that will disappear with some bottle age. Nicely ripe and rounded, with good body and mouth feel. The crispness of the Sauvignon balances the peachiness of the Viognier.

Château Trillol, Corbières – not sure how that sneaks into a tasting based on Béziers but never mind – the wine was good. A blend of Roussanne and Macabeo. Light colour. Quite leesy and herbal on the nose. A hint of oak on the palate, rounded and textured, and balanced by acidity. Nice depth.

Domaine des Terres Rousses, Pays d’Oc, Chardonnay
Lightly butter y nose. Quite a light rounded palate, with some fresh acidity. Nicely balanced,

Cave de Pomerols, Picpoul de Pinet, Cuvée Prestige
Cuvee Prestige implies oak and that is just what they have done, so there is firm oak on both nose and palate. A structured palate, but for my taste buds, the oak is inappropriate.

Domaine Piccinini, Minervois, Clos l’Angely
A blend of Grenache blanc, Roussanne, Macabeo, Bourboulenc and Muscat. Quite an intriguing blend. On the palate there is a hint of Muscat and also a hint of oak. The nose is quite appealingly leesy, with a pithy fresh palate, which I suspect will develop more depth with some bottle age.

DOMAINE LE BOUC A TROIS PATTES

2011-10-12T21:05:00.000+01:00

Who has ever met a three legged goat? Not unless it has had a horrible accident. The name apparently is a parody on a wine called le mouton à cinq pattes, and the official trade mark for a cheap claret sold in local supermarkets in the Languedoc. It has never come my way. Wim Wagemans obviously has a sense of humour, as well as a small wine estate in the Orb valley beyond Lamalou les Bains at Mons-la-Trivalle. He and his wife Katya come from Belgium; in 2005 they began looking for a nice place to live and grow some vines. He was a civil servant and she worked in the travel business, with Thomas Cook, and through a chapter of accidents they arrived at Mons-la-Trivalle in 2006. They sensed that the valley would be a good place for growing grapes; the nights are cooler than much of the rest of the Languedoc, but there were not that many vineyards here. And the coop in Mons la Trivalle had closed, so there were vineyards available.

And why the Languedoc? It’s more fun from a winemaking point of view. There are lots of different grape varieties, both red and white and it is the one place in France where you have a similar freedom as in the New World. Wim was looking for liberty, for an opportunity for creativity and there is no doubt that in his wines he is exploring every opportunity. Blends can vary from year to year. Sometimes he destems; sometimes he does not. Maceration times car vary; he uses cultured yeast, but tries to limit his use of sulphur to an absolute minimum. He is organic, but has not bothered with a certificate.

Altogether they have five hectares, in about ten plots, mostly around Mons, including a plot of 60 year Carignan just by the old barn, once a goat shed, which is now their cellar. There is also some Chardonnay, in an even cooler site at Taussac-la-Billiere in the hills above Lamalou. That is their only white. And for reds they have Carignan, Tempranillo, Grenache, Cinsaut and Syrah, in vineyards that they have either bought or rented, and in 2009 they have planted some red Muscat. The cellar is small and neat, and pretty cramped, with fibre glass vats and a row of barrels. Nor is it easy to find, unless you already know the way. Fortunately I was with my tasting buddy Lits, who had been there before. so knew the way.

Wim is pretty much self-taught; he has done some stages, with Luc Ollier at Ollier Taillefer and a couple in Burgundy, which accounts for his enthusiasm for Chardonnay; 'the Chablis style', observed Wim. The vineyard is quite high, at 305 metres, on clay and limestone; there is a lot of clay, so the soil is cold, and the vines are exposed to a cold north wind. The 2010 was sold out, and the 2011 en pleine fermentation. Tasting fermenting grape juice that is still full of sugar is not my forte so I declined that particular invitation and kept to the finished wines. But it sounded tempting. I must go back when there is some to taste.

All their wines are Vin de Pays de la Haute Vallée de l’Orb.

2010 Rosé – 6.50€
A pure Syrah, pressed immediately. Quite a deep colour, with a firm dry nose. Some dry raspberries on the palate, a touch of tannin and a dry finish. A food wine. It is half fermented in wood, and half in vat, and was altogether quite sturdy and serious.

2009 Sous le Tilleul – 6.50
60% Carignan, 30% Syrah and intriguingly, 10% Chardonnay. Medium young colour. Some fresh dry berry fruit on nose and palate, and a touch of oak. All the wine has been in oak, none new, at some stage, over about eighteen months. They begin with the Carignan, which is quite fat, and then added some Syrah, which gives some tannin. And the Chardonnay went in at the end, to give some acidity, which they had felt was lacking. The final blend is done after about 15 – 16 months élevage, and is bottled after another couple of months or so. Officially the Chardonnay should have been fermented with the red grapes …. But who knows? And would you make it again? Yes.

2009 le Carrosse, Lot No 2 – 8.50€ -
Lot No. 1 was fermented in oak and is all sold out. 65% Syrah, 15% Grenache, 15% Carignan and a little Cinsaut. Co-fermented, with the élevage all in tank. Deep young colour. Very black fruit, cherries and damsons. Some tannin balancing the ripe fruit, making for a fresh tannic edge. Quite rounded and mouth filling. I warmed to Wim when he said that he did not like wines when the oak was too obvious. The blend of le Carrosse varies but the constant factor is the Cinsaut. In the 2010 there is as much as 40%. They are 100 year old vines, and initially gave very low yields as they had not been well tended by the previous owners – now they are doing much better.

2009 Tempranillo Vieilles Vignes – that is to say 40 years old – 8.50€
None of the vin de cépages have any oak. Deep young colour. Quite rounded, with a ripe fleshy palate, with a firm streak of tannin. Quite fresh and youthful; quite gutsy with a tannic finish. The maceration lasts five to six weeks and the grapes are not destemmed.

2009 Syrah – 8.50€
Deep young colour; a dry nose with quite firm peppery fruit. Solid and rounded, with a more opulent and aromatic palate. Ripe almost sweet fruit, with a firm stony streak. The vines are young, and 2008 was the first vintage of this wine.
Next came some vat samples. 2010 Syrah was deep in colour, with some smoky tannins and quite a ripe tannic palate. I thought it could have been in oak, but no. It is part grown on schist and part on limestone, and had a sturdy mineral nose. It was all destemmed. Schist was the main contributor to the flavour.

2010 Tempranillo. Destemmed. Good colour; some berry fruit, quite ripe with fleshy berry notes and a firm tannic streak.

2010 Pure Grenache Medium colour. Quite perfumed liqueur cherries with some spice. Ripe and perfumed on the palate, with spicy liqueur fruit. Good tannin. Medium weight. Not destemmed.

2011 Grenache. The fermentation began about three weeks earlier on 29th August. Vivid colour but not as sweet as you might have expected, as the fermentation was nearly finished. Some lovely ripe, juicy fruit, redolent of cherries. This was destemmed and he has added 10% Syrah. I was in a Châteauneuf mood, Wim laughingly observed.

Pink Muscat 2011 – just finished its fermentation. Quite a vivid pink. A perfumed nose, with a pithy edge. Pithy and grapey and very Muscat. Wim said that he was inspired to plant it after a trip of Australia in 2004, when he had enjoyed liqueur Muscats. This is obviously quite different, but very original. And when will he bottle it? He didn’t know. When it’s done its malo. I shall look forward to tasting the finished version in due course.

ASDW TASTING

2011-10-07T11:48:00.009+01:00

The ASDW tasting - in other words The Association of Small Direct Wine Merchants and an eclectic band of small specialists in Italy, Australia, Champagne, Spain and Georgia, not to mention Bordeaux, Burgundy and of course the Languedoc. You can read more about them on www.asdw.org.uk

I had fun, tasting some old favourites and discovering some new producers. Prices are UK retail prices.

www.themixedcase.com caught my eye as Stefanie Steil was showing only wines from the Languedoc and Roussillon.

For a start she had my favourite Cabardès, from Domaine de Cazaban, 2007. - £15.99. This is a relatively new estate, created by Clément Mengus, who has moved down from Alsace, where his family also have vineyards. Cabardès is one of the appellations close to Carcassonne where the grape varieties of Bordeaux and the south west meet those of the Mediterranean. The 2007 vintage is a blend of 60% Merlot and 40% Syrah. Deep colour. Lovely ripe spice on the nose, and on the palate, the plumy fruit of Merlot balanced with Mediterranean spice. A balanced tannic backbone and a long finish.

2009 Domaine Notre Dame le Plô. Le Grenache du Plô, Pays d’Oc - £9.25
Medium colour. Ripe liqueur cherry fruit on both nose and palate. Ripe and rounded and a benchmark Grenache.

2006 Château Planères, Côtes du Roussillon. La Romanie Blanc - £12.20
This is new to me, Their white is a blend of Malvoisie and Rolle Quite a deep colour. Rounded white blossom. A touch of oak on the palate and some almond notes and a touch of maturity. Ripe and rounded; mouth filling and satisfying.

2001 Château Planères, Côtes du Roussillon, La Roumanie Rouge. - £13.30
A blend of Mourvèdre, Syrah and Grenache. Good colour. Ripe and rounded with a leathery nose, warm ripe spice on the palate, mouth filling and warming. This is a winter wine, and needs a rich gamey dish or a daube. It also tastes quite youthful for a wine that is 10 years old. A lovely discovery. .

2005 Les Verrières de Montagnac, Clos Soutyeres, Coteaux du Languedoc. - £12.35
70% Syrah, 20% Grenache and 10% Carignan. Aged in oak. This is new to me too. Deep colour; quite a firm structured nose. Solidly tannic palate, balanced with some ripe fruit. A gutsy mouth filling wine and still very youthful. Another for a winter’s evening.

Stefanie’s final offering was Domaine Pech Menel, St. Chinian 2007 - £10.25 Another estate that I had not encountered before. A blend of 35% Mourvèdre, 30% Cinsaut, 20% Grenache Noir and 15% Carignan. . I found this a bit inky, and the palate lacked definition.

www.everyday-wines.co.uk specialise not only in the Languedoc and Roussillon, but also Corsica.

I really enjoyed their offering of 2010 Picpoul de Pinet, le Jade from Les Vignerons de Pomerols - £5.50. It was everything that good Picpoul should be, a rounded nose with herbal fruit, and a nice balance of acidity. Very drinkable.

2010 Muscadellu, Muscat Pétillant from les Vignerons Corsicans. - £10.00
Soft and frothy, lightly sweet and grapey, with some honey on the finish. This is France’s answer to lightly sparkling Asti Spumante.

www.aldebywine.co.uk is another Languedoc specialist. Ian Webb worked spent a year or so working at L’Ermitage du Pic St. Loup, an experience which has given him an enormous enthusiasm for the region.

2007 Le Chemin des Rêves, Utopie 3, Pays de l’Herault - £15.79
This was a lovely discovery, a blend of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Syrah and Grenache and the final 10% includes a bit of Carignan and some old varieties like Terret Noir, Aramon and Alicante. Good colour. Quite a closed nose, with some intriguing nuances. The palate has fruit and spice and a balance of tannin – it’s one of those wines that makes you think that here is a lot going on – what the Italians would call a vino da meditazione. I could have lingered longer over it , but other wines called. It sounds a very interesting estate, situated at Grabels just outside Montpellier, so straddling the Pic St. Loup and the Grès de Montpellier.

2007 Plan de l’Om, Roucan, Terrasses du Larzac - £19.79.
2007 was the last vintage made by the previous owner, Joel Foucou. He has since sold the estate to Remy Duchemin, who was instrumental in creating the reputation of Domaine de Mortiès in the Pic St. Loup. The vineyards are near St. Jean de la Blaquière. Deep colour; good fruit on the nose, with spice and leather. A very intriguing palate, with more leather and spice and a touch viandé. Great depth and character. Again another wine to linger over.

Ian’s offerings also included a cheerful Viognier from Domaine la Fadèze, with some varietal character and 2009 Bronzinelle Rouge Coteaux du Languedoc, from Château St. Martin de la Garrigue. See an earlier posting for more about St. Martin de la Garrigue. And there was also Cuvée Charles from Domaine de la Croix Chaptal, and an easy to drink Domaine Jordy, Tradition. But they were dwarfed by le Chemin des Rêves and Plan de l’Om.

And last but not least was Fingal Rock from Monmouth. www.pinotnoir.co.uk

Tom Innes concentrates on Burgundy - we share an enthusiasm for Chablis - but he is now extgending his horizons further south.
Domaine Puech-Berthier, Pays d'Oc, Sauvignon - £7.95

This comes from vineyards near the enchanging town of Uzes. It has beautifully understated varietal character, with a freshness that is uncharacteristic of the Languedoc. Quite a pithy nose, with frim stony mineral fruit and good acidity. A lovely discovery

MAS DE CYNANQUE

2011-10-05T18:31:00.004+01:00

I have tasted and enjoyed Xavier de Franssu's wines a couple of times at the Salon des Vignerons Indépendents in Paris, and so asked if I could visit. It is much more fun to see a vigneron in his cellar; it gives you the sense of place, which contributes so much in the appreciation of a wine. Xavier makes St. Chinian. He has a small cellar surrounded by twelve hectares of vines, planted on sandstone, with another 2.50 hectares on a limestone plateau. His first vintage was in 2004, three vats fermented in his garage, while most of his grapes went to the coop. The 2005 was vinified in his own cellar; the walls were in place, but it was open to the sky. He comes from the north, from Picardie, and studied in Montpellier, and spent two years looking for his vineyards. He had a very precise idea of what he wanted. He had fixed on an appellation of the southern Rhône or the Languedoc, and wanted somewhere that was bit isolated, where he could live on the estate, not in a village, and preferably with buildings already in existence. The previous owner had sent his grapes to the coop and had starting building a cellar, with a view to making his own wine, but then discovered that his daughter was not interested in helping, so he sold his vines instead.

Xavier has some 100 year old Carignan, as well as thirty year old Grenache, Syrah and Mourvèdre. Yields are low, 20 hl/ha, around the cellar. The soils are deeper on the plateau, with less drought effect. He has been converting to organic viticulture and was certified in 2009, and he has planted white varieties, Roussanne, Grenache Blanc, Vermentino – he already had one hectare of 60 years old Grenache, both Blanc and Gris. And more unusually he has also planted half a hectare of Albariňo, as well as Viognier and Petit Manseng for a vin de pays. This vineyard should come into production in 2013. And why Albariňo? He did a stage in Galicia, which is the home of Albariňo.

The cellar is simple and functional, with cement vats and barrels, and is part underground, to provide some natural insulation. And why Cynanque? It is a type of Clematis that you can find in the mountains, with white or pink flowers.

2010 Fleur de Cynanque, St. Chinian, Rosé 5.50€
70% Cinsaut, grown on limestone, and sandstone, pressed; 15% each Carignan and Grenache that are saigné. No malo – he doesn’t want it. Quite fresh and crisp with firm acidity. Dry raspberry fruit, with a certain weight and a delicate finish.

2008 Fleur de Cynanque, St. Chinian - 6.50€
Old Carignan dominates the blend, with 70%. 20% Grenache and 10% Syrah. Fermented and aged in cement. Some spicy fruit on the nose, red fruit, with the rustic quality of Carignan. Carignan needs at least four week maceration to enrober the tannins. Medium weight. Fresh fruit with a streak of tannin.

For St. Chinian the maximum percentage, in your vineyard, for Carignan is 30%, and for Cinsaut too, while Grenache, Syrah and Mourvèdre, must make up a minimum of 70%. You must have 20% Grenache, but Syrah is not obligatory.

2008 St. Chinian, Plein Grès – 8.20€
The vines for Fleur de Cynanque are at a lower altitude, whereas those for Plein Grès come from higher plots – For Xavier, the wine expresses the sandstone in the appellation.

30% each of Syrah and Mourvèdre, and 20% each of Carignan and Grenache. The Syrah, Carignan and Grenache fermented together in a concrete vat, and were then blended with overripe Carignan and Mourvèdre at the end of the harvest. 2008 was a drawn out harvest. The wine is quite ripe and rich, quite dense and rounded, a touch confit, with some hints of chocolate, and some rounded tannins. It should develop well.

2008 St. Chinian, Acutum – 12.00€
Acutum is the Latin name for the Cynanque family – I think I have got that right. A botanist out there can correct me. And the blend is 60% Syrah, which spends twelve months in wood, with 20% each of Grenache and Mourvèdre, aged in vat. Deep colour; quite solid and dense, firm and rounded, quite ripe. A hint of new wood, good body, youthful, ripe and rounded, and nicely englobé (another word that is impossible to translate into English) tannins. Xavier thinks that the Syrah responds well to wood.

2009 St. Chinian Amicytia – 16.00€
Mainly from Grenache grown on the limestone plateau, and just three old barriques, which amount to 1000 bottles. The name is a blend of amitié, typicité and Cynanque. The yield Is tiny, just 15 hl/ha. Xavier laughingly suggested that this was the Châteauneuf du Pape of St. Chinian. Twelve months in old wood, after a long cuvaison. Some lovely ripe cherry fruit, very perfumed, alcoholic cherries. Balanced by a mineral note.

2008 St. Chinian, Nominaris – 25.00€
The name is all to do with his family crest, – Fais bien et tu sera consideré; nomnaris means will be considered. A pure Syrah, which has spent two years in wood, including new wood. Overripe grapes. Deep colour. Solid dense nose; solid oak on the nose. Less obvious oak on palate. It all tasted a bit adolescent and needs time. I am not sure how long.

2010 Carignan, fermented in small open tonneaux - and tasted from a demi-muid. Grown on limestone. Good colour. Some cherry fruit and very ripe, but nicely integrated oak. Fraicheur, elegance, very gourmand; powerful but not heavy. A streak of acidity as well as tannin. Very intriguing.

2009 St. Chinian blanc, Althéa – 11.50€
Althéa was a Greek goddess, and the wife of Oenè, whence oenology. 40% Roussanne, with 30% Grenache Blanc – Grenache gris is not allowed, in theory in the appellation, but there is a little in the vineyard, and 30% Vermentino. Yield just 15 hl/ha
Quite a resinous nose, with a touch of fennel. Quite characterful, rounded white blossoms. Nice weight and body. The Vermentino gives some citrus notes and good acidity.

2008 Hesperides, a late harvest wine, made from raisined grapes, Grenache Blanc and Gris – 18.00€ for a 50 cl. bottle. They leave two or three bunches per vine and pick in early November, a couple of months after the main harvest. Xavier made just two small barrels. He just leaves it to ferment slowly; laughingly saying ça discute, for you can hear the wine murmuring if you put your ear to the barrel, and it stays in wood for a year or more. No sulphur. Filtered. A light golden, a touch of botrytis. Elegantly honeyed. Lovely fruit with acidity and honey, and a hint of orange. And a delicious finale to a lovely tasting.

MAS CHAMPART

2011-10-01T11:10:00.008+01:00

Isabelle Champart and her husband Matthieu arrived in St. Chinian in 1976, from the north of France. They slowly developed their vineyards, and until 1988 they sent their grapes to the coop. Isabelle took us for a short drive. Altogether they have fifteen hectares, in about 20 small plots, mainly on clay and limestone, some south facing vines on red clay, and they also have some sandstone, but no schist. And their grape varieties are the usual five from the Midi, namely Syrah, Grenache, Mourvèdre, Carignan and Cinsaut, and also some Cabernet Franc, for Vins de Pays d’Oc, and some experimental Morastel. And for whites they have Terret Blanc and Gris, Bourboulenc, Grenache Blanc and Gris, Roussanne, Marsanne and a little Viognier. You are now allowed a very small percentage of Viognier in white St. Chinian, unlike Faugères.

The Mourvèdre is planted on clay and limestone, as it drains well. Some Syrah is in deep soil, in cooler clay, which makes for later ripening. There is Carignan on the plateau, as well as several plots of Syrah and Grenache. We saw crumbling dry stone walls, with a handsome capitelle. Usually the vines are tilled, unless they are especially steep, and they practice integrated viticulture. The oldest vines are Carignan and Terret, both centenarian vineyards. Their cellar is near the village of Villepassans. It includes a nice barrel ageing cellar, with barriques and some demi-muids on gravel. Syrah and Grenache are aged in barriques and the demi-muids are used for Mourvèdre and also some Grenache. Any new barrels are used for Syrah or for their white wine.

Isabelle treated us to a wonderfully comprehensive tasting. I’ve always enjoyed their wines and it had been quite a while since my last cellar visit.

2009 St. Chinian Blanc – 11.50€
Light colour; quite a rich white blossom nose, with a touch of oak. Lovely texture on the palate, with some ripe fruit and good acidity. Hints of fennel. The blend is mainly Grenache, both Gris and Blanc, and Bourboulenc, which have spent nine months in wood. And there is also some Roussanne and Marsanne.

2010 St. Chinian Blanc -11.50€
A larger proportion of Grenache, and a later harvest, and less oak maturation, although I found the nose quite oaky. It also includes 5% Viognier. Quite strong hints of fennel on the palate; ripe and rounded with good acidity. Nicely texture and youthful.

2010 Terret
An experiment with Terret, both Gris and Blanc, the oldest vines of the village, that were planted in 1900. Tasted from vat, after it had spent time in barriques, both a new Austrian barrel, and an older French barrique. A little Grenache was added to the vat. Picked late, just before the October rain. Quite herbal, with hints of fennel and almond. Intriguing and characterful. A lovely example of a grape variety that is threatening to disappear.

St. Chinian Rosé – 6.50€
55% Mourvèdre, 35% Cinsaut and some Syrah, pressed. It underwent a malo-lactic fermentation, which is rare for a rosé in the Midi. Pretty colour, not too dark. Quite a rounded nose. Raspberry and strawberry fruit; quite textured rounded and ripe. Good mouth feel. Isabelle was adamant that their rosé is a not a by-product of the red wine.

2009 Pays d’Oc - 7.50€
A blend of 70% Cabernet Franc and 30% Syrah, although the label tells you nothing, and the blend indeed varies from year to year. Vines grown on cool clay and sandstone. The vineyard is not on appellation land, so they decided to try out a non-appellation grape variety, namely Cabernet Franc. Quite a deep colour; fresh fruit on the nose, and a ripe palate, with some blackcurrant fruit, balanced by some tannin. Quite a fresh finish.

2009 St. Chinian, Côte d’Arbo – 7.70€
The name comes from the previous owner of the vineyard. A blend of Syrah, Grenache, Carignan and a little Mourvèdre, fermented and aged in vat. Grown on quite a cool site, not from their best vineyards. Young, fresh and closed initially on the nose. Some red fruit, with some spice, a touch of pepper, and a fresh finish. Medium weight and youthful.

2008 St. Chinian, Causse du Bousquet – 11.60€
A blend of 65% Syrah, 12% Grenache, 23% Mourvèdre, with an élevage part in vat, and part in barrel. This is their biggest volume wine, with 12,000 bottles. Deep colour. Quite a closed nose, some dry leathery notes. Fresh spicy fruit on the palate, with some leathery notes, firm tannins and a certain weight. Quite structured and tight knit. The oak is well integrated. A long finish. Nicely harmonious and satisfying.

Isabelle observed that 2008 and 2009 are very different vintages. 2008 was later, slower ripening and resulted in more extract. The spring was wet and the summer was not very hot. In contrast 2009 was riper, so that 2009 has more fruit and 2008 more vivacity

2008 St. Chinian, Clos de la Simonette - 18.00€
30% Grenache grown on limestone, and 70% Mourvèdre grown on clay. Aged in demi-muids of different ages, including some new ones for the Mourvèdre. Older barrels are used for the Grenache, and they begin blending in November in the year following the vintage, to produce the final blend in May, and then the wine goes into vat, making for a total of 18 months élevage. Deep colour. Quite closed, but with some attractive fruit on the nose. Quite spicy. Good balance of youthful fruit and structured tannins. Quite elegant, tight knit and long, with ageing potential

2009 Clos de la Simonette – tasted from vat.
Quite firm, quite dense, a certain freshness, with some red fruit. More accessible than 2008 as there is less acidity, so that the 2008 probably has more ageing potential.

In conclusion, a lovely tasting from one of the stars of St. Chinian.

IMPRESSIONS OF 2011

2011-09-28T15:25:00.002+01:00

First of all, apologies for a two week silence. Blame technical problems with a new computer …….

Wine growing friends came to dinner, I originally wrote 'last night', but with the technical hiccup, it was in fact 17th September. I had an assortment of Syrah from New Zealand’s Gimblett Gravels that I thought would be fun to try with some Languedociens. Actually that is not a very accurate description of the group, as they included an Australian, an American and a Dutch woman, as well as some French, who are not especially languedocien, even if they make wine just up the road. And you can guess the inevitable topic of conversation. How’s the vintage going?

Karen and Manu arrived first. They were demob happy as they had finished picking that morning. And all was looking good, both for quantity and quality. But Karen still had another week to go at St. Jean de Bébian. And she had got to bottle on Monday, wine for her Russian boss’s son’s wedding next month. I’ve never ever bottled during vintage before….. Next to arrive was Catherine. I am ‘vers le fin du milieu’ towards the end of the middle, for she has vines in both Faugères and the Haute Vallée de l’Orb, with a mixture of grape varieties which makes for quite a drawn out harvest. And she was very excited as she has bought a tronconique oak vat for her Pinot Noir.

Then Lidewej appeared – she agreed with Catherine, she was also 'vers le fin du milieu’. She had picked all her white and pink grapes, and then had needed to keep her team of pickers waiting until the red grapes were fully ripe. It was going well, but hard work. Tom, our American friend, is doing a stage with Didier Barral – he had begun work at 7 a.m. that morning, and Didier had let him out of the cellar at 8 p.m. The others agreed that Didier was a hard task master ….. And Amélie has a small plot of Carignan in Montpeyroux. Carignan is a late ripener and that would not be ready to pick until next week, but it was looking good.

The general consensus was optimistic – of course it’s too early to say, but the quality is good, and so is the quantity, which is a relief after the more meagre harvest of last year. And the wines have an appealing freshness, again more so than last year. And as for the New Zealand Syrahs, 2008 Trinity Hill came out trumps.

ST CHINIAN - DOMAINE LA MADURA

2011-09-13T10:56:00.014+01:00

Cyril Bourgne is one of the more thoughtful and analytical wine makers of St. Chinian, and very committed and very focused. It may be something to do with his background. He does not come from the Languedoc and worked in Bordeaux, running Château Fieuzal for a number of years, before developing his own estate in St. Chinian. He now has 13 hectares of vines, and made his first vintage in 1999. He has a compact cellar on the outskirts of the town of St. Chinian.

Perceived wisdom often has it that St. Chinian is split in two – schist to the north, and clay and limestone to the south, as the result of a geological fault. Reality is rather more complicated. Cyril has what he called four ‘grands ilots’ which are all quite different. There is a plot of Syrah in the north; he has grès, or sandstone, near the village of Pierrerue, and two different plots of argilo-calcaire, limestone éboulis, or rocks, near St. Chinian, and closer to Assignan his vineyards are on a limestone plateau, with very white stones. And with each grape variety grown on all four terroirs he has a veritable artist’s palette for blending.

For Cyril there is no doubt about it: the specificity of St. Chinian is the variety of terroirs, that complement each other, as well as the effect on each grape variety. There is a world of difference between Grenache grown on argilo-calcaire and Grenache on schist. With argilo-calcaire the wine has more colour and tannin, with less exuberance on the nose, while on schist it is very aromatic, but with less colour and acidity. And you will find the same differences with Syrah. Cyril was also adamant that he wanted four cépages; he admits that he is frightened by what he called the ‘uniformisation’ of Syrah, so also has sizeable holdings of Grenache and Carignan, as well as Mourvèdre. He likes the freshness of Carignan and Mourvèdre. You have to be careful as both Grenache and Syrah can be too heavy. Elevage is important too. New wood here is an aberration; it’s maquillage or make up and adds to uniformity. The grape varieties here have sufficient expression and character not to need extra maquillage.

He talked about his work in the vineyard. The deeper the roots, the more freshness you obtain. He wants maximum aeration, and maximum leaf exposure, so that the vines are less sensitive to rot and disease. If the leaves are in the shade, they consume energy, and create a negative effect. And he limits treatments. Work in the vineyard pays off in difficult years, but it is rare to have a week of bad weather. We then got on to the subject of bio, organic viticulture. Cyril questions some of the treatments – with bio you may not use synthetic chemicals, but you can use copper and sulphur, which are also harmful He would rather use synthetic products, but in the tiniest quantities – in any case prevention is better than treatment. He is a bit cynical about the commercial value of bio – it’s marketing and politically correct. ‘I am against political correctness. There are people who don’t want to hear the truth about bio, as it disturbs them.

First we wandered round the cellar tasting 2010s from vat and barrel. Cyril makes two whites and two reds, rather in the bordelais manner. His red Classic is predominantly Carignan and Grenache with a little Syrah and Mourvèdre, aged more in vat than barrel. Medium colour; restrained perfume; subtle spice some lovely rounded spice and supple tannins. Good body. It was to be bottled shortly. A fresh finish, with fruit noirs, and some scent from the garrigues. Average yield in 2010 was 23 hls/ha.
2010 produced concentrated wines; the weather was dry was the grapes were ripening, making for small berries with thick skins.

A barrel of pure Mourvèdre that will go into the Grand Vin was structured and fresh with good colour. It comes from two plots of Mourvèdre; one of grès and the other argilo-calcaire. Cyril observed that people here are afraid of Mourvèdre; he uses it for his Grand Vin with Syrah, as the two complement each other. Whereas Carignan gives freshness to the Grenache in the Classic.
He usually has two different batches of Syrah, from schist and from argilo-calcaire, but in 2010 blended them both together. Deep colour; quite a firm closed, restrained nose. Very perfumed fresh palate; peppery with a real explosion of fruit, with some fresh tannins. He has tried Syrah in new wood and feels strongly that it would be a shame to put it in new wood. I wondered about the typicity of St. Chinian – for Cyril it’s very difficult to define typicity – there isn’t any; the appellation is sandwiched between Faugères and the Minervois- and the wines give pleasure.

He then took us to look at his vineyards. The countryside is breathtaking, with bird song and the scent of cistus in the air. And the variations in soil were all too apparent. Cyril was adamant – it is diversity which counts. He leaf plucks – on the side of the rising sun. And aims for good air circulation. His method of pruning, he described as ‘creation maison. He does not like the cordon method, which is widely used in St. Chinian as it makes the vines age badly. Gobelet is better, but you can’t do use wires with gobelet, so his pruning is a compromise between the two, a short pruning, with five arms.

And then we returned to his house in the centre of the town to taste wines in bottle.

2010 Sauvignon, Classic vin de France 8.40€
Light colour, delicate mineral nose. Richer and more obviously mineral on the palate. Vinification and élevage in vat, on the lees to enhance the richness. He wants freshness, so picks relatively early, but not too early, as he certainly does not want any pipi de chat. And if Sauvignon is too ripe, the flavours are heavy. I enjoyed the minerality which developed in the glass, becoming a little more exotic, with some white blossom.

He has also planted a little Picpoul as he wanted a local white variety, that is as fresh as Sauvignon and ripe at the same time.

2009 Sauvignon Grand Vin – 14.40€
From the same plot, but fermented in old barrels with a ten month élevage on lees, with regular bâtonnage. The decision as to which juice will become which wine is made after débourbage. 2009 was a good year, but with a small yield. The wine has a little more colour than the Classic, with some restrained, understated oak. It is quite rounded, with good acidity, and has a certainly bordelais style – not surprising really considering what Cyril was making at Fieuzal. I also found a hint of fennel, which grows wild around the vineyards. And it will age well, as would a white Graves.

2007 Classic Red St. Chinian - 8.40€
A blend of 40% Carignan and Grenache, with 10% each Syrah and Mourvèdre. Usually the Syrah and Mourvèdre are aged in wood, and maybe a little Carignan. Cyril equated 2007 to 2001 – an easy vintage, that was ripe quite early and has produced supple velouté or velvety wines.
I found it quite firm and structured, with a fresh finish. There was good fruit on nose and palate, with a lovely mouth feel and good body. It was all very harmonious with lots of nuances and hints of the garrigues, but with a certain pleasing restraint. Still very young, with lots of potential. The grapes are destalked and the vin de presse was used in the Classic, but it doesn’t make the wine heavier or richer.

2007 Grand Vin St. Chinian - 14.40€
A blend of Mourvèdre and Syrah with a little Grenache and Carignan. It spends twelve months in wood and then the second winter in vat. A lovely understated nose, but richer and more concentrated on the palate. Some hints of oak. Quite solid and rounded with good fruit. Would benefit from decanting.

2008 Grand Vin
2008 was a later vintage, and the Carignan was picked at the beginning of October. They escaped the hail that crossed the region just before the harvest. Quite a deep colour; quite ripe, with black fruit, very young’; very satisfying mouth feel. Lots of nuances and potential. Altogether very satisfying. Cyril is convinced of the ageing potential of St. Chinian, but not if it is made with carbonic maceration.

To my mind Domaine Madura deserves a much greater recognition and acknowledgement. Why do they not have an importer in the UK?

KATIE JONES' NEW WINE

2011-09-12T12:11:00.001+01:00

Last Tuesday in London was one of the wettest days of a dismal summer …… However, I braved the elements to attend Dudley & De Fleury’s trade tasting, and was well rewarded, as Katie Jones from Domaine Jones was taking a short break from the harvest in Maury and showing four wines, including her new Fitou.

2011 Muscat Sec - 6.00€
Light colour. A lightly perfumed nose, with a slightly bitter, pithy note that is typical of dry Muscat. Fresh grapey fruit on the palate, a lovely balance of honey and fruit. More honeyed than the nose would indicate. Pure Muscat à petits grains. 3.4 gm/l residual sugar.

2009 Domaine Jones Blanc – 15.00€
Grenache Gris, with just a hint, 3%, Muscat. Quite leesy and a touch of oak on the nose. A dry resinous note, balanced by a rounded textured palate, with some dry honey on the finish. Very intriguing. However, the wine is sold out and the 2010 about to be shipped to London.

2009 Domaine Jones red – 15.00€
I have tasted components of this wine before, but not the finished item. See earlier postings). Medium colour. Some fresh vibrant fruit on the nose. Nicely rounded palate with good spicy, berry fruit and Roussillon sunshine – much appreciated on a grey day in London. Beautifully balanced and very accessible. A blend of 95% Grenache, with 5% Carignan.

2010 Fitou - 16.00€
Katie has just 50 ares in the village of Tuchan at an altitude of 300 metres, planted with Carignan 50%, Grenache Noir, 30% and Syrah 20%. The total production filled four oak barrels, which were together blended in May. And the result was delicious. Good colour. Quite a solid concentrated nose, with some oak. Well integrated oak on the palate. Quite rounded, peppery, leathery youthful fruit. Quite gutsy. A winter wine, conveying warm sunshine.

And I can’t begin to describe the relief of arriving in Montpellier the following day to find the sun shining. No need to look for Languedoc sunshine in a bottle. And over dinner with friends in the evening, sitting outside till nearly midnight, we enjoyed Domaine Ollier Taillefer’s Allegro, followed by Jean-Francois Coutelou’s fresh peppery No 7 rue de la Pompe. See earlier postings about those two estates. Coming next will be a series of St. Chinian producers.

A DAY IN THE MINERVOIS - Part 2

2011-09-05T18:13:00.006+01:00

To Château Ste. Eulalie near Félines-Minervois with Isabelle Coustal – and a brief hallo to her husband Laurent. First a drive through the vineyards; they have 35 hectares in one large block, mainly argilo-calcaire and very stony. There is an old river bed, with fossils. The highest vines are at 260 metres, and there are some great views of the Montagne d’Alaric in the distance. These are some of the most northern vineyards of Minervois, with the Montagne Noir not too far away. The Pic de Nore rises to 1200 metres; apparently the fact that Montagne Noir is covered with trees, which makes it look very sombre, hence the name.

Isabelle practices lutte raisonnée, and uses weed killer under the vines, but not between the rows. Their first vines were bought in 1996 – first 25 hectares, and then they acquired another ten hectares the following year. Carignan accounts for 30%. Everything is mechanically harvested; Isabelle considers it to be much ‘cleaner’.

The old cellar, dating from 1868, has some old stone vats that are buried below ground; the cellar walls are thick, nearly one metre thick. For their barrels, they favour the Burgundian cooper Cadus, and replace a quarter of their barrels each year. They work by gravity – and do no carbonic maceration and they do use their vin de presse, but don’t press too hard. You sense that Isabelle is a thoughtful winemaker.

2010 Minervois Rosé, Printemps d’Eulalie - 4.80€
50% Syrah, 40% Cinsaut and 10% Grenache and Carignan. Saigné.
A little colour; a reddy pink. Quite ripe, rounded strawberry fruit. Fresh, with good acidity. They begin with Cinsaut and then add the Syrah juice, and finally Carignan and Grenache and the slow fermentation takes about a month. The grapes for rosé are picked first but the fermentation finishes last.

2009 Minervois, Plaisir d’Eulalie – 4.80€
40% Carignan, 30% Syrah, 30% Grenache – fermented in cement vats. About a ten day maceration and bottled after about 12 months
Medium colour. Spicy red fruit and also some black fruit. The côte garrigue of Carignan. A lightly tannic edge, with dry spicy fruit. Medium weight . Serve slightly chilled for easy drinking. And a bargain at 4.80€

2008 Prestige d’Eulalie
40% Carignan, 30% Grenache Noir and 30% Syrah. Twelve months in old wood and then into vats, so this would be bottled in July 2011

Good colour; notes of tapenade and a hint of orange. A hint of oak on the nose, and nicely integrated on the palate. Quite finely crafted tannins. Rounded fruit and some tapenade and black cherries. Medium weight.

Isabelle explained that the soil is very calcaire so not very acidic, but that will make for wines with a certain fraicheur. They don’t want over ripe grapes or ‘super extraction’. They do some remontages and délèstages, and follow their taste buds. The grapes are destemmed; the stalks of the Grenache are very fragile, and they don’t want any green tannins from the stalks. The harvest date is decided according to the maturity of the tannins.

2008 Minervois la Livinière la Cantilène – 11.80€
55% Syrah, 25% Carignan, 20% Grenache
12 months in wood – 25% new. La Cantilène de St. Eulalie was a troubadour song; the first poem of the Languedoc, written in 881AD about a martyr and saint.

Medium colour, a touch of oak, quite a firm nose; quite dry with a hint of warm tapenade. Nicely rounded palate; quite elegant and balanced some tannins and a certain structure. Good ageing potential. A certain freshness. 2008 was a cooler vintage than 2009.

2009 Minervois, la Livinière, Grand Vin -16.00€
Isabelle explained that they were ‘dreaming of a cuvée like the wine their ancestors made’, so they took their oldest plots of vines, some 35 year old Syrah, 80 year old Grenache and 100 year old Carignan, fermented each variety separately and blended them just before bottling in April 2010. They wanted everything to be very simple, so that they would keep the purity of the fruit. I think they succeed. Good colour; lovely perfumed red and black fruit. Medium weight. Elegant tannins; quite concentrated but with finesse and elegance. A long elegant finish, with apologies for too many elegants, but they are deserved. And a great finale to a lovely visit.

And then we took a winding road to the village of Felines to find Domaine du Petit Causse. This is a relatively new estate in that Philippe and Maguy Chabbert only began bottling their wine in 2003. They had been members of the Félines coop, but it closed in 2002, so that was the cue for them to start making their own wine in their own cellar.

Maguy gave us quite an extensive tasting, a white, a rosé, a vin de pays Merlot and four different Minervois. I found the style of the wines quite sweet and soft, with generally not as much grip as you might expect from such wild terroir. A case of work in progress.

A DAY IN THE MINERVOIS - Part 1

2011-08-31T16:38:00.011+01:00

First stop – Clos Centeilles outside the village of Siran. I always enjoy seeing my good friend, Patricia Domergue. She and her husband, Daniel, developed their estate in the 1990s and these days it is Patricia who makes the wine, and their daughter Cecile is showing signs of wanting to follow in her parents’ footsteps. Daniel and Patricia are passionate about old grape varieties and particularly about Cinsaut. Unwisely I asked her about the regulations for percentages of grape varieties in Minervois to which her reply was: I can’t possibly tell you; hardly any of my wines conform to the rules.......! Their vineyards are around the little chapel of Centeilles, which is worth a visit for its unusual medieval mural of the pregnant virgin.

2009 Cotes de Brian Blanc. 13.20€
Brian is the name of one of the small rivers that runs through the Minervois. And this comes from three grape varieties of 18th century origin, which have almost been lost from the Languedoc, namely Ribeyrenc Blanc and Gris and Araignan. Patricia is also planning to plant Clairette rose and Picpoule rose. A yield of 20 hl/ha. 2007 was the first vintage of this wine.

Some colour; quite a herbal nose with a resinous hint. Nice texture on the palate, with good acidity. Some herbal notes and again a slightly resinous note. No wood – I thought there might have been some from the taste. Some white blossom. White Châteauneuf du Pape is Patricia’s inspiration.

2007 Carignanissime – 8.60€
I’ve always had a soft spot for this pure Carignan, even though Daniel is sometimes quite dismissive of the grape variety. If you can make good wine from Carignan, just think how much better your wine would be from another variety! Medium colour, with red cherry fruit. Medium weight; fresh fruit, with an appealing rustic edge. Patricia, however, asserts that the Languedoc; c’est la terres des assemblages. Her vineyards are in the cru of La Livinière, with slightly lower yields than for Minervois, 45 as opposed to 50 hls and a mandatory élevage of twelve months. 440 hectares are declared currently as La Livinière.

2007 Campagne de Centeilles – 9.60
Cinsaut with just 5% Syrah. That certainly doesn’t conform to the regulations, but hitherto it has depended upon what you have in your vineyard, but things are threatening to change. Medium colour. Quite warm dry spice on the nose. Elegant supple fruit. Dry cherries and dry spice.

2006 C de Centeilles – 11.65€
Some more old varieties here, namely Ribeyrenc rouge, Oeillade, Picpoule, Morastel, which are all fermented together. Some dry cherry fruit and some intriguing spice; more leathery, with a touch of pepper. Good structure and quite intriguing. Patricia observed that on its own Morastel is very tannic and needs blending. This wine was long and elegant.

2002 Clos de Centeilles – 15.20€
This is classic Minervois la Livinière, a blend of equal parts of Syrah, Grenache and Mourvèdre, with 10% of the blend aged in barriques. Patricia starts the assemblage at vintage and always ferments at least two of the grape varieties together. Her vineyards are all in the cru of La Livinière, which demands slightly lower yields than for Minervois, 45 as opposed to 50 hls and a mandatory élevage of twelve months. 440 hectares are declared currently as La Livinière.

Medium colour. Some sous bois – the Mourvèdre comes out on the nose. A note of maturity, nicely evolved, with lovely fruit, and some vegetal notes. Long and fresh; lingers on the palate with a cedary finish. An example of just how well Minervois can age.

2003 Capitelle de Centeilles – 17.00€
Pure Cinsaut. 55 year old vines. Some dry cassis on the nose and a certain ripeness and warmth. Spice and cherries, a touch of liqueur cherries. The warmth of the heat wave year, but not excessively so, as there is freshness behind the warmth. A long finish.

A lovely range of wines. Clos Centeilles deserves to be much better known than it is.

Then we went to see the next door neighbours at La Rouviole, where Franck Léonor makes the wine. His grandparents came from Portugal and bought the estate in 1956. They made just 400 litres that first year, and until 2000 the family sold everything to the négoce in bulk and also delivered grapes to the village cooperative. 2000 was the first vintage they bottled themselves. They have Syrah, Grenache, Cinsaut and Carignan but no Mourvèdre. Franck admits to being self-taught; he came to wine after an earlier career as a teacher of history and geography. He gave us a comprehensive tasting. His Cuvéee Classique la Rouviole is mainly Cinsaut and Syrah with a little Carignan and Grenache and is refreshingly unoaked, so this was the wine that I liked best, with some spicy peppery fruit.

2008 Sélection, a blend of Syrah and Grenache with a little Cinsaut spends time in oak, with the Syrah in new barrels. The oak and vanilla dominate the palate. Franck observed: this is the sort of wine I was brought up on, as his early wine drinking years were spent in Bordeaux and for him it was not too oaky, but it was for me. His years in Bordeaux lead him to favour a strong oaky flavour, with a long élevage, and he has also planted some Cabernet Sauvignon.

He then very generously opened the 2000 vintage of the same wine. It had some cedary maturity with a touch of tapenade and some leathery notes, and had aged well.

Franck also likes making micro-cuvees each year – he doesn’t want to get bored, he said.

2008 Le Revenant – 10.90€
A pure Carignan initially and then he felt that a bit too experimental and added 20% Syrah. I actually thought that it had more of a taste of Cinsaut, but with an edge of oak, including some American oak.

2009 Coup de Théâtre – 11.00€
90% Cinsaut and 10% Grenache. Medium colour; some garrigues notes – some ripe cherries and a touch alcoholic on the finish.

2008 Minervois la Livinière – 15.00€
A blend of Syrah 75% and Grenache 25% Oak aged, including some new barrels for the Syrah. Sorry, Franck, but the oak was too much for me, with solid rounded flavours. Tannic and youthful.

And the oak was even more apparent in the 2007 vintage, with dense oaky fruit, and some tapenade notes. And in 2006 there was vanilla, as well as dense oak. I did feel that the wine had not even begun to digest the oak.

And we finished with the 2001, the first vintage of La Livinière, which had been made by Franck’s uncle. Deep colour, with some herbal notes. Nicely evolved, with some tannin and some tapenade. In conclusion, the wines were well made, but not to my taste.

And then we adjourned to Les Meulières, the friendly village restaurant in the square in the centre La Livinière, for some more solid refreshment.

DOMAINE ALAIN CHABANON

2011-08-22T18:06:00.007+01:00

Alain Chabanon is one of the more established vignerons independents of Montpeyroux. He arrived here in 1990 and made his first wine in 1992 – just 2500 bottles. The rest of his grapes went to the coop. So he is coming up to his 20th vintage, anticipating 50,000 bottles from 17 hectares. In 2010 his yield averaged 24 hl/ha. He has not used any fertiliser of any kind for the last twelve years, and he has been registered organic for nine years and is now converting to biodynamic viticulture. Apparently 8% of the Languedoc vineyards are now registered organic. And before settling in the Languedoc, Alain studied in both Montpellier and Bordeaux and then worked in Madiran with Alain Brumont, in Corsica at Domaine Peraldi, as well at the cooperative of Sommières near Nimes.

2010 Rosé Trémier, Montpeyroux – 9.00€

The name is a play on words – a rose tremière is a hollyhock in French. 42% Mourvèdre and 10% Grenache which are bled after one night, and 48% Carignan which is pressed immediately. Quite a bright colour; quite a solid rounded dry nose; good acidity; very fresh palate; quite herbal and long. The acidity will round out. Alain believes in making rosés that age and this is definitely a food wine. And he is very pleased with 2010 as a vintage and 2009 was better than 2008.

2009 Le Petit Merle aux Alouettes, Pays d’Oc – 11.50€
82% Merlot, with 10% Syrah and 8% Mourvèdre, kept in vat for 12 months.
Medium colour; quite ripe plummy nose and more plumy fruit on the palate. A certain freshness and acidity as well as tannin. Youthful. Alain wants his wines to have elegance and finesse. And why Merlot? Quite simply, it was already planted, on clay soil, so not his choice, but he has gone on to do good things with it.

2009 Campredon, Montpeyroux
48% Syrah, 22% Mourvèdre, 16% Grenache and 14% Carignan. Aged in vat. I think Campredon is my absolute favourite of Alain’s wines. It has just the right balance of fruit, spice and structure. Medium young colour; ripe plummy nose, with garrigues and spice. More spice on the palate, balanced with tannins. Rounded with a fresh finish.

2006 Les Boissières, Coteaux du Languedoc – 22.50€
In theory there is 10% Syrah with the Grenache, to conform to the AC regulations for Coteaux du Languedoc. In practice the percentage of Syrah is significantly less...... And the wine spends three years in vat, with the aim of it being perfect for drinking when it is ten years old. Medium colour; dry liqueur cherries on the nose – absolutely classic Grenache. Ripe and rounded spicy cherry fruit with supple tannins. Quite ripe with a touch of alcohol 14.5º - on the finish and already drinking well for my taste buds. The vines are 30 years old, giving a low yield. Boissières describes a round field but was also his mother’s maiden name.

2006 L’Esprit de Font Caude, Montpeyroux – 24.50€
Half Syrah and half Mourvèdre, blended at the beginning of the élevage, with 24 months in wood, followed by 12 months in vat. 2006 was quite a warm vintage. Very deep colour. Quite solid and dense on the nose; some oak on the palate still quite in evidence. Solid and firm. Good substance and body. A winter wine – bring on the daube!

2007 la Merle aux Alouettes, Pays d’Oc – 23.50€
90% Merlot with 10% Carignan Again 36 months of élevage of which 24 are in wood. Deep colour; very cassis on the nose. And on the palate ripe cassis fruit with a touch of spice and some oak. Supple silky tannins. Elegant and stylish. It would be intriguing to slip this into a row of Pomerol.

2007 Trélans – Pays d’Oc – 23.90€
57% Vermentino and 43% Chenin Blanc. Alain bought the vineyard of Chenin and planted the Vermentino himself. 12 months ageing in wood, followed by 18 months in vat. And the 2008 was given 36 months ageing. The aim is a white wine that will last. Yields are tiny – 10-12 hl/ha for the Chenin and about 20 hl/ha for the Vermentino. Dry honey with a fresh pithiness on both nose and palate. Some firm acidity. Beautifully balanced concentration, with dry honey on the finish. Very intriguing. Apparently some thirty years ago the coop of nearby St Saturnin was looking into other grape varieties and considering new wines, and an agricultural consultant from Anjou suggested Chenin blanc. So the vines have some age.

In short a great range of wines confirming Alain's place as one of the leading wine growers of Montpeyroux. His cellar is just outside the village of Lagamas.

www.domainechabanon.com

VILLA DONDONA

2011-08-17T17:42:00.007+01:00

The village of Montpeyroux attracts more than its fair share of newcomers to the wine industry. One example is Villa Dondona, created by a talented English artist, Jo Lynch, and her French husband, Andre Suquet, whose previous career was in medicine. Back in 1998 they bought fifteen hectares of garrigues, just outside Montpeyroux, above the little hamlet of Le Barry. And in 2000 they decided to plant vines, Grenache, Syrah and Mourvèdre. André particularly likes Syrah, and Jo Mourvèdre. Their first harvest was 2004, with just a tiny amount of wine, but none the less and much to their surprise, they won a gold medal. Jo asserts that they were not originally thinking of making wine, and then they looked for an estate that they could improve, and instead they have created something new. Then five years ago they planted vines for white wine, Vermentino and, Roussanne and acquired small plots of Grenache blanc and Marsanne that were going to be pulled up. The first vintage of l’Espérel, the 2010, won a trophy at this year’s Concours de la Vallée de l’Herault. (see a posting earlier this year)

A drive through the vineyard reveals a dramatic site, with the ruined castle of le Castellas above. The plot is shaped like a fan, with several different soil types, including marnes, and red clay, which is better. The vines are trained low, and planted close together, with 8000 vines per hectare, and 70 cms between the vines in each the row. The Vermentino is grown on a pergola, to protect the grapes from the sun, and the direction of the rows is determined by the dominant wind.

They have a small cellar carved out of the hillside, with stainless steel vats and some barrels of 300 litres, and also 270 litres, which apparently is the traditional size for the Languedoc. They come from a cooper in Paulhan.

We sat outside the cellar, tasting, in uncertain summer sunshine, defying some threatening clouds.

2010 Montpeyroux Rosé, Esquisse – 5.50€
Pale orange pink, gris in other words. Delicate nose. Very fresh with good acidity. Delicately rounded but firm palate. A hint of dry raspberries. Pure Cinsaut. The grapes are picked early and pressed immediately; they use carbonic snow in the press to avoid any oxidation. Fermented in stainless steel at a cool temperature.

2010 Espérel Coteaux du Languedoc – 11.00€
Light colour and delicate fruit on the nose; white blossom. Good acidity, rounded with a slightly sappy note and intriguing complexity. A blend of Vermentino, Roussanne, Grenache Blanc and Marsanne. A very pretty floral label, designed by Jo.

2005 Dame Mourvèdre – 18.00€
As the name might imply, a pure Mourvèdre. The bottle shape is unusual, a medieval shape, said Jo and she has designed a very clever label, with a line that you could interpret as a line of hills, or maybe a female nude, depending on when you look at it horizontally or vertically. My atempt to photograph that label failed completely.

The wine is kept in vat rather than barrel. This 2005 was bottled in 2007. They have only made it twice in 2005 and 2007, because the Mourvèdre was particularly good those two years. Mourvèdre must see the sea and from their vineyard you can just make out Cap d’Agde in the distance. Medium colour. Smoky red fruit, but no oak. A tannic streak; quite a sturdy palate. Ripe cherry fruit. Medium weight. A slight viandé note. Still very young.

2008 Villa Dondona, Montpeyroux- 9.50€
A blend of 40% each of Mourvèdre and Syrah with 20% Grenache. Kept in vat rather than barrel. Medium colour. Very perfumed nose with a smoky note on the palate. Perfumed pepper palate, with firm tannins, ripe fruit and a rounded finish.

2006 Villa Dondona – the same vines and assemblage, but 2006 was a warmer vintage, while 2008 enjoyed a cooler than average August.
Medium young colour. Heavier nose, more confit. Quite a perfumed palate; balsamic notes. Quite tannic with some savoury fruit. I preferred the freshness of 2008.

2008 Oppidum Montpeyroux – 15.00€
60% Mourvèdre, 40% Syrah and one year in wood, one third new.
Medium colour; some smoky oak, a hint of vanilla on the nose and palate. Quite chewy oak, rounded, and quite dense and powerful. Some tapenade fruit, and still very young.

And our tasting finished just minutes before the heavens opened.

DOMAINE MODAT

2011-08-08T19:08:00.007+01:00

Philippe Modat is a Catalan who has returned to his roots. His grandfather had vines and Philippe’s legal studies in Bordeaux triggered his own interest in wine. Several years on, he now works two thirds of the month in Paris, and the rest of the month in the village of Cassagnes in the heart of Roussillon. He bought land and vines in 2007, in partnership with his father, from a coop member in Cassagnes and the following year built a streamlined cellar, with stone walls and solar panels, outside the village, surrounded by eight hectares of vines. Altogether they have 23 hectares but the rest are still with the coop, but will gradually be withdrawn as they develop a market for their wines. Philippe is converting the vineyards to biodynamic viticulture, observing that his neighbours use weed killer, so that there is no life in their vineyards – you might just as well be on the moon. His in contrast look radiantly healthy.

He has a small tasting area in a gallery above his cellar, so that we looked down on stainless steel tanks and concrete tanks. First came:

2010 Côtes du Roussillon Blanc >– De-ci-de-là - 12.00€
A blend of Carignan blanc, Macabeo, Grenache Gris and Grenache blanc in other words a bit of this and a bit of that. There were small plots of white vines mixed up in the vineyards of red grapes. The Carignan Blanc always gives wonderful acidity, even when very ripe. The nose is reminiscent of fennel, and typical of that part of Roussillon, known for obvious reasons as the Fenouillèdes. Sadly the appropriately named Vin de Pays des Fenouillèdes no longer exists and has been incorporated into Côtes Catalanes. And with the acidity of the Carignan, there is gras, weight and more fennel on the palate, as well as ripe fruit. It was fermented in stainless steel, with no malo-lactic fermentation and spent five months in oak. The oak is beautifully integrated, giving body rather than obviously vanilla and oak notes to the wine.

2009 Côtes du Roussillon Rosé St. Martin - 9.00€
Named after a nearby 13th century Romanesque chapel. Philippe explained that this was his third rosé, that each year he has done something different. He is aiming for quite a powerful rosé, a food wine. This was quite a deep orange pink and a blend of Grenache, Cinsaut and Syrah that were macerated for twelve hours and then pressed. For his first vintage he macerated the juice on the skins for 18 hours, which made more of a light red wine than a rosé, and the second year the maceration time was just four hours which was much too light. This wine was ripe and rounded, dry and mouth filling, with good acidity. There were hints of strawberry and a touch of spice on the finish – and certainly no bonbons anglais here.

2009 Côtes du Roussillon Villages Caramany, Comme Avant – 12.00€
The three classic grape varieties of Roussillon – 30% each of Carignan and Grenache and 40% Syrah. Handpicked and destalked. The grapes are checked on a vibrating sorting table, and go into stainless steel vats, and chilled for a two or three day pre-fermentation maceration in order to extract fruit. Philippe wants powerful flavours, but a lighter texture and not over-extracted wines, a balance that is not always easy to achieve. He favours pigeage. And this was beautiful rounded with some berry fruit, and a leathery notes, and some spice especially on the finish. It is not yet ready. A finely crafted wine which should evolve beautifully.

2008 Côtes du Roussillon Villages Caramany, Comme AvantMedium weight. Spicy leathery notes, more extraction and more pigeage. In comparison the 2009 is more mineral. This is rounded with some leathery tannins, and lots of nuances and depth. The blend was different too, with 50% Carignan – Philippe’s oldest vines are Carignan planted in 1905 – with 30% Grenache and 20% Syrah. Philippe is very enthusiastic about Carignan, when it is ripe and the yields are low. All the 2008 was kept in stainless steel, whereas 20% of the 2009 spent time in second fill barrels.

2008 Côtes du Roussillon Villages, Caramany, Sans Plus Attendre – 14.50€
Syrah is the dominant variety, and this is intended as a wine for ageing, but as Philippe observed, you don’t really need to wait. 70% Syrah and 15% each of Carignan and Grenache. Half aged in vat and half in wood. Youthful fresh pepper on the nose, with some exotic spice on the palate. Quite a sturdy plate, rounded and youthful. I think it would benefit from some bottle age.

2008 Côtes du Roussillon Villages, Caramany, Le Plus Joli – 38€
Philippe blind tasted all his barrels, looking for the most elegant, to chose the best for a cuvée of just 1500 bottles. Initially he chose six barrels, but just three worked best together, two of Syrah and one Carignan, from vines planted in 1905 and 1930. Medium colour. Elegant nose and palate. Very stylish, elegant red fruit. Spicy. Some acidity as well as tannins. Sixteen months ageing in barrel.

And the 2009 vintage will come from two barrels of Syrah, one of Carignan and one of Grenache. And 2010 has not yet been decided.

And afterwards we went and had a look at the underground barrel cellar and tasted some 2010 Carignan from barrel, with some elegant berry fruit and nicely balanced tannins and elegant finish.. Philippe was very enthusiastic, that is what you can do with Carignan. He favours Saury and Seguin Moreau as coopers – ‘it’s a question of the width of the grain; the narrower the grain, the less obvious the oak flavour’. He is also considering a barrel made from oak, but with acacia ends.

So in conclusion some beautifully crafted wines. I sense this new estate will go far.

www.domaine-modat.com

DOMAINE DES TRINITES

2011-08-04T12:53:00.003+01:00

Simon Coulshaw at Domaine des Trinités is one of the new rising stars of Faugères, an appellation that is attracting more than its fair share of newcomers and outsiders. Simon worked in IT for 20 years, often abroad, but maintained his interest in wine, which had been encouraged by his father. Then it was time for a career move and in 2004 he began a two year wine-making course at Plumpton in East Sussex and did seriously consider buying land in Sussex. However, his passion is for southern red wine, so he began looking in the Midi, as well as in Spain as his wife comes from Barcelona. Altogether he visited 107 properties before finding what he was looking for, in the village of Roquessels. Why so many rejects? Sometimes the terroir was not interesting – there is no point in buying vineyards on the plain. Or if an estate was already doing well, there was nowhere to take it; he wanted to create a reputation of his own. Essentially he was looking for unrealised potential. And so he arrived in Roquessels in April 2007, with 15 hectares of Faugères and 9 hectares of what is now the cru of Pézenas, after its reclassification. The cellar is neat and well-equipped; and for his first vintage he made ten different wines. Last Saturday I tasted some of the current wines, but not all. Simon loves trying out new things – he is working on a Syrah, with a little Viognier, like Côte Rôtie. You may be able to do that in the northern Rhône, but you can’t in the Languedoc, unless your wine is an IGP.

2010 Rosé Faugères – 5.50€
Pale colour; very fresh; good acidity. Light raspberry fruit. A nice fresh finish. Beautifully balanced. In fact delicious!

2010 Roussanne, IGP Pays d’Oc – 5.25€
Lightly rounded nose. Understated. Lovely white blossom fruit on the palate, rounded with good texture, balanced with fresh acidity.

2008 Roussanne, IGP Pays d’Oc
Quite a deep colour; more tropical fruit, pineapple and also dry honey on the palate. Quite a dry palate, with firm acidity and quite different from the 2010 as it was aged on the lees in tank for three months, with lees stirring. Richer and textured. Lots of character,

2010 Viognier, IGP Pays d’Oc – 5.98€
Very good peachy fruit on nose and palate. Benchmark Viognier character. Balanced with good acidity. Ripe, with lovely texture. The vines benefit from a north facing aspect, on schist.

2007 Viognier, IGP Pays d’Oc
Much more colour; broader palate with notes of maturity. Quite intriguing but lacks the essential peachy apricots notes that I associate with Viognier.

2009 Pézenas – 5.25€
A blend of 35% Syrah and 65% Grenache. Some lovely perfumed fruit on the nose; medium weight, with some youthful furry tannins, providing a firm backbone. Spicy fruit, with a fresh finish. Needs a few more months in bottle to show at its best.

2007 Coteaux du Languedoc
The same blend as the 2009 Pézenas, but the vineyards have been given a new status in the interim. Lighter colour. Lightly perfumed nose. Quite a rounded palate, with some smoky notes, and a touch of leather. Very gouleyant with an appealing hint of maturity. Drinking beautifully.

2010 – Pézenas, Le Pech Mégé – meaning the hill of M. Mégé
Again the same blend. Youthful fresh fruit, with some lovely spice on the plate. Medium weight with youthful tannins. Only just bottled and showing great potential

2007 Faugères, les Mourels – 9.50€
70% Syrah and 30% Mourvèdre. This was the very first wine of Simon’s that I ever tried, thanks to some friends bringing a bottle for supper one evening, and it has remained a firm favourite ever since. The nose is fading a little now and the palate is quite cedary and leathery. Medium weight, with smoky spicy fruit. Simon criticises Faugères in general for having too much Carignan and too much oak. Les Mourels has neither.

2009 les Mourels
Medium colour. Quite fresh peppery nose. More weight and more rounded than 2007. Some supple spicy fruit. Youthful with furry tannins. Not yet released and certainly not yet ready.

2009 Faugères Cuvée 42 – 45€
Equal parts of Grenache, Syrah and Mourvèdre, with a very low yield, and co-fermented. This is Simon pushing out the boundaries; the vineyards are biodynamic and he has not used any sulphur in the wine-making. The élevage took place in 500 litre barrels for 16 months. He has made just 2000 bottles, and very generously opened one for us, which we then enjoyed over dinner later. The alcohol level is a heady 15.1º.

Youthful oak on the nose, with the oak nicely integrated on the palate, with a youthful tannic streak. Rounded, ripe and harmonious. Masses of concentration. Needs time. Simon thought it would be drinking nicely in 2016.

And why Cuvée 42? Anyone who remembers The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy will know instantly. 42 was the Ultimate Answer to the Ultimate Question of Life, the Universe and Everything.

DOMAINE PEYRE ROSE

2011-07-29T18:01:00.010+01:00

Marlène Soria’s directions were very precise. You take the dirt track by the fire station in St. Pargoire, and follow the telephone wires. And that is just what we did. And after about four kilometres along a bumpy dusty track, we reached a magical spot, a haven of flowers, with a small house and cellar, nestling in the hillside.

Marlène and her husband bought their property back in 1973 as a holiday home. They planted a small vineyard in the mid-70s, pour s’amuser, and in the early 1980s began to plant more seriously, Syrah mainly, with a little Grenache and Mourvèdre. By the end of 1987 she had 17 hectares of vines, and then stopped for planting for a while, and then she developed another vineyard of white, Roussanne and Rolle, and bought some nearby vines, to reach a total of 26 hectares, all in the commune of St. Pargoire. Altogether she has 70 hectares of land; the rest is garrigues, so that her vineyards are surrounded by shrubs, and do not run the risk of spray contamination from neighbours’ vines. She has been organic since the beginning. The vines are at an average of 220 metres, and the clay is clay and limestone, often red, with lots of stones.

It has not always been easy. Marlène built a new cellar in 1997, and then discovered that she had a problem with vats that were contaminated by bad resin. Consequently no wine was made in 1999, 2000 and 2001, and the issue with the suppliers of the vats is not yet resolved. We chatted as we tasted. You sense that Marlène is very much her own woman; she has a strong but not flamboyant personality. She is self-taught and she has a very clear idea of the style of wine she wants to make. Her wines enjoy a long fermentation; with a bit of temperature control, but as she observed, she does not have any great technical resources.

2003 Clos des Cistes
Syrah with 15% Grenache. Deep colour; quite a rounded, rich nose, quite evolved. Lots of fruit of the garrigues. On the palate, rich and rounded, quite dense, tannins bien enrobés, - I am not quite sure how to say that in English – well fleshed out maybe? Quite leathery, Seamless with tannic streak. Depth and complexity. It was bottled two years ago. Marlène favours a long slow ageing. As she organic, rather than biodynamic, she says that she sees her wines changing according to the season, rather than the biodynamic calendar.

2003 Cuvée Leone
This is named after the former owner of the property. Marlène explained that a lot of Spanish had arrived here in 1936, and first lived up here in the hills and then settled in the village of St. Pargoire in the 1960s. Consequently there are several ruined buildings in the garrigues. The blend is Syrah, with 10% Mourvèdre. Originally all her wine was aged in vat, but she now has some foudres for Cuvée Leone. This is fuller, richer and denser, with lots of fruit noirs and garrigues notes. It is quite tannic, with a firm finish

2003 Marlène No. 3
2003 was the first vintage of this cuvée; there is a little more Syrah than Grenache, and also a little Carignan. She blends as she picks, so that the assemblage is done at the harvest. Quite a smoky note on the nose. More red fruit; quite rich cherries on the palate, and quite a tannic finish. About a quarter of the blend is kept in a small foudre – 35 hls – for a couple of years or so. You sense that Marlène’s wine making is very empirical, with a finely attuned attention to detail, determined by a sensitive palate.

2002 Cuvée Schiste
Syrah is the dominant grape variety, with a touch of Grenache. And the wine has been given a long élevage. Medium colour. A certain meaty leathery note on the nose. More ready on the palate; quite supple with garrigues notes; drinking well now, with length, elegance and complex nuances of subtle flavours.

2002 Cuvée Leone
Quite a deep colour. A viandé note on the nose. This is the first year that Marlène used her foudres. Lovely elegance, garrigues and spice. Very rounded, complex, rich and elegant.

Marlène does not sell from the cellar door, but her wines are available at the Cellier de la Vigneronne in Faugeres and from Caves du 41 in Nimes. She suggested a price of 58€ for the 2002s, and 54€ for the 2003s.

Postscript - The current edition of La Revue du Vin de France features 100 Grands Vins from the Mediterranean - not just from France but from Italy and all points east, to Cyprus and the Lebanon. Domaine Peyre-Rose is third in the French list, after Domaine Gauby and Domaine Tempier, and in 7th place overall.

CHATEAU ST. MARTIN DE LA GARRIGUE

2011-07-28T15:00:00.001+01:00

We nearly had a domestic crisis here on Monday morning as we realised that we were down to the last bottle of our favourite local white, Picpoul de Pinet. But that was a problem easily solved by a visit to Château St. Martin de la Garrigue, just outside Montagnac. We’ve been buying the Picpoul from there regularly over the last few years, and the 2010 is as good as ever. We were lucky, the wine maker, Jean-Claude Zabalia was in the office (you can buy wine without making an appointment during office hours) and had some time to spare to give us a tasting.

2010 Picpoul de Pinet – 8.20€
Lovely salty fruit on both nose and palate. Good Picpoul should convey the sea and this does, with good acidity and a fresh pithiness.

2009 Bronzinelle, Coteaux du Languedoc – 9.30€
This is a new white cuvée, a blend of predominantly Marsanne, Roussanne and Grenache, with a little Picpoul, Terret and Viognier. The Roussanne and the Viognier are fermented in oak, and kept in barrel for a couple of months, so that they can work on the lees. The Picpoul and Terret add some acidity and the Viognier some aroma. There certainly was an underlying peachiness on both nose and palate, with rounded fruit and good acidity. Very appealing.

2010 Rosé – 6.30€
Made from Cinsaut, which is pressed, and Syrah and Grenache which are saigné. Quite a bright colour; a touch amylic on the nose, but with some ripe fruit on the palate, strawberries, balanced with good acidity; a combination of elegance and body. Jean-Claude emphasized that the picking date is decided with rosé, rather than red wine in mind.

2009 Rouge Tradition – 6.30€
Mainly Carignan, made by maceration carbonic, with some Syrah and Grenache. Some of the Syrah is also fermented by carbonic maceration. Quite a deep colour; a certain peppery rusticity on both nose and palate. Quite firm and peppery with very good fruit. Carignan at its simplest, and most appealing.

2009 Bronzinelle – 9.30€
A blend of vaguely equal parts of Carignan, Mourvèdre, Syrah and Grenache. In hot years there is more Mourvèdre and Carignan, and in cooler years Syrah and Grenache dominate the blend. All the wine is aged in old wood. I found a certain confit note on the palate and nose, and a hint of orange. It was quite rounded with some supple tannins and a leathery note on the finish. 2009 was a dry year.

2009 Grès de Montpellier – 13.50€
There is a new bottle for this part of the Languedoc, with an embossed neck, that proudly proclaims its providence. The blend is the usual four grape varieties, but with a lot of Mourvèdre, and longer ageing in oak. It promises well. Deep colour; quite a firm oaky nose, with hints of vanilla, and on the palate, quite a solid, rounded oaky flavour. Very youthful. The oak is pretty much in evidence, but it is classy oak and the wine should develop nicely with some bottle age.

OPEN DAY CHEZ OLLIER-TAILLEFER

2011-07-27T11:12:00.001+01:00

Last Sunday was the annual open cellar day at Domaine Ollier-Taillefer in the pretty little village of Fos. It is always an animated occasion, with wines to taste, cheese and charcuterie to nibble, and a singer, who sounded a little like Juliette Greco to enhance the atmosphere on a sunny afternoon.

The big draw this year was a vertical tasting of Castel Fossibus, literally the château of Fos, which is their oak-aged cuvée. I have to admit to a sneaky preference for the unoaked Grand Reserve, but I certainly was not going to pass up the opportunity of a vertical tasting. The blend is approximately 50% Syrah, 30% Grenache and 20% Mourvèdre, but obviously varies a little from year to year. They include some Carignan in exceptionally hot years like 2003.

1999 - Medium colour; beginning to develop an orange rim. Mature nose, but the oak is not completely integrated. Quite a rounded palate, quite meaty and cedary with a dry finish. And certainly still very much alive for a wine that is 12 years old, and their first élevage in oak.

No 2000 or 2001 left, so straight on to 2002

2002 – Medium colour, with a little development. Delicate spice and a touch of oak on the nose. Medium weight, with some fruit and oak, and quite an elegant finish.

2003 – This was the heat wave year, but the effects were less marked in the Midi than in other parts of France. The nose is firm and structured, with some vanilla notes. And the palate is solid and rounded. with firm tannins; quite a sturdy wine, but not especially hot.

2004 – Deep young colour. Quite firm oak on the nose, but more fondu or integrated on the palate. I felt they were beginning to master the oak better with this vintage. Quite a cedary palate; some elegant spice and nicely balanced tannins. Medium weight with a fresh finish.

2005 – Medium depth, young colour. Quite a firm smoky nose, with an elegant palate. Medium weight; some firm tannins, with youthful fruit, and a touch of spice. Good balance and length. Still has ageing potential though also drinking very well now, with a daube or another winter dish.

2006 – Quite a young colour. Quite firm closed nose. Some ripe cherry fruit on the palate, with some pepper and spice, and a youthful streak of tannin and oak, with a hint of vanilla. Youthful potential.

2007 - Medium colour; quite a rounded closed nose. Elegant fruit on the palate, with subtle tannins and a fine balance. Still very youthful, with a certain vivacity especially on the finish.

2008. Young colour. Quite a hard nose, with a curious balance. Tannin and fruit, but here is an edge to the wine. This is the year of the hail storm and it does show in the wine.

2009 – First I tried a bottle that had already been open for three hours. Youthful colour, with perfumed raspberry fruit and a touch oak. More obvious oak on the palate; ripe, youthful and rounded, with a firm backbone of tannin.

And a second 2009, opened a few minutes earlier, tasted more closed, with fresh cherry fruit, and youthful elegant tannins. Both fine bottles showing the style of Castel Fossibus and how the wine has progressed over the decade.

I have a soft spot for their entry level red, les Collines. The 2010 is back on form, after the hail of 2008. Lovely fresh cherry fruit on the nose, and easy spice on the palate. Light and fresh.

2009 Grande Reserve is rounded and lightly spicy. Medium weight but with more depth than les Collines, as you would expect.

HIGHS AND LOWS AT THE ANIANE WINE FAIR

2011-07-25T17:59:00.002+01:00

I spent most of last Saturday at the annual wine fair in Aniane. It is held in the old Chapelle des Pénitents in the old part of the town, which is a surprisingly successful venue, comfortably accommodating thirty exhibitors from the surrounding villages, Puechabon, St. Jean-de-Fos, Gignac, St André-de-Sangonis, Montpeyroux, St. Saturnin, as far as Clermont l’Hérault, as well as Aniane itself.

I was with my tasting buddy, Lits, and we agreed our plan – to taste the red entrée de gamme or entry level wine for each exhibitor. Quality varied, and so did the price. We might have expected to taste 2010s and 2009s, but there were also 2006 and 2005s lurking – I realised that many of the visitors had come specifically to buy wine, and so some wine growers were hoping to off load some older vintages. And then if we liked the entry level, we went back for more, depending on our mood. It has to be said that we did get a bit discouraged half way round the room, confronted by several wines that seemed to lack fruit, or were clumsily inky. And in some instances, the entry level wine was the best of the range, for being nicely unadulterated by the infelicitous use of oak.

So wines I could happily have drunk for dinner that evening included:

2009 les Chemins de Carabotte, IGP Mont Baudile, Carignan - 7.00€
Good colour; quite dense ripe fruit. Some spice. Quite a sturdy mouthful, with some supple tannins. Characterful.

2010 Mas Laval, les Pampres – 9.00€
A blend of 60% Syrah, with Mourvèdre, and Grenache. Ripe fruit, quite concentrated palate, and quite fleshy, with a nice balance.

2010 Domaine de Familongue, Mas des Vignals, Mont Baudile, Cinsaut – 5.50€
Medium colour; a bit stalky on the nose, but with much more fruit on the palate. Quite fresh and easy.

2009 Domaine Puech-Auger, Montpeyroux, les Faïsses de Jean – 5.00€
Syrah, Grenache and Mourvèdre. Good colour; quite a solid nose; quite rounded and ripe on the palate, a hint of orange and some good spice, with a touch of minerality. Great value.

2007 Domaine des Trémières, Cabernet Franc, Pays d’Oc - 5.70€
Quite rounded fruit, but with a tannic edge of Cabernet Franc, with acidity as well as tannin. Medium weight.

2009 Domaine Virgile Joly, Joly Rouge – 7.00€
Medium colour; a touch stalky on the nose, with some fruit on the palate. Medium weight. Drink slightly chilled.

2010 Domaine Jordy, Tradition - 4.60€
60% Grenache, with Syrah and Cinsaut. Some garrigues fruit on the nose, and more ripe fruit on the palate. Quite gouleyant, a slightly sweet perfumed note.

2010 Domaine Coston, IGP San Guilhem-le-Desert- 6.50€
Grenache, Carignan, Cabernet Franc, Merlot and Cinsaut. Medium weight; some rounded fruit on nose and palate. Some appealing spice; nice balance and easy drinking.

Other people didn’t really have an entry level wine. Take Mas de Daumas Gassac, once one of the stars of the Midi, but these days I find the red wines unremarkable, while I still enjoy the whites.

2010 white Mas de Daumas Gassac – 30€ - is ripe and peachy, with good acidity. Satisfying texture and mouth feel, with some delicate white blossom fruit.

2010 rose Frizant – 12.00€ - A rather curious colour, and a flavour reminiscent of what the French so aptly call bonbons anglais, or boiled sweets.

There was a cask sample of 2010 and a bottle sample of 2008 (32.00€) which left me feeling that my taste buds must have missed something, for both I described both as lean.

Another estate that is best avoided is l’Esprit de la Fontaine – 32€
This is a blend of Syrah, with Grenache and Carignan. Unfortunately the person pouring the wine was not up to answering basic questions, so I think he thought the wine was aged in tronconique concrete vats for eighteen months. Whatever, the 2007 vintage tasted rather stalky and lean; the 2008 has a little more fruit, with a peppery note, but was still rather lean, and the 2009, which was a vat sample, was rather light, with a curious sweet note. The back label mentioned Gerard Dépardieu, and Philippe Salasc, whose family once owned Château de Capion, as well as some unfamiliar names. It all seemed rather a waste of effort, and was certainly not worth the price.

But on to more expensive wines that were worth drinking….

To my mind Mas Cal Demoura consistently produces elegant, finely crafted wines, and Saturday was no exception.

2010 Etincelle, IGP Hérault – 14.00€
40% Chenin with Grenache blanc, Roussanne, Viognier, Muscat and a touch of Petit Manseng, which is new to the blend. Some exotic fruit on the nose; nicely rounded fruit, with lots of intriguing nuances on the palate. Fruit and acidity and complexity.

2009 Paroles de Pierres, vin de table 19.00
70% Chenin Blanc, with Roussanne and a little Petit Manseng, 2009 is the second vintage of this wine. It enjoys a year longer ageing than l’Etincelle, and in older oak. Quite textured, with dry honey and good acidity. Some minerality and a note of quince on the palate. Again very intriguing. Two lovely examples of how well the white wines of the Languedoc are developing.

2010 Rosé Qu’es Aquo, Coteaux du Languedoc – 8.50€
Quite bright pink. Very fresh acidity. Rounded cherry fruit.

2009 L’Infidèle, Terrasses du Larzac - 14.50€
Quite rounded but firm leathery fruit on the nose. A touch of oak, but nicely fondu. Good fruit with depth of flavour and length on the palate.

2009 Les Combariolles – Terrasses du Larzac – 22.00€
Firm structured oak on the nose and palate. Quite firm leathery fruit. There is more Mourvèdre and less Grenache in this wine, to achieve the desired balance in quite a warm sunny year. Structured; stony minerality on the finish.

2009 Feu Sacré – 35€
80% Grenache, with Syrah. Quite solid and rounded, ripe and dense. Warm leathery Grenache fruit. Youthful. Solid and charpenté; needs time.

Domaine Puech Auger was one of two estates from Montpeyroux, and well worth a taste.

2007 Montpeyroux, les Dolomies – 9.00€
50% Syrah, with Grenache, Mourvèdre and Carignan. Quite firm stony mineral fruit, with some oak and a dry finish. Nose a bit unforthcoming.

2007 Elegance – 13.00
50% Grenache, with Syrah, Mourvèdre and Carignan. Solid and rounded and too oaky for my taste buds.

In fact I preferred Didier Crezegut’s whites and rosé – and he also let slip that he has truffles on his land …..

2010 rosé – 5.00€
Syrah, Cinsaut and Mourvèdre. Orange pink colour. Quite fresh and ripe with fresh acidity and good fruit.

2009 l’Envie, Mont Baudile, Chenin blanc – 100% - 6.00€
Quite rounded with dry honey and soft acidity. Good balance.

2009 les Dolomies – 7.00€
A blend of Roussanne and Rolle, aged in oak, but nice oak, making for rounded ripe, and also oaky wine. How will it age?

I also enjoyed les Chemins de Carabote on the same occasion last year – and the wines did not disappoint this year. On the list for a cellar visit.

2007 Coteaux du Languedoc – 11.00€
50% Syrah, 35% Grenache, 15% Carignan
Quite rich and rounded, with some leathery fruit on the palate. Medium weight. Good texture.

2007 Terrasses du Larzac – 18.00€
Again 50% Syrah, 35% Grenache and 15% Carignan, with 18 months élevage. Quite rounded with spicey fruit. Good balance. Oak nicely fondu.

Rosé, Languedoc – 6.00€
Syrah, with a little Grenache. Pressed grapes, so quite a pale colour. Quite mouth filling with good body and a certain weight. A satisfying food rosé.

Domaine Lacoste Germane also caught my eye for a cellar visit, with:

2006 Oeillade, Coteaux du Salagou. 8.00€
I expressed surprise at an Oeillade of that age – normally you think of it as a wine to drink young and fresh, but M. von Braun makes a point of ageing his wines. It was very intriguing. It had spent three years in vat, on fine lees, with no filtering or fining. It was quite rounded and perfumed, with some body and depth.

Next came two vintages of Faïsses, which means terraces in Occitan.
The 2004 vintage (12.00€) was bottled in 2007, after an élevage in vat. Medium colour; elegant cassis; ripe fruit, quite rounded with harmonious tannins.

2002 Faïsses – 18.00€ - was quite a deep colour, with rounded mature cedary notes on the nose and palate. Medium weight. Beautifully balanced.

I enjoyed the wines of Fons Sanatis last year, and was not disappointed this year.

(2009) Witiz – 100% Carignan, vin de table. 12.00€
Medium colour. Quite a solid nose; a touch confit, and on the palate quite concentrated with spicey fruit and quite dense furry tannins. Characterful.

(2009) Gren – in other words a pure Grenache, that has spent 18 months in vat. Vin de table. - 14.00€
Quite a ripe fresh nose, reminiscent of liqueur cherries, and even more so on the palate, with some leathery fruit. Quite firm and rounded with some depth.

2009 Senescal, vin de table, Aramon – 16.00€
A touch viandé on the nose, but some intriguing fruit on the palate. Quite furry tannins. Not very harmonious, but it left you wondering.

Then onto Domaine de Familongue for Les Trois Naissances
first the 2010 rosé – 6.40€ - from Grenache and Syrah, saigné and vinified in wood, which gives more weight and a satisfying mouth feel; nicely rounded on the palate, with spicy ripe fruit.

2008 Les Trois Naissances red – 15.00€
Syrah and Mourvèdre makes up 70% of the blend, with Grenache, Cinsaut and Carignan. Medium colour; lightly smoky nose; nicely rounded spicey fruit, with a dry leathery finish.

A white also caught our attention:
2009 Domaine des Conquêtes, IGP Hérault – - 9.70€ It is an intriguing blend of Vermentino, Chenin, Grenache and Chardonnay, vinified in oak. A hint of oak on the palate, with youthful fruit. Nicely crafted. And it will age; we’ve just enjoyed the 2007, which was a tad oaky in its youth, but it has evolved beautifully into a very satisfying bottle with rounded fruit and texture.

And a couple of sweet wines to finish:

Domaine de Familongue, Clairette. Vin de raisins surmûris and botrytised. Quite a deep golden colour rounded with rich honey unctuous notes on the palate. Quite smooth, with the gout de rôti that is characteristic of noble rot. The vintage is 2005, but you are not allowed to say so on the label. 14€ for 50 cl. bottle.

Chemins de Carabotte Promenade en novembre (2006) Vin de France. 14.00€ for a 50cl. bottle. From overripe Grenache grapes, picked in November. Very intriguing; lovely elegantly sweet liqueur cherry fruit with a streak of tannin. Medium weight.

DOMAINE COUTELOU

2011-07-24T11:33:00.011+01:00

I had tasted a couple of Jean-François Coutelou’s wines in London chez Roberson’s and liked them enough to plan a cellar visit. Little did I know that I had a real treat in store. A couple of friends came with me, to his cellar in Puimisson. But first we went for a drive around the vineyards in Jane-Francois’s little white van. Alex was lucky, she got the passenger seat; Lits and I sat in the back on two large boxes, with two dogs competing for the space around our feet. – Jean-François’s Héro and Lits’ Milly. Fortunately they seemed to like each other.

Jean-François explained that he has 14 hectares of vines, as well as 400 olive trees. His father planted his oldest vines back in 1966 and the estate has been organic since 1987. He was one of the pioneers of organic viticulture in the Hérault, when there were just seven organic wine growers in the department, with a total of just 40 hectares, registered with Nature et Progrès. We looked at various plots of vines – there was a wonderful fig tree, laden with fruit which would ripen in three stages – figues de fleur in June; another crop in August and the final crop in September – Jean-François explained that fig trees are an indication of underground water. The soil in his vineyards is mainly clay and limestone – some very red. It is all tilled and beautifully tended. He has Syrah, Grenache, Carignan, Mourvèdre, Cinsaut, and for whites Sauvignon, Muscat, a little Viognier – he has also planted some Grenache Gris, Macabeo, and grafted some Clairette musqué and Carignan blanc, as well as just 120 plants of Castet, a rare red variety which you also find at Château Simone in Palette.

Jean-François made pertinent observations about some of the neighbouring vineyards – he is surrounded by cooperative members – one has rows that are 800 plants long ….. Most of them use weed killer, ‘un petit coup de Round Up’. Another puts the effluent of the local sewage works on his vines, by way of fertiliser – you could not avoid noticing the smell in the breeze. Jean-François criticised another for practicing chemical defoliation, as opposed to manual leaf-plucking. Someone else produces Sauvignon with yields of 100 hl/ha. Another is converting to organic viticulture, but as Jean-François observed; in practice he is just after the subsidies; he is not looking after his vines properly; they were a forest of weeds and potential disease and in five years time when the subsidies come to an end, he will simply pull them up, and get another subsidy for replanting….He called it ‘la chasse aux primes’. It was quite an eye opener, and in contrast Jean-Francois’s vines were a picture of health, alive with insects and birds, and a hare running between the vines.

And back at the cellar in the village, glasses were produced. How many wines do you make? That depends on the year. First came a white; his whites tend to be ripe, but balanced with good acidity. Acidity is affected by the work in the vineyard and how you treat your soil. The wine was full and perfumed, with a hint of Muscat and some lovely textured fruit and good acidity.

2010 7 rue de la Pompe (his address in Puimisson) rosé - 6.00€
A blend of Cinsaut, Grenache and Mourvèdre. The Mourvèdre was saigné and the other two varieties pressed. It was quite a deep coloured pink, with ripe strawberry fruit and good acidity; ripe and rounded with a dry finish. Jean-François follows the precepts of the Association des Vins Natures and does not use any sulphur. If the grapes are healthy, the sulphur comes naturally.

2010 red 7 rue de la Pompe was still in vat. It is a blend of 80% Syrah, with some Carignan and Grenache. It will be bottled by gravity on the last day of the descending moon in a month or two, without fining or filtering. And he has a barrel with a glass end so that he can see how troubled or otherwise the wine is – at that moment in the lunar cycle there should be very little lees in suspension in the wine.

Deep colour; firm dry spice on the nose. Lovely, peppery fruit. Very characterful and appealing . The price will be 5.50€

2010 Vin des Amis – 7.50€
A blend of Syrah and Grenache; sometimes there is also some Cinsaut and Mourvèdre. Good colour; some lovely fruit, reminiscent of liqueur cherries, which makes me think of Grenache. Pure, fresh fruit.

2010 A Touch of Class in a Glass – 60% Carignan and 40% Syrah. Another vat sample which had just been racked, but left on its fine lees.. Jean-François tries to avoid racking as it takes away the natural protection of carbon dioxide. This was a touch reduced on the nose, but the palate was delicious, with some peppery fruit and that rusticity that is the bench mark of Carignan.

2010 Le Vigne Haute – 11.00€ but tasted from vat.
A pure Syrah. Very perfumed; lovely fresh spice, peppery; more northern Rhône than southern. Lovely, long palate. Jean-François explained how he plays with macerations times – this wine had ten days. He uses whole bunches, if the stalks are ripe – they were in this instance – and does pigeage.

NV L’Oubliée – from demi muids. 15.00€ Half Carignan from the 2001 and 2007 vintages, and half Syrah 2009. In other words, a solera of red wine. Quite a perfumed palate; quite sturdy and very intriguing. Jean-François explained that he had been wanting to try a solera of table wine for some time – the reason will become apparent in a moment. It was quite unexpected and very original. He considers demi muids – 500 litres barrels – to be a good size for the Midi.

And then when we thought we had finished tasting, he said, ‘but you haven’t seen the other cellar’. Little did we know that he is a master of soleras for dessert wine, making the most deliciously matured Grenache, but without any mutage, or addition of alcohol.

We began with a 2007 Grenache, which has spent three years in barrel. It had a nutty orange nose with an intriguing palate, long and nutty with notes of biscotti di Prato, not unlike Vin Santo, with good acidity. It will be added to the solera system.

And then we carried on to taste a series of delicious barrels and my notes, for some reason, became less and less intelligible.

The next sample was amber in colour, quite sweet with some firm walnut fruit. The water evaporates and the flavours concentrate, with very good acidity. Beautiful length.

Next was a Grenache that was an average of 25 – 30 years old – with a firm nutty note; and a firm but rich palate.

The next barrel was fabulously concentrated, rich and rounded, quite sweet, with backbone, and wonderfully complexity.

The next barrel was amber coloured; quite sweet rich and nutty, rounded with great length and balancing acidity. Wonderfully nutty fruit. Average age about 25 – 30 years. I felt that I was beginning to run out of adjectives, and certainly superlatives.

The next barrel was an average of 50 years old, dry but rich, with very good acidity. Jean François suggested that it was like an old Armagnac or Cognac; I was tending towards old oloroso. It was the result of a traditional solera.

Faced with the next wine, I have scrawled: words fail me. Wonderful nuances; acidity length; very concentrated. .

And then we tried some Muscat aged in chestnut – called Hors d’Age and more like a PX or sweet Pedro Ximenez. Picked when it was very ripe so that it was unctuous and smooth, but with acidity.

And the final wine was a fifty year old Pedro Ximenez - it was a deep chocolate colour, very rich and unctuous and chocolaty on the palate, rich and sweet with concentration and a streak of acidity.

And the cellar itself was a treasure trove of old wine artefacts, with walls covered with old vineyard equipment. As we left Jean-Francois showed us an old box that was used for sending a small sample of wine in the post. You put the stamp directly onto the box. And the taste of wonderful mature Grenache lingered in my mouth, almost all the way home.

HELPING ON THE BOTTLING LINE

2011-07-21T17:43:00.012+01:00

When a bottling line gets mentioned on a press trip, I tend to take a rather jaundiced view – been there; seen that, umpteen times before. A bottling line is a bottling line, but when you find yourself a participant, rather than audience, it takes on quite a different aspect. And that is just what happened to us yesterday. Our friends, Deborah and Peter, at Mas Gabriel, were bottling their red wines, Les Trois Terrasses and Clos des Lièvres, 8500 bottles in all.

The bottling lorry was booked months ago and Deborah and Peter were praying for fine weather, well at least for no rain. The gods were relatively kind; it did rain but only first thing in the morning. By the time everything was set up, the rain clouds had gone. However emergency tarpaulin had been procured, just in case. The bottler, Daniel, works on his own, so it is up to Deborah and Peter to find the team for a smooth operation – twelve of us in all.

We had house guests so could not arrive till mid-morning, by which time a good part of the Trois Terrasses was bottled. I joined my friends, Tuk and Sharon, at the carton preparation end of the line. Cartons to be marked, folded and handed up to the packers, as quickly as the bottles came down the line. Then there was technical hitch – not enough dividers – berceaux or cradles as they are more poetically called in French. A frantic phone call to the supplier – it was nearly midday – please would they stay open while Peter broke the speed limit on the motorway for a quick dash to Servian – and so a lunch break was declared. Deborah had spent most of the previous day cooking , delicious salads and cold cuts – a bottle or two of rosé, and some homemade ice cream – and at one o’clock we were back on the line. I was promoted from carton marking to passing them up to the packers – you have to stay alert and avoid the temptation to day dream, and then my shoulders started to ache, so Tuk took over, and Sharon and I chatted while folding cartons.

The Trois Terrasses was all bottled, and we had a changed of carton size for the Clos des Lièvres – and a pause. Deborah checked the new wine and we were off again. Meanwhile my husband, Christopher’s help was enlisted to hand bottle twelve bottles straight from the vat. Deborah and Peter’s oenologist is cautious; he thinks Clos des Lièvres needs a light filter before bottling; Peter and Deborah would like to prove him wrong, or at least justify their conviction that the wine would taste even better without filtering. So twelve bottles were put on one side to follow their evolution, and to compare with the filtered wine.

Out in the street our main problem was the wind – a sudden gust scattered cartons down the road. And another hazard was traffic – the lorry was parked out in the street – no room in the cellar; most drivers slowed down and indeed stopped to pass the time of day, but one or two maniacs behaved as though we did not exist.

And then another interruption – the sellotape that sealed the bottom of the cartons got caught up and need disentangling – and off we set again, keeping up the pace. And the cartons were piled up on pallets. Christopher appeared with an enormous roll of heavy duty clingfilm, to wrap the pallet. This was a sight for sore eyes; he can’t manage clingfling in a kitchen, but cellarsize it seemed to prove no problem.

And suddenly Peter emerged from the cellar with the end of the hose; we were almost done.

And the last pallet was squeezed into the cellar. And then it was time for tea time, chocolate cake – and the tea was quickly followed by a delicious glass of Château Peyrade’s Muscat de Frontignan. It went well remarkably well with the chocolate cake. And Deborah and Peter relaxed as the initial stress of the day evaporated - bottling is stressful for it is the culmination of your year’s work.

ALLEGRIA

2011-07-20T11:53:00.006+01:00

Our local caviste observed recently that new estates are spawning like mushrooms around here, and how right he is. They seem almost impossible to keep up with. Driving between Fontès and Neffiès the other day, we spotted a brand new cellar, an elegant construction in pine, and quite unlike any traditional Languedoc cellar. Further investigation revealed it to be Allegria, a new venture set by Ghislain and Delphine d’Aboville, with an Argentinean partner, Roberto de la Mota, who in the coincidences of a small world, I had met on a trip to Argentina last year, at his own estate, Mendel, in Mendoza.

Ghislain explained that he had worked for LVMH in Geneva for eight years and had met Roberto as they market Bodega Terrazzas de los Andes, the estate that Robert created with Pierre Lurton. Hence the Argentine connection. And in 2003 Ghislain decided that the time was ripe to fulfil his ambition to turn wine maker, so he studied in Montpellier and worked vintages in the Pic St. Loup and Argentina, and then took the decision to settle in the Languedoc. And why the Languedoc? In his words; it is easier de se faire connaitre. Burgundy is inaccessible. He likes the culture, the Mediterranean climate, the diversity of grape varieties and the style of wine. Everything is much more open. His first vintage was 2008, made at the nearby AXA property, Domaine des Belles Eaux, as were the 2009 and 2010 vintages, as the new cellar was only completed this year. It is built in the middle of his vines, following ecological precepts, in a contemporary design. The wood is Douglas fir which resists heat and humidity. And the inside is the essence of simplicity with unlined concrete vats – Ghislain considers a resin lining to be a possible source of contamination. He wanted to able to do manual pigeage – it’s softer than remontages – and you need enough space above the vats.

Altogether he has nine hectares, in the neighbouring villages of Caux, Neffiès and Fontès, in one large block at the foot of the le volcan des Baumes – the soil is quite varied, with clay, basalt and gravel. He has Roussanne and Marsanne for white wine, and is planting Vermentino, with Syrah, Mourvèdre, Cinsaut and Carignan, but no Grenache for the red wines. The vineyards are undergoing conversion to organic viticulture and should be certified later this year.

We tasted his first vintages.

2008 Tribu d’A Blanc – 10.00€
A blend of Marsanne and Roussanne. The Marsanne is fermented and aged in barrique and the Roussanne in vat. Light colour, delicate white blossom on the nose. The freshness of the Roussanne and a touch of wood on the palate, but nicely integrated. Rounded with some fruit, hints of fennel and a slightly bitter finish. Nicely balanced, and satisfyingly intriguing. It is labelled Coteaux du Languedoc and Ghislain observed that the Comité des Vins du Languedoc is now considering keeping the appellation Coteaux du Languedoc. I had thought that it was set to disappear next year. On verra.

I asked about the name. Ghislain explained that Allegria is a project between two families and that it is a name of the south, for joy, la joie. They wanted to convey the sense of une aventure humaine.

2009 Cinsaut – Abuelo, Vin de Pays de Caux – 9.00€

They made just 1000 bottles of this. It has some lovely fresh cherry fruit, on both nose and palate. Classic Cinsaut, redolent of fruit, with a fine balance of tannin and acidity. Enormously appealing and beautifully fresh. No sulphur was used in the wine-making. Ghislain observed that the alcoholic fermentation produces sulphites naturally, and that for un vin naturethe maximum sulphur level is 10 gm/l.

2008 Tribu d’A - Allegria, Pézenas – 9.00€
70% Syrah and 30% Mourvèdre Good colour; quite firm and peppery on nose and palate. Some attractive fresh fruit, with cherries and pepper. Good structure and youthful, with a streak of oak. One third of the blend was aged in barrel, so the wine needs a little time. Good balance and potential.

2008 Carignan Vin de pays de Caux - 14.00€
Classic vinification, with the aim of a wine to age. Élevage in oak for all the cuvée, over two winters, in barrels of one fill. Bottled in March 2010.
Medium colour; closed nose. Quite firm and structured on the palate. Some underlying fruit, but I found the oak slightly flattened the fruit, whereas Ghislain was aiming to soften the underlying rusticity of the Carignan. Maybe the next vintage will include a percentage in vat.

The full range consists of two entry levels wines called Petits Bonheurs, a rosé from Cinsaut and Syrah, and a red from Syrah with a little Mourvèdre. Then there are the two Tribu d’A wines, and some experimental single vineyards, currently the Cinsaut and the Carignan. And finally there is Cousu Main, meaning hand made, a finely crafted Coteaux du Languedoc that only comes in a magnum or double magnum. Ghislain is very insistent that recevoir, giving visitors and clients a warm welcome, will be part of the philosophy of the estate. They are planning a restaurant, and also developing a two day programme whereby people can come and create their own blend. Ghislain has a keen sense of marketing, which can be rare in the Midi, and deserves to go far.

For more information, look on their website: www.tribuallegria.fr

TWO MAGNUMS

2011-07-17T15:47:00.001+01:00

I do like wine in magnums – to my mind a magnum is serious declaration of intent to enjoy the evening. It simply adds to the conviviality.

So last night we opened 2009 St. Chinian, Domaine des Jougla, Cuvée Ancestrale. What can I say? It was absolutely delicious, the Midi sunshine in a glass, with flavours of the garrigues soaked in summer warmth, and lovely supple tannins and a long gouleyant finish. The blend is 40% Mourvèdre, grown on clay and limestone, and 30% each of Syrah and Grenache Noir, grown on schist. And the wine is aged in vat, so that it retains fresh youthful fruit. A lovely example of how immediate the flavours of the Midi can be – it could age for a year or three, but is drinking deliciously now. Domaine des Jougla is one of the old established St. Chinian estates and on my list for a posting in the near future.

And a week ago we enjoyed 2001 Domaine Virgile Joly, Virgile Rouge, a blend of Carignan, Grenache Noir and Syrah. Virgile was the pioneering independent wine grower of St. Saturnin, a village dominated by its cooperative, making his first wine in 2000. His original little cellar is in the centre of the village, on the square, between the church and the mairie. This is a shining example of how well wines from the Languedoc can age, and it still tasted very young, even at ten years old. The wine was aged in barrel for twelve months and then in tank. There is some firm ripe fruit on the nose, with a structured palate, with good concentration and youthful tannins, and a warm finish. One of Virgile’s very best wines, and all the better for being in a magnum.

BRIEF IMPRESSIONS OF THE FAUGERES FETE

2011-07-11T17:57:00.002+01:00

This is always a great opportunity to catch up with some old favourites, and discover some new wine growers.

Domaine Clamouse – Jacques Clamouse made his first wines in 2010 – a rosé and a red. This is his retirement project and he has just two hectares of vines. His red was delicious, some fresh peppery fruit and lovely balance.

I by no means tasted wines from all the producers – there were nineteen in all, each showing a few wines. And conditions were far from ideal. By the time I reached Domaine Valambelle at the bottom of the street, temperatures were rising and the wines were warming up, with the result that they simply tasted over alcoholic. Well done those who had thought to bring an icebox such as Château Chenaie, with some lovely elegant wines. I particularly enjoyed their 2009 Les Ceps d’Emile, from vines planted 80 years ago, and also a slightly lighter 2009 red Conviction, while the 2010 rosé Conviction was fresh and delicate.

Les Fusionels – as good as I remembered them from a cellar visit a couple of years ago. Intemporelle has some lovely fruit, with a supple tannic edge. Elegant balance.

Domaine des Trinités – a delicious rose and some intriguing Roussanne. I didn’t try Simon’s reds.

Domaine de Cebène – Brigitte Chevalier’s wines are stylish and elegant. Ex Arena, 90% Grenache, with some ripe cherry fruit, and a leathery finish, along with a spicy 2009 Bancels and more sturdy 2008 Felgaria.

Brigitte is also involved with a new property, Domaine de Saint Martin d’Agel, but I was not taken with that, and indeed Brigitte didn’t think that it was showing as it should be

I have never visited Domaine de l’Ancienne Mercerie - Nathalie Caumette has just taken over as the new president of the syndicat of Faugères and she has ambitions for her appellation. And I liked her wines too, Les Petites Mains and Couture, and promised to return for a cellar visit.

Frederic Alquier – For me, his white wine, a His Roussanne Marsanne blend is his best wine.

Domaine Bois de Rose was new to me, but I did not feel that I needed to continue the acquaintance.

Château de Grézan was disappointing – some rather pedestrian wine-making, and Château des Adouzes also failed to inspire.

Domaine Ollier Taillefer remains an old favourite and Domaine de Sarabande is one of my new favourites.

And the finale was a vertical tasting of ten vintages of Mas d’Alézon. The first three vintages were not Faugères, but Coteaux du Languedoc. You need a minimum of 5% Mourvèdre to make Faugeres, and Catherine did not have it until 2004. However I was hard pushed to decide whether I preferred the 2000 or the 2002. Both had aged beautifully; the 2002 was more elegant with some spicy garrigues fruit, with length and complexity, while the 2000 was more sturdy, with warm leathery fruit and some lovely notes of mature Syrah. Who says wines from the Languedoc do not age?

SOME STATISTICS

2011-07-08T17:37:00.001+01:00

There were some interesting statistics and comparisons in our local paper, the Midi Libre, yesterday morning, which I thought I would share with you. We are in the Hérault, the department that covers most of the Coteaux du Languedoc, except La Clape and Quatourze, and also includes a small part of the Minervois, not to mention the IGP Côtes de Thongue and vast swathes of Pays d’Oc.

The Hérault ranks as the second viticultural department of France, presumably after the Gironde, but the paper didn’t say so, so that is just a guess. 288 of the 343 communes or villages of the Hérault produce wine, with 86,166 hectares of vines in production, which I was fascinated to learn, as somebody who has never watched a football match in her life, equates to 170,000 football pitches. There are 73 wine cooperatives in the Hérault, which account for 70% of the production, balanced by 1300 independent cellars. Viticulture is responsible for 63% of the agricultural turnover of the department, and 48% of the agricultural land, and 15% of the total area of the Hérault.

There are 8500 exploitants viticoles – I guess this means wine growers, both independent and coop members, as opposed to 500 bakers; 900 chemists and 400 cafés, along with 1400 hairdressers.

LES BUGADELLES AND CHATEAU AURIS - La Clape and Corbieres

2011-07-05T16:46:00.005+01:00

It is always exciting to visit a new estate at the beginning of its story, so I was keen to accept an invitation from our friend, Arnaud Deville. He has already helped put Château de Nizas, the revitalized Pézenas property of the American John Goelet, on the map, and then it was time to move on. And Jean-Claude Albret, the owner of the franchise for Carrefour in Narbonne, was looking for somebody to market his brand new estate, les Bugadelles, which he had bought in 2004. The vineyards are new. Earlier vineyards had been abandoned and the land had not produced any grapes since the beginning of the 20th century – in fact although it is in the heart of the Massif of la Clape, with Château de Camplazens its next-door neighbour, it does not qualify for the appellation, for the simple reason that there was nobody to claim the classement back in the early 1980s. Consequently the wines are all vins de pays, or IGP d'Oc

M. Albret has ambitious projects and Arnaud took us for a drive through the vineyards to show us the domaine. The property totals 400 hectares, of which about 40 are planted with vines, the varieties of La Clape in red, Syrah, Grenache, Mourvèdre and Carignan, with Carignan blanc, Roussanne and Viognier, for white, but no Bourboulenc. He has also planted olive trees, 25 hectares of mature vines that were bought from Spain, as well as five hectares of fruit trees and three hectares of truffle oaks. And there are also sheep, for wool, and maybe cheese, with their own rather smart stone bergerie, and with a view to maintaining the traditional agriculture of the region. Everything is farmed organically. Arnaud took us to a marvelous view point, where you could see the land all around, with a view of Mont Tauch, and the Pyrenees to the south, the mouth of the Aude and the town of Valras and beyond, Cap d’Agde and the Mont St. Claire. And it was windy. The wind is a great help to viticulture on La Clape, quickly drying any rainfall.

And then we went to Château Auris, which has had a slightly chequered recent history. It was the property of a local négociant, Paul Herpe and then briefly a restaurateur, before M. Albret bought it in 2005, with the aim of giving it a new lease of life. It is just up the road from the Cistercian abbey of Fontfroide and the other near neighbour is the Rothschild property of Château les Aussières. While the cellar at les Bugadelles is still an enormous hole in the ground with a huge crane, the cellar at Auris is the traditional Languedoc barn with large cement vats, which have been modernised, as well as a cuverie of small stainless steel vats. Everything here is done by gravity. There are 40 hectares of vines, Syrah, Grenache, Carignan and Cinsaut, but no Mourvèdre. The climate is much cooler than nearby Narbonne, at least 2˚C difference, so that the area is one of the cooler parts of the Corbières, with a long ripening period, and vineyards on north-facing slopes.

2010 Château Auris blanc 80% Marsanne, 20% Grenache blanc – 7.50€
All élevage in vat, and blended soon after fermentation. Light colour. Quite full white blossom on the nose. Good acidity on the palate with some herbal notes. Leaner than the nose would lead to expect, with some sappy fresh fruit.

2009 les Bugadelles blanc – 13.00€ Grenache blanc 70% and 15% each of Roussanne and Viognier. All fermented in barrique.
Some colour. Quite a resinous oaky nose. Rounded palate, good texture and weight. Quite leesy. The oak dominates the palate, but in a nice way, and the wine is still young, and so are the vines. Lots of potential. The white wines of la Clape also benefit from the tempering marine influence.

2010 les Bugadelles blanc – a tank sample.
They used less oak than in 2009 and the oak is nicely integrated. Quite fresh with tight knit fruit and some weight. Some herbal hints. Quite characterful and more elegant than 2009.

2010 les Bugadelles, rosé de Grenache – 6.00€
Pure Grenache. Pressed. Pale gris orange colour. Quite a delicate nose. With more weight on the palate. Good acidity. Refreshingly dry, with firm fruit. A food rosé

2010 Château Auris rosé - 7.50€ 55% Grenache, 34% Syrah, 11% Cinsaut –
Quite deep colour for a pressed rosé. More pink than gris. Dry strawberries on the nose with solid rounded ripe fruit, with a dry finish. More body than la Clape.

2010 les Bugadelles, L’Esprit Rouge - 5.50€ 39% Grenache Noir, 37% syrah 24% Mourvèdre. About to be bottled
Quite deep colour. Very garrigue on the nose. You can smell the vegetation of la Clape in the glass. With leathery notes on the palate, and herbal hints. Medium weight and a fresh finish

2010 Domaine Saint-Julien d’Auris – about 6.00€ but not available at the cellar door.
Syrah 42%, Carignan 34% Grenache 24%
Good young colour. Rounded nose, red fruit with a touch of leather. Some fresh crunchy fruit. Cherries and spice; medium weight.

2008 Château Auris , Corbieres– 8.50€ - 50% Syrah, 27% Grenache, 22% Carignan
Deep colour. Quite firm, leathery nose on the palate, quite elegant dry spicy fruit. Quite rich and leathery, long and subtle. A touch of wood.

2009 Chateau Auris , Corbieres - 60% Syrah, 25% Grenache, 15% Carignan, still in tank.
Very deep colour; quite solid garrigue nose. Quite ripe and rounded, with dry leathery fruit. A certain structure.

2009 les Bugadelles – 80% Syrah, 15% Mourvèdre and 5% Carignan – 7.50€ About to be bottled.
Deep colour; some spicy peppery Syrah. No wood, but a smoky quality. Very spicy, good minerality, garrigues, restrained tapenade and stony notes. NB the vines are only four years old. The first crop was 2007. 2009 was a hot vintage, but benefited from the proximity to the sea.

So I look forward to following the progress of les Bugadelles, and also Châateau Auris. The start is certainly promising.

A BURGUNDIAN IN THE MINERVOIS - Domaine Anne Gros and Jean-Paul Tollot

2011-07-03T12:07:00.009+01:00

I spent a happy afternoon in the Minervois last week with Anne Gros. Normally you would associate the name Gros with Vosne Romanée – there are several members of the family making elegantly refined Burgundy on the Côte d’Or, but Anne and her husband Jean-Paul Tollot, who are each involved with their own family estates, also wanted to make wine together. And they looked for vineyards in the south, first in the Var, and then they considered the Costières de Nimes; they fell for the hills around Aniane, but couldn’t find what they wanted; there was a property for sale in Cruzy, in St. Chinian, but that wasn’t right either; nor was one in Boutenac and then they arrived here, in the hills of the Minervois outside the hamlet of Cazelles. It is not even a village – the population is just 30 people. Anne enthused; they felt une énorme emotion, but it was so far from Burgundy, a five hour drive – and there was also a cellar for sale, but what a horror. So although they found their vineyards in 2006, they did not actually take possession of them until 2008, as their purchase depended on planning permission for a smart new cellar. 2008 was their first vintage in the Minervois.

I always enjoy seeing vineyards – that way you really get a sense of place and terroir. Anne began with eight hectares, which have grown to twelve, with a further purchase of land to plant. They have Cinsaut, Grenache, Carignan and Syrah, but no Mourvèdre. They had wondered about planting Mourvèdre, but it doesn’t ripen –‘it would be idiotic’. It ripens three weeks later than Carignan, and that is already a late ripener. They also wonder about white grapes, as the climate is assez rude, and the altitude is the same as Vosne Romanée, at 220 metres. Maybe Chardonnay; maybe not.

We admired various plots of vines, all beautifully tended, with barely a weed in sight. ‘Grass provides competition for water, a concurrence hydrique, which will detract from the quality’. They use no weedkiller, but they are not organic. ‘Copper is even worse than chemicals', which will degrade. Copper doesn’t. The main problem is vers de la grape, and they can also get oidium. It was cool at flowering, so some of the vines have coulure, but that doesn’t matter as they aim for low yields – 35 hl – 40 hls /ha. Anne enthused about Cinsaut – she finds its elegance comparable with Pinot Noir – it is much easier than Syrah, which needs a lot of work. Cinsaut can develop very large grapes, they look like tiny footballs, but they don’t have a lot of juice, unless it rains heavily. They work on keeping the vines well ventilated; good aeration is essential - they do an ébourgeonnage in May, which is usual in Burgundy, but not in the Languedoc. They remove leaves, and tiny grapillons. You sense that the vines are given an enormous amount of TLC.

And she enthused about the diversity of soils, c’est ça qui nous a plu. This is the continuation of everything that we have learnt in Burgundy. And she loves Carignan – that is what is keeping us here - with its structure. She has some very old Carignan, a vineyard with stone walls on three sides, and vines that are a venerable 104 years old, and another plot that is 102 year old, while her youngest vines are 10 year old Grenache, south facing on very stony soil. Three of her wines are named after plots of vines, and as a Burgundian she is particularly excited that they have bought a plot called les Combettes. Everything is handpicked, by a team from Béziers, who are paid by the hectare, rather than by the weight of the grapes, which is the usual practice in the Midi.

We soaked up the sunshine, and the noise of cicadas was deafening. And then we returned to taste around her kitchen table, first the 2009s and then their first vintage, 2008. She does not sell from the cellar door so prices are the recommended retail price for a wine shop.

2009 La 50/50 Anne Gros / Jean Paul Tollot, vin de table 11-13€
The name is simple – they are sharing the adventure. And for reasons of grape variety mix, only ten of their twelve hectares are classed as Minervois – two are vin de table, as they have no Mourvèdre, and a lot of Carignan and Cinsaut. This is a blend of Grenache, Cinsaut and the younger Carignan vines, which are thirty years old. All are destemmed, and the élevage is in vat, with no wood. The wine is elegant, with almost a Burgundian silkiness. There was freshness, minerality, dry spice, some red fruit, elegance and a lovely balance.

2008 La 50/50 - This is a cooler vintage than 2009. Medium colour. Quite firm, fresh peppery fruit. Good acidity as well as tannin on the palate and less body than 2009. A certain austerity, but none the worse for that.

2009 Minervois, Fontanilles 14 -16€ Fontanilles is a place where there is water, maybe a spring or fountain. A quarter each of Cinsaut, Grenache, Syrah and Carignan. All the Syrah is aged in wood, and most of the Carignan, which amounts to about 30 per cent of the cuvée. The vines for this are north facing and there is a definite freshness to the wine, with some tannin and an elegant lift on the finish. It is very harmonious and rounded.

2008 Fontanilles Quite a closed nose, Medium weight. Some peppery spice on the palate, with an attractive tannin edge and very good fruit. Youthful and fresh.

2009 Minervois la Ciaude – 20- 23€
This is a south-facing plot, on clay and limestone, including Syrah, old Carignan and young Grenache. The stones give heat, while the clay stays fresh, so although, as the name implies, it is very hot, the vines do not suffer from water stress. The Carignan and Syrah all go into wood, making a total of about 60% oak élevage. There is a hint of vanilla on the nose, with some firm fruit, with a rounded palate, with firm tannins. Youthful and fresh, with fine potential.
Anne mused: perhaps la Ciaude could be a monopole, as in Burgundy, 'mon petit Clos Vougeot'. There is more clay in Clos Vougeot, and more limestone here.

2008 Minervois la Ciaude Good colour; silky nose with hints of tapenade. A certain freshness, combined with spice, and a lift of acidity as well as tannin. Long rounded finish.

2009 Minervois les Carrétals -27€
In theory Minervois should be a blend of at least two varieties, but this comes from the 104 year old Carignan, and for obvious reasons there is no mention of Carignan on the label. It is all aged in wood. The nose is quite firm with some oak and red fruit and on the palate there is a peppery edge, with some firm fruit. It is youthful, with enormous potential. I was fascinated that a Burgundian was giving Carignan, once a much decried grape in the Languedoc, so much love and attention.

2008 Les Carrétals Quite deep colour; smoky oak nose with quite a firm tannin palate, balanced with red fruit. Quite spicy. Elegance oak that is nicely integrated, but the wine is still youthful and fresh. Definitely worth ageing in bottle, as are all these wines. Most ready to drink is the 50/50. And both the labels and the plaster of the cellar walls are a warm orange – as Anne observed, the colour of the Carignan leaves in autumn.

DOMAINE DES QUATRE AMOURS

2011-06-30T15:30:00.003+01:00

It was a wine from Domaine des Quatre Amours, their Cuvée Louis, which won the top prize at this year’s competition of the Vallée de l’Hérault, and since I had been on the jury for the competition – see an earlier posting - I thought I should go and visit them.

So why four loves? Michel Siohan-Cuny explained that his wife France is the fourth generation of her family in the village of Bélarga. Her great-grandfather had vineyards; her grand father had made wine but it was sold to a merchant and her father had sent his grapes to the village cooperative. They took the decision to put their wine in bottle for the first time in 2007. And they have four children, each with a cuvée named after them. Their vineyards are at Bélarga, for vins de pays, and in nearby Aspiran, for appellation wine, totalling 18 hectares in all. And they are now planning a new cellar, which hopefully will be functioning for the 2012 vintage.

2010 Pays d’Oc blanc – 7.50€
A blend of 70% Sauvignon and 30% Chardonnay, Kept in vat. Light colour; quite a fresh nose. This is not my favourite blend of grape varieties, but the palate was fresh and simple, with some fruit and acidity.

2010 Cuvée Olga – after their first daughter. – 10.50€
A blend of 70% Roussanne, fermented in barrel, with four months élevage and 30% Chardonnay, kept in vat. Light golden, quite a solid rounded nose, with a touch of dry oak. The palate is quite rounded, with white blossom and some texture, with fresh acidity.

2010 Pays d’Oc rosé - 7.50
A blend of Syrah and Grenache – 25 / 75. Hand-picked at night and pressed to give a pretty colour. Blended after settling. A delicate fresh nose. They aim for a pale colour and a delicate palate with fresh acidity and some fruit. They are wondering about planting some Cinsaut for their rosé and may be also some Mourvèdre, which they don’t have either.

2010 Perle de Rose - 7.50€ after their youngest daughter. This is the same blend, but slightly sparkling, with some CO2 added at the end of the fermentation. Very pale colour; a dry nose, and on the palate a faint prickle, some fruit and a touch of sweetness on the finish.

2009 Pays d’Oc – 7.50€
A blend of 45% each of Merlot and Grenache, with 10% Carignan made by carbonic maceration. All kept in vat. Quite fresh and peppery, with a rustic note from the Carignan. Medium weight with ripe fruit.

2010 Le Carignan de Paul – who is their oldest son. Pure carbonic maceration. The vines were planted in 1958, by France’s grandfather. Deep colour; quite perfumed nose, rounded spice on the palate; youthful with a tannic streak with a tannic streak on the finish. . 10.50€

2009 Cuvée Louis, Coteaux du Languedoc – 15€
75% Syrah, vinified by carbonic maceration and put in wood for the male-lactic fermentation, and 25% Grenache which was kept in vat; blended after 15 months.
Quite spicy confit fruit. Quite warm and ripe, with the supple spicy flavours of carbonic maceration. Easy drinking.

VILLA TEMPORA

2011-06-29T18:17:00.002+01:00

As well as making wine, Serge Schwartz runs a chambres d’hôtes with his wife, so we tracked him down at the Villa Juliette in Pézenas, in an elegant house behind a high wall and a big iron gate. He is a newcomer to the world of wine. He comes from northern France, from Lorraine, and went to hotel school in Strasbourg, and has gently gravitated towards wine. ‘One of these days’, he said to himself. And why the Midi? He was looking for sunshine and light. The chambres d’hôtes came first; and he met a group of local vignerons from Caux, people like Daniel le Conte de Floris, as well as Jean-Pierre Vanel from Domaine la Croix Vanel and Philippe Richy from Stella Nova, who all shared a viticulturalist, Jean-Pierre Sanson. And then in 2007 Jean-Pierre Vanel has a plot of Carignan that he was not going to pick, so Serge bought a vat, picked it and made 500 bottles. And in 2008 he teamed up with Jean-Pierre Sanson, and Villa Tempora was born. He now has six hectares, Carignan, Syrah, Grenache as well as a hectare of Bourboulenc, mainly in Caux, as well as a small plot in nearby Neffiès. The vineyards are being converted to organic viticulture and will be certified for the 2011 harvest. And he has found a cellar in the centre of Caux, which has not been used for about thirty years. His barrels have just been relocated. And with his six hectares, he has six different plots, with different soils – there are villefranchien, galets roulées; argilo-calcaire, gravel and basalt. And although he is a newcomer to winemaking, he has a formation ‘de cuisine’ and he reckons that has helped a lot. It’s very close; you can envisage a future taste.

We sat and tasted at the kitchen table.

First came 2009 Un temps pour elle. AC Languedoc. 11.80€
From twenty-five year old Bourboulenc vines, as well as some Marsanne. Bourboulenc is the key grape variety for white la Clape. Serge uses natural yeast and described his wine making as a vinification bourguignonne with lees stirring in barrel and fourteen months élevage. He uses 400 litres and 228 litres barrels; none of them are new. He has a good source of secondhand barrels.

The wine is lightly golden, with some oak and hints of iodine on the nose, a hint of the sea and oysters, with some firm fruit and structure on the palate. It is quite textured with a hint of fennel and herbs and some mineral notes. And with a long finish, it was very satisfying.

2009 Villa Tempora Pézenas AC - 7.80€
A blend of 40% Carignan, 30% Syrah and 30% Grenache Noir. 85% of the blend is kept in vat, a 30 hectolitre vat per grape variety, and the remaining fifteen percent is a blend of all three grape varieties which stays in barrel. Deep colour; some smoky fruit with quite a firm mineral palate. Medium weight. Good stony notes, with some red fruit. Youthful tannins. The wine is blended as late as possible, about a month before the next harvest. Serge finds blending ‘la partie la plus excitante’. He considers organic viticulture to provide freshness and a lift on the finish. Serge is aiming for what he calls vin droit – a wine that is true to itself, with good fruit, from the terroir to the bottle.

2009 Le Démon du Midi, Pézenas - 11.80€
I didn’t know that the French expression, le démon du midi, describes a mid-life crisis, so the name is a play on the concept. The blend is 70% Syrah with 15% each of Grenache Noir and Carignan, of which 85% is kept in two to three year old wood for 16 months. Good colour, with a delicate note. A hint of orange. Quite a rounded palate, with elegant oak and some tannin. Medium weight; balanced and youthful, with a fresh finish. It needs time. Serge observed that freshness is one of the most difficult things to achieve in the Midi.

And asked about projects for the future, he said he would like some Mourvèdre and he has two hectares to plant, probably Grenache Noir, and some white varieties, Marsanne, Roussanne and Grenache Blanc. And of course he is looking forward to his new cellar. He comes across as a thoughtful wine maker. The decision of when to pick is the work of a whole year. ‘C’est un bel aventure’.

DOMAINE DE MONTAZELLIS

2011-06-28T16:34:00.004+01:00

I never cease to admire people who have the courage to give up everything to follow their dream. Take Dhanya and Nova Collette at Domaine de Montazellis, between Alignan-le-Vent and Abeilhan in the Côtes de Thongue. Dhanya is a musician and Nova worked in the fashion world, and then with one young child, and another on the way, they decided to leave the London rat race and buy a rundown property outside Pézenas. Their experience of wine, apart from drinking it, was zilch. But they were not deterred. Dhanya is eminently practical, as well as musical; he has restored their house and cellar. He has, however, kept a drum kit and an old piano in the cellar, and they are planning musical evenings. The previous owner had sent his grapes to the coop and the house had not been lived in for years. And so Dhanya took a course in Pézenas to learn the rudiments of viticulture and winemaking and 2007 was their first vintage.

They have nine out of twelve hectares in production, with Mourvèdre, Syrah, Chardonnay, Sauvignon, Cinsaut, Carignan and Alicante Bouschet, which they are planning to graft with something else. They’d like to plant some Grenache, and may be Rolle and Viognier.

2008 Chardonnay, Côtes de Thongue 8.00€
As I love Chablis, I am not usually particularly thrilled by Chardonnay from the Midi, but it always good to have one’s prejudices upset. This Chardonnay is nicely satisfying; lightly buttery and rounded, with good acidity, giving a nice balance and a dry finish. Twenty per cent of the blend was vinified in new oak, which filled out the edges.

2008 Merlot, Côtes de Thongue – 5.50€
This is another grape variety that I am not mad about it when it comes from the south, but here again, I was very pleasantly surprised. Medium colour; lovely spicy red fruit, with soft tannins and fresh finish, and a lift on the finish. The wine is given a long, five to six week, maceration, with some remontages at the beginning and some pigeage at the end, and they also use some fresh oak chips (not toasted ones) during the fermentation, which adds an extra layer of flavour. Yields are low, about 30 hl/ha. The Merlot is grown on north facing sandy slopes and was planted nearly 30 years ago.

2008 Syrah, Côtes de Thongue - 6.50€
Good colour; some rounded fruit, with a touch of peppery spice. Supple tannins and a hint of orange pain d’épice on the finish. The vineyards are south facing on semi-coteaux.

2007 Cuvée Etienne – named after their son, and Dhanya’s very first wine. 11.00€
A selection of Syrah, aged in oak. Deep colour; some orange confit notes, quite ripe spicy and rounded, with some tannin. I could criticise it for being a bit jammy on the finish, but it was his first vintage. I, for one, could certainly do no better.

2008 Kaiya – after their daughter. 12.00€ for a 50 cl. bottle
The name means ocean in Japanese. And the wine is made from Sauvignon, half from raisined gropes and half from grapes with botrytis, picked at the end of October, with 22˚ potential alcohol, and 80 gms/l residual sugar. They made just 300 litres in a tiny stainless steel vat. The taste is lightly honeyed and lemony on the nose, with good acidity and fresh honey fruit on the palate, and an elegant finish.

And Dhanya and Nova are full of projects for the future. They deserve to do well.

CONVERSATION AT BEZIERS AIRPORT

2011-06-28T07:04:00.001+01:00

My husband had to fly back to London last week, and opted for Ryanair from Béziers. As it happened, a couple of friends were on the same flight so they drove to the airport together, in good time for a glass of rosé before going through security. They felt like a second glass, but on being reassured that the tiny bar beyond security had some rosé, they went through passport control and so on. So the following conversation was a bit of a surprise.

Please may I have three glasses of rosé?

No, sorry.

But I can see a bottle in the fridge.

Yes, but I don’t have a corkscrew.

Why not?

I did have one, but I lost it

Can’t you borrow a corkscrew from the other bar? (meaning the one before security)

No, we are not allowed a corkscrew this side of security as it has a knife on it (presumably a frustrated passenger might run amok).

Have you thought about having wine with a screw cap?

Wine in screw cap bottles isn’t any good.

Or how about getting some wine opened the other side and bringing it through?

But we might not sell it all – (and open bottles would be wasted)

Words failed them…….

DOMAINE DE LA PROSE

2011-06-27T14:44:00.002+01:00

Domaine de la Prose is one of about ten estates that produce the Coteaux du Languedoc cru of St. Georges d’Orques. Note, I do not say grand cru. With the new system of grands vins and grands crus, no one seems to quite know what will happen to some of the existing crus of the Coteaux du Languedoc. The wines of St. Georges d’Orques come from around the eponymous village. It is in danger of being sucked into the suburbs of Montpellier and is now part of the more recently recognised area of Grès de Montpellier. It is all rather confusing and consequently Bertrand de Mortillet at Domaine de la Prose uses both St. Georges d’Orques and Grès de Montpellier on his labels. St. Georges d’Orques has a much longer and historic reputation for its wine, dating back to the 17th century. Amongst others, Thomas Jefferson appreciated the wines of St. Georges d’Orques when he was ambassador for the newly independent United States in Paris.

Although Domaine de la Prose is so close to the urban sprawl of Montpellier, the vineyards are wonderfully isolated. You take a narrow track off the road between the villages of St. Georges d’Orques and Pignan and gently climb, praying that nothing is coming into the other direction, as there would be a distinct possibility of one of you landing up in the ditch. I was lucky; a large lorry delivering bottles was still unloading as I arrived….. Had I been ten minutes later ….

Bertrand de Mortillet is a bright young man who studied at Bordeaux and worked at Château Montrose and in Corsica, and when his father bought Domaine de la Prose in 1989, he gave Bertrand a small share of the property, as well as the responsibility of creating its reputation. Basically he was starting from scratch; previous wines from the estate had been sold in bulk. A simple cellar was built; vineyards were replanted and 1995 was the first vintage. The vineyards are all relatively close together, 13 hectares at about 110 metres in altitude, on the first hills facing the sea, and they have been registered as organic since 2004. Bertrand is lucky that he does not have any close neighbours to contend with, and he tries to follow the biodynamic calendar ‘as it makes you think’. He mentioned how his winemaking style has evolved. Initially he favoured a lot of élevage in oak; now he uses barrels much less.

2010 Cadières blanc, St. Georges d’Orques – 8.50€
A blend of 40% Vermentino and 60% Grenache blanc, which are fermented separately and then blend at the first racking and left in vat until February when the wine was bottled. On the nose I found the slightly sappy, herbal notes of Vermentino, while on the palate there was the weight of Grenache, with white blossom and a ripe rounded finish. Cadières means cailloux or stones in Provençal and there is indeed a lot of white limestone in the vineyard.

2010 Embruns blanc, Grès de Montpellier – 13.00€
A blend of Roussanne and Grenache Blanc, and with just two barrels blended with a 25hectolitre vat, there is a touch of oak on the nose and palate, but it is nicely done, so that it adds body and weight, and a hint of honey. It should age well.

2009 Cadières rouge, St. Georges d’Orques – 8.50€
A blend of Grenache Noir, Syrah and Cinsaut. Medium colour, with fresh cherry fruit on the nose, and some acidity as well as tannin. Bertrand explained that he likes to pick his grapes relatively early to avoid high alcohol levels – this is a modest 13˚ - and this year with everything so advanced, he anticipates the harvest starting in mid-August. And when I asked about the typicity of St. Georges d’Orques – and he emphasised fraicheur and finesse. I certainly couldn’t disagree, based on 2009 Cadières.

2008 Embruns rouge, Grès de Montpellier – 13.00€
Embruns describes the marine mist and cloud, rather like the weather on the morning of my visit. The wine is a blend of 85% Syrah, with old vine Cinsaut and a little Carignan. The Syrah, and also Carignan, is kept in vat and the Cinsaut in barrel. Deep colour. Quite firm and closed on the nose, with a more expressive palate. 2008 was a cooler vintage, and this is quite elegant, with some appealing cherry fruit and rounded body. Bertrand emphasises that he looking for elegance, not weight, and he wants wines that will emphasise his terroir. And for this reason he no longer uses any new wood.

And our tasting finished with 2007 la Grande Cuvée, St. Georges d’Orques – 22.00€
Half Syrah aged in vat, and half Mourvèdre aged in barrel. Good colour; elegantly smoky oak and on the palate. Quite firm and structured with good tannins and some spicy fruit. Nicely balanced. Should age well.

And then it was time to head for Montpellier airport to meet my husband. Fortunately there was nothing coming up the hill.

2011-06-26T15:59:00.001+01:00

This is what some people do with their spare corks .....

DOMAINE DE SAPORTA

2011-06-25T14:54:00.002+01:00

The wine shop at Domaine de Saporta hides its light under a bushel. It is run by the Comité des Vins du Languedoc, and consequently does not advertise itself, but depends on the snowball effect to make itself known – and it is most certainly worth the detour, as M. Michelin would say, for any amateur of Languedoc wines. It probably has one of the best selections of Languedoc wines in the region, well laid out by appellation, with spacious bins and shelving, but it concentrates solely on the appellations of the region. There are no vins de pays here; no wines from the neighbouring department of the Gard either, and you might find the odd bottle from Roussillon.

I had met Bernard Bardou, the genial caviste, at a friend’s lunch table the other day and accepted an invitation to visit. What do you want to taste? What’s new? was my reply, so he put on a small tasting of some of their new discoveries. He explained how they select their wines. Anyone producing appellation wine in the region may submit wines for their tastings, with a small panel of local experts. They taste not by appellation but by price, with the key criterion of value for money. A wine that may be good at 8€ may also be deemed too expensive, and if your wine is selected one year, it does not automatically mean that your wine will be on their list the following year. The prices are the same as at the cellar door.

2009 Carignena, Corbières, from Peyriac-sur-Mer. 5.00€
From old Carignan vines, vinified by carbonic maceration with the aim of a fruity wine for easy summer drinking. And that was just what was achieved. Good colour. Some spicy fruit, with a rugged edge on the nose – what you might call typical Carignan. There was ripe fruit on the palate, with an attractive freshness on the finish. And great value at 5€

2010 L’Insolent, la Grange Léon, St. Chinian.
This is a new estate (2009 was the first vintage) in St. Chinian, with vineyards on the schist of Berlou. A blend of 60% Grenache and 40% Syrah. Young colour. The classic flavours of schist, neither too sauvage, nor too animal, with a touch of minerality. The fruit leaped out of the glass. On the palate there was spicy red fruit, a streak of minerality and quite a long finish. Again there was a fresh finish to the medium weight palate. Another great summer red – for 6.30€

2010 Domaine du Temple, Cuvée Jacques de Molay. – 5.00€
Domaine du Temple is one of the few independent producers of Cabrières, a village that is dominated by its successful coop. This is a blend of predominantly Grenache and Syrah with a little Mourvèdre and a drop of Carignan. Again you have the effect of the schist, so the fruit is fresh, with hints of raspberry, some acidity and a streak of tannin and a fresh appealing finish. Again another bargain at 5,00€ I had been less than enamoured when I last visited Domaine du Temple about three years ago, and on the strength of this wine, it would certainly warrant another visit.

2010 le Clos Riveral, les Fontanilles, Languedoc – the vineyards are in the Terrasses du Larzac near St. Jean de la Blaquière - 8.10€
A blend of 60% Grenache, with 30% Syrah and 10% old Carignan. Part of the wine is aged in oak for a few months. Good colour; lovely fresh fruit, very gourmand with lots of red fruit. I couldn’t detect the oak at all. And on the palate nicely rounded fruit, medium weight, with a touch of tannin and a fresh finish. I blogged about Olivier Bellet, the young vigneron who made this wine, a while ago, and it was good to see that he continues to do well.

2008 Domaine Reine Juliette, Grange de Fredol - 9.50€
This estate is at Pomerols and the name has an association with a certain queen who travelled along the nearby Via Domitia, the Roman road that links Spain and Italy. A blend of 70% Syrah and 30% Grenache, with some oak ageing. The wine was very perfumed, with a leathery note on the nose, with rounded perfumed fruit and a touch of leather on the palate and rather an alcoholic finish, with notes of liqueur cherry that I associate with Grenache Noir. Bernard and I both agreed that from the taste we would have expected the blend to be the other way round, with Grenache, not Syrah, the dominant variety.

2009 Cuvée l’Infernale, Corbières, from les Celliers d’Orfée, other wise known as the coop at Ornaisons. 7.90€
A blend of Syrah and Grenache. This was a bit sweet and sour on the nose, and quite alcoholic on the finish. It had some of the gutsiness that I associate with Corbières, but also some quite supple fruit and a warm finish.

2009 Domaine des Anges de Bacchus, Angélique, 8.00€
A new estate at Montarnaud, owned by David Mouysset. A blend of Syrah and Grenache. Deep colour; quite a perfumed nose, with a touch of garrigues, with supple ripe cherry fruit and a tannic streak on the palate. Quite a warm finish.

Then Bernard gave me a blind bottle and said what do you think this is? My tasting notes mentioned spice and fruit on the nose, a touch of garrigues. Medium weight, quite gouleyant, rounded and ripe. And it turned out to be 2010 Carline, Pic St. Loup made by Quentin Leenhardt, who is Andre Leenhardt’s son at Domaine de Cazeneuve, one of the leading estates of Pic St. Loup. We both agreed that although the wine is delicious, it was too supple for a Pic St. Loup and that we expected a bit more tannin and structure.

2009 Les Yeuses, les Epices – 6.90€
A pure Syrah. Les Epices mean spices, and the wine was just that. Ripe, with supple fruit and a rounded finish and eminently easy to drink, with notes of tapenade and sufficient balancing tannin.

Domaine de Saporta is a large complex on a country lane between exits 31 and 30 on the A9, at Lattes, just outside Montpellier. At one stage the road takes you parallel to the busy motorway. And it is well signed-posted. There is also a restaurant with a reasonable list of Languedoc wines. And they give visitors a warm welcome, so do drop in. And there is always something available for tasting.

LIMOUX - part 3 - DOMAINE DE MOUSCAILLO

2011-06-23T14:29:00.006+01:00

Domaine de Mouscaillo is one of the few independent wine growers in the small village of Roquetaillade, which is situated in the Haute Vallée de l’Aude. Pierre Fort explained how it is a region of contrasts; you have the influence of the Mediterranean, and of the Pyrenees. The grapes ripen well, but the Pyrenees bring cool winds, which enhances the acidity in the wine. He took us to see his main vineyard – he has just four ectares – and then showed us a spot where you can see quite clearly two different types of vegetation. To the east was the scrubby garrigue of the Mediterranean and to the west the pines of a cooler Pyrenean climate.

Unlike most wine growers in Limoux, Pierre makes no sparkling wine – just Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. His first vintage was in 2004, and with just four hectares, three of Chardonnay and one of Pinot Noir, he is very much his own man, with a vineyard that he can manage without any extra hands. Although he was born in Roquetaillade, he has worked in other vineyards, notably spending ten years at Chateau de Tracy in the Loire valley. There he made friends with the iconic winemaker, Didier Dageneau, who encouraged him to make his own wine. He acknowledges the debt – 'without Didier I wouldn’t be here'. There were already vines in the family, his father’s, but they belonged to the village coop.

He has two plots; the oldest, Chardonnay, was planted in 1970; it is south-facing and the other, Chardonnay and Pinot, which is north facing, is 16 years old. There is a difference of at least two weeks between the harvest dates. Pierre explained that having worked in the Loire, he liked acidity. He is quietly ambitious: 'I wanted to do something better than the others, and I couldn’t do that with sparkling wine'. He is articulate on the subject of organic viticulture – refusing to accept its dogma. 'It’s easier to sell bio. The environment is very complicated; you can’t have the same rules for France as for Australia'. Essentially he works the soil as little as possible, but you must remove the grass. His soil is quite deep, and packed with lots of minute fossils. The vines never suffer from drought.

And then we adjourned to his cellar for some barrel tasting. It almost seemed as though I was in a cellar in the Côte d’Or. The Chardonnay from the south facing slopes was riper and richer than that from the north-facing slope, but none the less with good acidity. The wine from the north facing slope seemed more concentrated with firm intensity and tightly knit fruit. And samples of 2010 Pinot Noir displayed some lovely varietal character, with liquorice and raspberry fruit and a firm streak of tannin. The most difficult thing is to manage the tannins – observing that a neighbour picks his Pinot Noir three weeks later.

And then we tasted some bottles:

2009 Pinot Noir, Vin de Pays de la Haute Vallée de l’Aude– NB the appellation of Limoux rouge does not include Pinot Noir, which seems a complete aberration to my mind, given that Limoux is one of the best places of the Languedoc for Pinot Noir, but apparently the political clout of one or two of the bigger producers influenced that decision. Pierre’s Pinot Noir was delicious. It has spent a year in barrel and following some bottle age has some dry raspberry fruit, with quite firm tannins and underlying silky elegance.

2008 Pinot Noir – 17€
Lovely elegant liquorice fruit; firm tannins, but nicely enrobe. Notes of griottes cherries. Beautifully balanced, with a fresh finish. Very stylish.

2008 Chardonnay, Limoux - 15€
Elegantly buttery, with good acidity and firm fruit. Still very youthful.

2007 Chardonnay
Again, lightly nutty and buttery, with a hint of maturity coming into play. Appealing leesy nose, a hint of minerality, and very acidity balancing an attrractive mouthfeel. Altogether very satisfying,

And we finished with a 2004 Chardonnay, Pierre’s first wine, made when he was still working in Sancerre. It was still fresh and elegant, with good acidity, and a hint of fennel on the palate. And that was the end of a great day in Limoux.

LIMOUX - Part 2 - CHATEAU RIVES-BLANQUES

2011-06-14T17:54:00.005+01:00

I’ve tasted Rives-Blanques and visited Caryl and Jan Panman regularly over the last ten years, since their first vintage in 2001. They are a Dutch-Irish couple, with successful careers in other fields, and then it was time for a change and they settled outside Limoux, buying their vineyards from Eric Vialade, who has stayed on as their winemaker. It seems a very happy arrangement and the range of wines has evolved over the years. So my visit last week was a good opportunity for a catch-up; Caryl and Jan are the most welcoming of hosts, not to mention their three dogs Bruno, Bacchus and Mauzac.

Normally you can enjoy the most spectacular view of the Pyrenees from the tasting room at Rive Blanques, but not that day. And their estate is named after the mountain that usually dominates that view.

2008 Blanquette de Limoux – 9.50€
The appellation regulations dictate a minimum of 90% Mauzac, and here it is blended with 10% Chenin Blanc. You may also use Chardonnay, but not Pinot Noir. The dosage is 4 gm/l – and Caryl admitted that they were tempted by a zero dosage.
Quite a rounded nose, with light herbal notes. Quite crisp acidity; light and elegant. It is deliciously and fresh, and eminently drinkable, as I know, all too well!

2008 Crémant de Limoux, Blanc de Blancs – 9.70€
A blend of 60% Chardonnay, with 40% Chenin Blanc. In theory there ought to be 10% Mauzac as well. The wine has spent at least eighteen months, if not 24 months on the lees. It is ripe and rounded, with some attractive fruit and a creamy finish. An elegant, creamy mouthful.

2008 Crémant de Limoux, Rosé – 10.55€
Essentially two thirds Chardonnay to one third Chenin Blanc, with 5% Pinot Noir. A very pretty pink, with dry herbal fruit. Delicate and powerful at the same time. You sense the presence of the Pinot Noir, which gives structure and fruit, but the overall effect is delicate and ethereal like the mountain air. Beautifully balanced.

And now on to the still wines:

2010 Vin de Pays d’Oc, Chardonnay / Chenin – 5.80€
The blend is 90% Chardonnay to 10% Chenin Blanc. The grapes are machine harvested in the middle of the night, around 3 a.m. and then sorted and pressed and the wine bottled after a short élevage in vat. In contrast the appellation regulations for white Limoux demand an élevage in barrel. This is light and buttery, with some understated rounded fruit, a herbal hint and some fresh acidity.

2010 Limoux Cuvée Occitanie – 10.85€
A pure Mauzac, from grapes that are picked at the end of the harvest, so three weeks than for the sparkling wine. Caryl is very enthusiastic about Mauzac; she loves it and people had stopped making it. ‘It’s a real Cinderella’, and not really appreciated, so they decided to have a go at a still Mauzac back in 2003 and it has now become a regular part of their repertoire, but so far only one other producer has followed their example. The wine has only just been bottled, so oak does dominate the palate for the moment, but with a satisfying mouthful, with good acidity, a herbal hint and some nutty notes. It will be intriguing to see how it develops.

2008 Limoux Dédicace, Chenin Blanc – 10.85€
Dédicace as they dedicate the wine to a different person each year. 2008 says Pour MM – Monica Murphy who was their Irish importer. The 2010 vintage is for George Pauli, who was the technical director of Chateau Gruard Larose and has helped with their blending for the last eight years.

This 2008 is light golden in colour, with some honeyed leafy notes and good fruit on the palate, with some underlying oak. The 2010 has only just been bottled – they will leave it in the cellar for at least 12 -1 8 months before releasing it. Again there was a touch of oak with some dry honey and a satisfying mouth feel with good acidity. It promises well, with good ageing potential. I have enjoyed mature vintages of this in the past.

2009 Limoux Trilogie - 17.20€
No prizes for working out that Trilogie means all three white grape varieties of Limoux. The proportions vary with the vintage, but Mauzac accounts for about half the blend in 2009, while the 2010 includes more Chardonnay. Quite rounded; quite textured palate, youthful with layers of flavour and depth and a hint of honey on the finish.

2010 Limoux Odyssée - 10.85€
Pure Chardonnay, with 20% new oak. Ripe, buttery and youthful, with some fresh fruit. The oak is well integrated and quite restrained.

2009 Vin de Pays d’Oc, Sauvageon – 10.00€
Sauvageon is the clue that it is Sauvignon, but they didn’t want to put Sauvignon on the label. 2009 was the second vintage, after a very small crop in 2008, for the vines were planted in 2005. As for Limoux, the wine is fermented in barrel and the oak is nicely integrated, with some restrained Sauvignon fruit and good body and texture with balancing acidity. A harmonious mouthful, promising well with some bottle age.

2006 Lagremas d’Aur, Vendange d’Hiver, Vin de Table de France 13€ - 50cl bottle
This is late harvest Chenin Blanc and Mauzac, harvested in January. There is a little botrytis, but the grapes are mostly raisined. The name means tears of gold, and you could say, that it is what the wine looks like, with quite a deep golden colour, with fresh honey and barley sugar on the nose, and more on the palate, with some fresh fruit and some roasted hints of botrytis. 70 gms/l residual sugar remains. It is absolutely delicious, and perfect with fruit puddings.

A DAY IN LIMOUX - Part One - DOMAINE J. LAURENS

2011-06-12T12:45:00.009+01:00

Limoux is one of the coolest parts of the Languedoc, and so it is ideal for the production of sparkling wine. On a clear day you can see the dramatic skyline of the Pyrenees; on Wednesday it was conspicuous by its absence. And this is where the vegetation of the Mediterranean meets that of the Atlantic. I needed to collect some wine for a party, so that seemed a good excuse to whizz down the motorway from the sunnier Hérault and spend a day tasting, rediscovering my old favourites Château Rive-Blanques and visiting two estates that were new to me.

First stop was Domaine J. Laurens in the little village of La Digne d’Aval. Jacques Calvel explained how he had bought the estate some ten years ago from a champenois, Michel Dervin who had developed the vineyards back in 1980 and established the style of J. Laurens. Laurens is an old family name. M. Calvel has had a career in computers – he described Laurens as his retirement job. And in my mind I made a comparison with Mike Roberts of Ridgeview in Sussex, who also sold a computing business and planted vineyards. It is clearly not retirement.

There are 30 hectares of vines; more than half are planted with Chardonnay, with a bit over 5 hectares each of Chenin Blanc, and Mauzac, the traditional variety of Limoux, as well as four hectares of Pinot Noir. Their own vineyards provide 90% of their requirements.

Limoux is divided into four zones, as there is such a diversity of microclimate and terrain. J. Laurens is in the area called Autan, which is quite cool, but wetter than the Mediterranean area. And M. Calvel, true to the champenois founder, makes only sparkling wine, which is quite rare – most people do produce still wine as well. And he produces four different cuvées. It’s all very simple. The cellar is small and neat, with vats and giro palettes and the equipment for dégorgement. However, you sense that great attention is paid to detail. Mr. Calvel talked about the harvest. They have a team of Portuguese pickers – the harvest usually starts in the middle of August and takes three weeks. They pick into 25 – 30 kilo boxes, handling the grapes as carefully as possible, but nonetheless the boxes are designed to allow any juice that might result from any squashed grapes, to escape so that it does not go into the press and spoil the wine. And when I asked M. Calvel to describe the typicity of his wine, he talked of finesse, elegance, fraicheur. He want to continue to the style of the former owner and he wants to make what he called vins droits – droit in this context is tricky to translate – I would almost suggest wines that are true to themselves and their place, that are not complicated by external influences. And on tasting his wines I would consider that he succeeds.

NV Le Moulin Blanquette de Limoux 7.50€
A very fine bead. Quite a rounded, lightly honeyed nose, with a herbal hint. A rounded palate with a fresh finish. The dosage has 10 gms/l residual sugar. The blend is 90% Mauzac with a little Chardonnay, and the wine spends a minimum of nine months on the lees; but if possible they prefer 15 months. Initially they didn’t make any Blanquette but with the drop in the obligatory percentage of Mauzac in the Crémant, there was a surplus of Mauzac to be used up. And remember that the reputation of Limoux was based on Mauzac; Chardonnay and Chenin Blanc, and also Pinot Noir came later.

2009 Crémant de Limoux, Les Graimenous – a lieu dit; apparently it means l’herbe folle, or mad grass! 8.50€
A blend of 60% Chardonnay, 30% Chenin Blanc with 10% of Pinot Noir and Mauzac. These days you can make Crémant de Limoux without a drop of Mauzac. The wine must spend 12 months on lees, but again they prefer longer if possible, up to 18 months.

Elegance was the first word that came to mind, with a fine bead, a delicate creamy bouquet and an elegant palate. There was an appealingly creamy palate, with depth and a long finish. It was very harmonious and understated, and simply delicious.

Next came 2007 Crémant de Limoux La Rose No 7. – 9.50€ Why No. 7? Mr. Calvel referred to Chanel’s No 5 and then said that 7 is a lucky number. It is a blend of Chardonnay, Chenin blanc and Pinot Noir, but no Mauzac. I noticed that my French colleague Michael Smith has described this wine as ‘cette enchanteresse cuvée’ – this bewitching cuvée. What more can I say? It is a delicate pale pink colour – they obtain the colour by vinifying the Pinot Noir part as still wine and then blending, and you can detect the influence of the Pinot Noir. There is a certain structure on the palate, with some hints of raspberry fruit, and a little more weight than the Crémant, but still with the hallmark of elegance. I was indeed enchanted.

And our tasting finished with 2008 Crémant de Limoux, Les Clos des Demoiselles – 10.50€

This also contains no Mauzac and is a selection of the best juice, with a longer time on the lees. Why Demoiselles? A story about the former owner. His father-in-law and friends had helped him buy him the vineyards. Among them was a Belgium wine merchant with three daughters, or demoiselles. This was immediately richer on the nose, partly the effect of longer ageing, and also an older vintage. It was ripe and rounded, with a herbal note, creamy, with more weight, and longer and fuller in the mouth.

TWO VERY FRENCH EXPERIENCES

2011-06-09T17:24:00.011+01:00

Every wine area of France has its own wine brotherhood or confrérie, and so do many of the regional gastronomic specialities. The objective seems to be promotional, an opportunity to sing the praises of the wine or dish, and to consume lots of it, and it also provides an opportunity for otherwise sensible men and women to besport themselves in medieval robes. And you have to remember that it is an honour to be invited to join a confrérie. So last Thursday I found myself being made a member of the Très Noble et Très Gourmande Confrérie du Petit Pâté de Pézenas. There is quite a hierarchy, with a grand maitre and a chamberlain, and the lower orders enjoy the title of Chevalier. I learnt that ladies are addressed as Madame le Chevalier. I am not a chevalière.

The ceremony itself was great fun – it was pouring with rain in Pézenas that morning, so it was an agreeable way of passing the time. We were six to be gonged; another English woman, who came from Market Drayton – more of the significance of that later – a chocolatier; a local traiteur or caterer; the owner of one of town's better restaurants, le Pré St. Jean; the director of the Pézenas coop, la Cave de Molière, - so no prizes for guessing what we drank with lunch.

The ceremony took place in the rather charming museum, l’Hôtel Vulliod de St. Germain, which houses various artefacts dating back to the time of Molière. We each had a godfather who made a charming little speech explaining why we should be members of this august organisation, and then we were required to swear to do everything in our power to extol the praises of the petits pâtés and then eat one ourselves, and wash it down with a glass of the coop’s Chardonnay. And then we adjourned for lunch.

So you may well ask – what is a petit pâté. It all goes back to Lord Clive of India, who spent a winter in Pézenas in 1768. He brought with him his Indian cook, who concocted a recipe for a little pie, filled with mutton, and seasoned with spices, a touch of curry, brown sugar and citrons confits. No self-respecting baker in Pézenas is now without petits pâtés. Lord Clive was born in Market Drayton and consequently Pézenas is twinned with it and maintains strong associations with the town.

And as this chapître or meeting marked the 20th birthday of the confrérie, lunch concluded with a birthday cake, along with a model cake, incorporating the various ingredients of a petit pâté, complete with fireworks. There were also a couple of musical interludes; between the fish and the meat course, we were treated to extracts of La Traviata, while the songs between cheese and birthday cake finished with Maria from Westside Story. And a good time was had by all.

And yesterday I noticed a short paragraph in our local paper, le Midi Libre, entitled Les Femmes et le Vin. The coop at Pomérols, and one of the leading producers of Picpoul de Pinet was hosting a conference about women and wine, and also offering a tasting of its award winning wines. The wines were really the main focus of the evening, and excuse for a party for the village. The conference turned out to be short and sweet, and did not offer any new insights; the president of the cave welcomed us all; a journalist from the Midi Libre eloquently introduced the various speakers – a couple of women who are members of the cooperative, who said how helpful their male colleagues were – and an oenologist who emphasised that the work of an oenologist goes from vine to bottle, and does not just concentrate on wine-making; she conducts a lot of tastings and enthused about the quality of the female palate. They agreed that they ‘shared the passion of our work’. There was a local artist and a local poet who read a poem about Picpoul, finishing with a line exhorting us to enjoy it in moderation.

And that was the cue for the tasting. I was the lone person to use a spittoon and the Picpoul, 2010 Cuvée Hugues de Beauvignac, boasting its gold medal from Paris, was indeed very good – with some lovely stony salty mineral fruit. I was less struck by the sparkling version and the moelleux was not a good idea. Moral : Picpoul should be dry and still – and then it can be delicious.

THE MAURY WALK - LES AMORIOLES

2011-05-31T07:31:00.014+01:00

Balades gourmandes are becoming increasingly popular in the Languedoc, as a way of showing off not only the wines of a village or appellation, but also possible gastronomic combinations. The food is considered to be as important as the wine - and they make a great day out. One of the newest walks is at Maury, in the Agly valley, in the heart of Roussillon. Last Sunday was just the second time that it has been organised, and it was magnificent, well worth the early start and the drive from the Hérault. The scenery is awe-inspiring. The ruined Cathar castle of Quéribus dominates the village and the hillsides are a patchwork of small vineyards, on grey schist.

Vines are the only cultivated plants that will grow in these arid conditions, but there is also the scrubby vegetation of the garrigue, cistus, thyme, rosemary, as well as pine trees and holm oaks.

The scent of the vegetation was heady in the unseasonal warm sunshine. Butterflies flitted in the sunlight and the birdsong was enchanting.

Twenty three wine growers, all with vineyards in Maury, as well as the cooperative of Maury itself and the combined cooperative of the nearby villages of Tautavel and Vingrau, were participating in the balade. Maury may have an appellation for its fortified vin doux naturel, but it also has a fine reputation for what the wine growers call their vins secs, either vins de pays or Côtes du Roussillon Villages. Grenache, be it blanc, gris or noir, is the dominant grape variety, with some Carignan, both noir and blanc, and some occasional Mourvèdre and Syrah, while for white wine there is also Macabeo. Some of the growers’ names were known to me; others were quite new, so this was a great opportunity for some discoveries.

Equipped with glass, cutlery, sun hat and wine list, we were bussed to the start of the balade and then walked a very short distance to the first étape, for a tartare d’asperges garnished with chives. All the wine here were white; and often with quite obvious oak, as most growers favour a fermentation in oak, but not new, for their white wines. All the wines were either 2010 or 2009, so they had plenty of ageing potential. So what follows are some of the highlights amongst the 37 wines available for tasting.

2010 Messieurs from Les Vignes d’Elodie, a vin de pays, from Grenache Gris. 8.50€ There was a touch of oak, but not too much, with good acidity, and satisfying mouth feel, with flavours of white blossom.

2010 Coume Marie, Côtes du Roussillon from La Préceptorie de Centernach, 11.00€ A blend of Grenache Gris, and Blanc, as well as Macabeo and Carignan Blanc. Quite rounded and buttery, with oaky undertones, but with good acidity, weight and underlying fruit. Potential for development.

2009 Le Sud, a vin de pays from Mas de Lavail, 11.50€ and a blend of Grenache Gris and Blanc, was broader and richer, quite full and buttery with a rounded finish

We enjoyed some fabulous views as we walked on to our entrée, which was a rather curious piece of pig, described as croustillant de cochon, au poivre de Penja fumé. I couldn’t taste anything smoky or peppery about it – our friend’s dog Milly enjoyed it enormously, while we were less enthusiastic. However, the wines more than compensated.

2010 Mas Camps Éclat de Rose Côtes du Roussillon Villages, 6.00€ A blend of Syrah, Grenache Noir and Mourvèdre, was ripe and rounded with strawberry fruit. This is not a region for delicate rosé, but for full-flavoured mouth filling wines.

2008 Clos des Vins d’Amour 1+1=3, Côtes du Roussillon, 8.75€ A blend of Syrah, Grenache Noir and Carignan had some fresh spicy fruit and was served at a refreshingly chilled temperature. That is one of the problems of tasting wine in the middle of the countryside – serving conditions may be far from ideal, and not every vigneron has thought to bring sufficient ice to chill all their wines, when even the reds benefit from chilling on a warm summer’s day.

At the fish course, a morsel monkfish cooked in a reduction of red Maury, I enjoyed the white vin de pays from Domaine Semper, 2009 Regain, 10.00€ A blend of Carignan Blanc, Grenache Gris and Blanc and Macabeo, from vines that are at least seventy years old, all planted together in the same vineyard. There was a distinctive touch of fennel, with good balancing acidity and a rounded body. It was very satisfying.

2010 Le Cirque, Vin de Pays from les Vignerons Tautavel-Vingrau from old Grenache Gris was refreshingly unoaked, and also with a hint of fennel on the palate. 4.90€

And most intriguing pairing with the fish was a Maury Tradition Grenat 2009 from Domaine de la Coume du Roy, a fresh young vin doux. The wine was chilled, with spicy liquorice notes and ripe fruit, and a touch of sweetness on the finish. It worked well, with the sweetness enhancing the fish, whereas anything tannic would have simply jarred. 11.00€

At the next étape a rather uninspiring piece of lamb, with herbes du maquis conspicuous by their absence, provided the partner for a delicious selection of red wines. Meanwhile our canine companion dined well.

2007 Désiderade, Cotes du Roussillon Villages from Mas de Lavail, a blend of Syrah, Grenache and Carignan from 100 year old vines was ripe and spicy, with rounded fruit and a dry leathery tannic note on the finish. Somehow it tasted of the wild rugged countryside, soaked in warm sunshine. 10.50€

Again Mas Camps showed well with 2009 Ronde des Vents, a Côtes du Roussillon Villages, a blend of Syrah, Mourvèdre and Grenache Noir, with twelve months oak ageing. It had youthful potential, with a good balance of ripe fruit and young oak. 9.00€

2007 Les Dentelles, Côtes du Roussillon Villages, from Domaine Thuvenin-Calvet, one of the new producers of the village, with an impressive looking new cellar on the outskirts. The Calvet family come from Maury and began their association with the Thuvenin family from Bordeaux in 2001. The wine was dense and solid, with ripe fruit and oak – and a heady 15˚. 19.00€

2006 Un Baiser from Clos des Vins d’Amour, Côtes du Roussillon Villages, a pure Grenache Noir, from 100 year old vines, of which half had spent 12 months in old 400 litre barrels, was dense and ripe, but with a balancing fresh streak of tannin. 2004 was the first vintage of this estate and the wine promises well. 14.50€

The cheese course came from Fromages Juliette in the town of Rivesaltes. Our friends knew this as a superlative cheese shop in the old part of Rivesaltes. We were offered old Salers and some Roquefort, and a selection not only of vins secs, but also some Maury. Of the vins secs, I liked 2007 Grains de Velour Cotes du Roussillon Vilalges from Domaine Majoral best, A blend of Grenache Noir, with Carignan and Syrah. It was rounded and spicy, with a satisfying tannic edge. However, tasting at this etape was slightly problematic as we were encroaching on the space of the village barbecue area, and local families were doing just that, so it required great concentration not to find smoky aromas in all the wines.

2007 Le Tiradou, a Côtes du Roussillon Villages from Domaine Francois Lurton had some warm fruit, with a warm stony minerality and quite a tannic backbone. 12.50€

Monhectare was offering both red and white Maury – Odile Pontillo has just one hectare of vines – she explained that not only is she the smallest producer of Maury, but also the only one to make more white than red Maury. She makes 1000 bottles of each and sells them together, as le Duo de Monhectare. Her white Maury is sweet and biscuity with a note of fennel, which the red has some ripe spicy fruit. It’s all very simple – she keeps her wine in vat – and she wryly observed that she does not know how to make vin sec. 10.00€

The path to the last étape took us past more vineyards and though the back streets of the Maury, where we discovered some wonderful murals and trompe l’oeil on otherwise dull walls. They certainly enhanced the atmosphere of this little village. And dessert, the best course of all by far, was a sumptuous chocolate macaroon, and just the thing to show off a range of young Maury. Amongst the stars were:

Viatge, Maury Grenat, 2009 from Domaine Semper, with ripe cherry fruit, prunes and figs, with well integrated alcohol, beautifully balanced with a harmonious finish. 11.00€

2009 Maury Grenat Cuvée Diabolique from Domaine des Terres Cathares was quite oaky on the nose with some black cherry fruit and a firm tannic finish. I prefer my Maury a little softer, but if you think young vintage port……13.00€

Luc Charlier who made Cuvée Jolo at Domaine de la Coume Majou explained how he had learnt his wine making in the Douro, with Portuguese rather than British houses. He picks ripe and late, adds minimal alcohol and uses no wood; nor does he filter or fine. I thought his wine had a distinctive touch of orange; it was sweet and ripe, with some orange spice, and a touch of tannin, and a fresh finish. 22.80€

Mas Amiel’s 2008 Grenat was ripe and rounded, with an elegant balance and good fruit. 15.50€

And Les Vignerons de Maury excelled themselves with their 1990 Tuilé, with a long nutty palate, with a touch of figs, and a smooth finish. A grand finale to a magnificent walk.

A WEEK OF TASTINGS

2011-05-20T17:45:00.000+01:00

It’s been a busy few days – firstly, a tasting at the Maison du Languedoc to help select the best 40 wines from the Languedoc to show on the Sud de France stand at the London Wine Trade Fair. That was followed by two mornings of tasting Languedoc for Decanter Magazine, concentrating on Faugères, St. Chinian, Cabardès and Minervois – and in between my local friendly merchant Roberson’s hosted a tasting of their portfolio, with wines from Mas des Dames, Domaine Peyre Rose and Mas Coutelou, which was a new name for me. And this week I spent an afternoon at the Natural Wine Fair, which was organised by Isabelle Legeron M.W., along with importers Les Caves de Pyrène, Aubert & Mascoli, Dynamic Vines, The Wine Story and Yapp Brothers. There were wines from all over the world, but of course I gravitated towards the Languedoc, with a little detour into Tuscany for my friends in Montalcino, at Paradiso di Manfredi. And I have just emerged from two days at the London Wine Trade Fair, where amongst many other things, I tasted our final selection of ‘Prestige Wines from Languedoc-Roussillon’ and also the complete range of the Top 100 Vins de Pays.

Full reports on all these tastings will have to go on hold until the end of the month as we are setting off for the Languedoc tomorrow morning, with a detour into Switzerland to discover the wines of the Valais. So more anon.

A WINE COMPETITION ON THE HERAULT

2011-05-13T18:29:00.001+01:00

Wine competitions are a great way of promoting interest amongst consumers and wine growers alike. They can provide an enormous boost of confidence for a new wine grower and help establish reputations. However, they also need to be taken with a generous pinch of salt, as I found out a couple of weeks ago in the Hérault.

The competition that focuses on the valley of the Hérault has now been going for 25 years and it has established its credentials over that time. It covers wine growers from 42 villages, around Clermont l’Herault, Gignac and Aniane, an area that includes Montpeyroux, St. Saturnin and some Terrasses du Larzac villages, as well as part of the Grès de Montpellier. The number of entrants has grown steady, over the years, and this year there were 240 wines from 69 cellars, with 123 jurors to taste them all.

The organisation of the judging begins quite seriously – wine growers are allowed to be judges, but they certainly may not judge their own wine. I was on a table with Bernard Pallisé from the Montpeyroux coop; Jacques Beauclair who runs a mobile bottling company; Pierre Rossignol, a young man who is working for the cooperative of Pomerols while studying viticulture, and one of the directors of Millésime Bio, Thierry Duchenne. We had a dozen wines to taste and we were expected to give some sort of medal to about one third of them. The gold medals would go forward for the trophy tasting. All we knew about our range was that the vintage was 2008 and all had spent some time in oak – the wines could have been vin de pays or appellation, and from any of the permitted grape varieties of the region, so Cabernet Sauvignon alongside Syrah. I was more severe than my co-tasters, and only found one wine that I really liked, and happily gave that a gold medal, while my fellow tasters found a silver and a couple of bronze medals.

We were then expected to decide between us who should go on to the super jury that would judge the gold medals. Most of my fellow tasters had previous engagements for later in the morning, so haphazardly by process of elimination I found myself on one of three tables of the super jury, with half a dozen red wines to taste. We were six tasters, and three of us liked one wine, and three of us another. Somehow we reached a decision; I am not sure quite how. Most of the wines were pretty good, but I was rather shocked that one of the gold medals reeked of brett.

My table then decided that I should represent the table for the super super jury – we were three, plus the president of the competition, Guillaume Biau, with Philippe Cabrit from the Syndicat des Vins du Coteaux du Languedoc, and Bernard Agay, a retired director from the ICV, l’Institut Coopératif du Vin, and we had three wines to taste. A white wine – did it or did it not deserve a trophy? – and we had to make a decision between two red wines. The white was delicious, everything that a white Languedoc wine should be, with some lovely understated fruit, delicate white blossom, and no overpowering oak. And of the two reds, one was richer and spicier than the other, and so that was the winner.

And then the bottles were unveiled - 26 bronzes, 30 silvers, 20 golds. And two trophy winners. I was thrilled about the white wine. I had had a conversation during the coffee break with my friends Jo and André from Villa Dondona in Montpeyroux and Jo was telling me how excited she was about their white wine, made for the first time last year. And that was the winner – Cuvée Espérel, a delicious blend of Grenache blanc, Vermentino, Marsanne and Roussanne in descending order. Jo was stunned; André smiled and both were thrilled. It was a great recognition of their first white wine.

And the red came from Domaine Les Quatre Amours in Belarga. 2009 Cuvée Louis A blend of 75% Syrah vinified by carbonic maceration and aged in oak for 15 months, with the balance a traditional vinification of Grenache Noir. This estate is completely new to me and I shall certainly be going to visit. The wine was rich and spicey; sunshine in a glass.

And there is more information about the results on www.vins-vallee-herault.fr

GRANDS CRUS DU LANGUEDOC

2011-04-26T10:21:00.003+01:00

As you may know, the powers that be of the Languedoc are introducing a system of grand vin and grand cru. You may well ask: what’s the difference? And which is better? I tried my husband out on that one – for a mere consumer, rather than a member of the wine trade, he knows quite a lot about the Languedoc. His answer was grand vin. Wrong. It’s grand cru. And you may well wonder what the difference is when you see that the relatively new Terrasses du Larzac is a grand cru, whereas Faugères, which was an appellation before the Coteaux du Languedoc, is a mere grand vin.

Apparently it is all to do with price and the amount of wine, or percentage of wine, sold in bulk, as opposed to bottle. So Faugères fails to meet the criteria for grand cru as its production is dominated by its cooperative, even though it also has lots of independent, dynamic and talented wine growers, but the cooperative ensures that the average price is too low for a grand cru. In contrast the Terrasses du Larzac has few cooperatives and lots of independent wine growers with high price aspirations. St. Chinian Roquebrun is another anomaly – at the tasting of grands crus that I have just attended, all five wines from Roquebrun came from the cooperative, but the price points are at the right level. Sadly there was no sign of any independent wine growers, such as Thierry Navarre.

So the list of grands crus is:
Minervois la Livinière,
Corbières Boutenac,
St. Chinian Roquebrun
St. Chinian Berlou,
Terrasses du Larzac,
Grès de Montpellier
Pic St. Loup
Pézenas
La Clape
the still white and some of sparkling wines of Limoux.

Grand vin covers Cabardès, Corbières, Faugères, Malepère, Minervois, St. Chinian, red and some sparkling wines from Limoux, all the sweet Muscats and some of the Coteaux du Languedoc terroirs or appellations – namely Picpoul de Pinet, Clairette du Languedoc, Sommières, Terrasses de Beziers, Quatourze, Cabrières, St. Saturnin, Montpeyroux, la Méjanelle, St. Georges d’Orques, St. Christol, St. Drézery and Verargues. And plain AC Languedoc remains at the bottom of the pyramid.

So this begs the question: do these new crus have particular distinguishing characteristics? The Comité des Vins du Languedoc organised a tasting in London last week to show some of these wines. It has to be said that they were a mixed bag – some areas – Pézenas, Terrasses du Larzac, Minervois la Livinière - acquitted themselves much better than others. I had serious doubts about some of the Pic St. Loup, and the wines from Grès de Montpellier were a hotch potch of flavours without any particular typicity.

But rather than dwelling on the dull, indifferent and boring – what did I actually like?

There was an intriguing range of wines from PEZENAS presented by Basile St. Germain who had also brought along some extra wines from his own estate, Domaine les Aurelles. His wines are finely crafted. And when I asked him what represented the tipicity of Pézenas he said, he didn’t know! That comment belied a shrewd response. Pézenas consists of 15 different villages and five different terroirs, villefranchien, basalt on villefranchien, grès, clay and limestone, and schist. If anything, Basile observed, the tipicity comes from the climate; it’s much drier around Pézenas during harvest time that in the Pic St. Loup, for instance. Really they are still looking for their tipicity and with the creation of the grands crus, they are trying to create something in the Languedoc, which it took Bordeaux 150 years or so to achieve. Whatever, it getting people tasting the wines and talking about the region, and that is no bad thing.

2007 Solen
Carignan dominant with some Grenache. Medium colour. Quite an elegant nose, with ripe cherry fruit and a certain elegant maturity on the palate.

2005 Solen
Quite dry firm fruit, matured and leathery on the palate. Quite a sturdy finish.

2007 Aurel
65% Mourvèdre, 20% Syrah and 15% Grenache. Medium colour. An elegant nose and quite a rounded palate with a combination of elegance and power. Quite sturdy and youthful, and still to develop.

2007 Aurel blanc
Pure Roussanne. Lovely elegant white blossom fruit on the nose, with considerable depth of flavour on the palate. Wonderfully satisfying. This is one of the great white wines of the Languedoc.

2008 Domaine de Nizas
50% Mourvèdre, 26% Grenache noir and 24% Carignan. Firm nose, a touch meaty and on the palate some rounded ripe fruit, with some tannin and quite a dense finish.

2007 Domaine Pech Rome
50% Grenache, 38% Syrah, 12& Carignan Quite a rounded red cherry nose. Medium weight, ripe fruit with some spice, and a touch confit, and concentrated on the finish.

2008 Domaine Turner Pageot, Charmina Major
70% Syrah and 30% Mourvèdre. Medium colour. Quite ripe fruit, with some oak on the nose. Youthful peppery notes on the palate, with some nicely crafted tannin, and some balancing oak. Quite an elegant long finish.

MINERVOIS LA LIVINIERE When I asked Isabelle at Château Ste Eulalie and Frank from Domaine la Rouviole for three words on tipicity they said: Freshness, complexity; altitude. And then added red and black fruit; ripe grapes; ageing potential. La Livinière is quite a compact area, contained in eight villages centred on La Livinière.

2009 Château Maris, la Touge
85% Syrah, 15% Grenache Noir. Quite ripe spice on the nose. Quite a rounded meaty leathery palate. Good fruit with a fine balance of tannin. A satisfying mouthful

£12.75 - Vintage Roots

2008 La Cantilène, Château Sainte Eulalie
55% Syrah, 25% Greanche, 20% Carignan The Wine Society - £11.50
Medium colour; quite firm elegant nose. Lightly smoky, closed palate. Youthful. Need to develop. A certain vigour on the finish. Very Minervois. – think of those wild hills.

2008 Château de Cesseras
77% Syrah, 12% Grenache, 11% Carignan Waitrose - £12.34; Berry Bros & Rudd £14.80
Medium colour; quite ripe confit, dense nose with some oak. Solid ripe fruit, with a certain sweet richness. Quite a chunky finish. Quite long.

2007 Clos.Centeilles
Equal parts Mourvèdre, Syrah, Grenache. Terroir du Languedoc - £14.95
Medium colour; quite sold dense spicy nose. Some ripe peppery spice on the palate. Characterful. Quite dense and tannin. A good mouthful.

2007 Domaine des Aires Hautes, Clos de l’Escandil
50% Syrah, 20% Grenache and 30% Mourvèdre Deep young colour. Quite dense ripe tapenade nose, and on palate. Rounded, solid dense fruit and tannin with a chunky finish. Youthful.

2007 Domaine du Petit Causse, Cuvée Andréa
50% Syrah, 25% Grenache, 25% Carignan Quite a rounded nose with easy ripe fruit and a tannin steak. Less chunky than some. Nice balance.

2006 Domaine la Rouviole
75% Syrah, 25% Grenache Medium colour; quite solId ripe dense nose. Ripe spicy fruit with firm tannin, a solid mouthful, with tannin and freshness.

LA CLAPE
Tipicity in La Clape was described as power and freshness, thanks to the proximity of the sea. It is a dry windy climate, but the vines benefit from cool nights.

2007 Château d’Anglès blanc
40% Bourboulenc, 20% Grenache, Roussanne and Marsanne A lovely refreshing glass of white in a sea of reds. Firm nettly fruit and palate, a hint herbal. Good acidity; satisfying mouth feel and a refreshing finish.

2008 Château de Camplazans Premium
70% Syrah, 20% Grenache, 10% Carignan. Deep colour; ripe dense solid tapenade and oak on the nose. A very ripe warm palate with notes of tapenade and a firm tannic streak. Youthful and powerful

2008 Mas du Soleilla, les Bartelles
75% Syrah, 25% Grenache Medium colour. Some smoky oak. Nicely mouth filling; confit and concentrated without being over ripe. Rounded, with a smoky finish.

2009 Château l’Hospitalet réserve
40% Syrah, 30% Grenache, 30% Mourvèdre Medium colour. Rounded spicy fruit on the nose, with more spice and cherries on the palate. Medium weight, with quite a sweet finish.

2008 Chateau des Karantes
50% Syrah, 40% Grenache, 10% Mourvèdre Deep colour; rounded ripe dense fruit, on nose and palate. Solid, dense, tannic and oaky. Needs time.

TERRASSES DU LARZAC - Here Béatrice and Sébastien Fillon emphasised the motto of the region – the generosity of the Languedoc combined with the freshness of the wine. The difference between day and night time temperatures makes for complexity, fruit and balance. It is also an area with many relatively new and highly motivated wine growers.

Domaine de Familongue, Les 3 Naissances
41% Syrah, 12% Mourvèdre, 20% Grenache, 15% Carignan, 5% Carignan carbonic maceration, 7% Cinsaut. Good colour. Ripe nose; ripe rounded black fruit with a supple tannin bite. Supple, easy and accessible.

2008 Domaine de Montcalmès
60% Syrah, 20% Grenache, 20% Mourvèdre The Wine Society - £19.00
Medium colour. Quite firm oak on the nose. Rich structured fruit with youthful tannins. Quite solid and tannic, with black fruit on the finish.

2009 Domaine le Clos du Serres, les Maros
61% Grenache, 22% Cinsaut 17% Carignan Stone Vine & Sun - £12..50
Medium colour; light cherry fruit. Very gouleyant. Elegant fruit, with light cherry fruit and a ripe finish. Nicely crafted, with the freshness of the Larzac. An absolute contrast with the richer warmer wines of La Clape.

2008 La Jasse Castel, les Combariolles
85% Grenache, 15% Syrah
Medium colour; quite a rounded ripe nose. Smoky fruit, with some cherry notes. Quite a firm tannin streak.

2008 Mas Cal Demoura, L’Infidèle
30% Syrah, 25% Grenache, 20% Mourvèdre, 15% Carignan, 10% Cinsaut £215 per case of 12 www. everywine.co.uk
Medium colour. Rounded nose, a touch of smoky oak. Elegant rounded fruit, and nicely crafted. Very satisfying

2008 Mas de la Séranne, Clos des Immortelles
30& Grenache, 30% Mourvèdre, 20% Syrah, 20% Carignan Tanners of Shrewsbury- £14.20
Quite ripe black fruit and tapenade on the nose. Some firm tannins balancing the ripe palate. Quite concentrated and youthful. To develop.

2008 Mas Julien
Imported by Richards Walford. 30% Carignan, 40% Mourvèdre, 25% Syrah, 5% Grenache
Young colour. Quite a fresh closed nose. A youthful edge on the palate. More discreet than some, with elegant youthfulness and fresh fruit and acidity. Understated.

2008 Mas de Chimères
20% each of Cinsaut, Syrah, Grenache, Mourvèdre and Carignan Medium colour; quite a ripe rounded nose. Ripe tapenade palate, quite chewy with good fruit and body. Long finish.

And finally LIMOUX – the range here was dominated by the cooperative, with a couple of exceptions.

2009 Rives Blanques, Cuvée Occitanie
A pure Mauzac. £12.95 from Great Western Wine
Fresh fruit, with the characteristic bitter note of Mauzac. Some ripe pithy fruit. Lots of character, and much more original than yet another Chardonnay, which is the usual variety of white Limoux.

But having said that I did also enjoy:

2008 Domaine du Mouscaillo, Chardonnay
Light nose with a touch of oak. Nicely integrated oak on both nose and palate. Some attractive leesy fruit. Good depth of flavour. Finely crafted.

The various crus are gradually developing their distinguishing characteristics, but what the winemaker does also has an important impact, and for me that is really the crux of any buying decision: who made the wine, rather than La Clape or Pézenas. And then I flew down to Montpellier the following day, where a very well-informed source told me that there is no way that the INAO, which has the ultimate say on these matters, will contemplate the use of grand cru in the Languedoc........! We shall see.

DOMAINE D'AUPILHAC

2011-04-11T17:58:00.003+01:00

When I first visited Montpeyroux in the mid-1980s, the choice of wine was the coop, or the coop. There were no private estates until the end of the 1980s. Sylvain Fadat at Domaine d’Aupilhac was one of the first pioneers, along with Domaine du Plô, which no longer exists, Domaine d’Aiguelière, and Mas Jullien in nearby Jonquières. I first met Sylvain in the early 1990s, and have watched his progress over the years, as the estate has grown – he now has 29 hectares - and the wines have evolved. Montpeyroux too has grown, so that there are now about 20 estates. Montpeyroux holds a wine fair every two years – this year it takes place on Sunday 17th April – which provides a great opportunity for some serious tasting, with all the producers showing off their wines.

A visit to Montpeyroux last week was a great chance for a catch up. First we tasted wines from vat that were just about to be bottled, literally later that day

Lou Maset white, Vin de Pays du Mont Baudile – 8.00€
A blend of Ugni Blanc, Grenache Blanc and Chardonnay. Although Sylvain essentially has created his estate himself, he did start with some family vines, including a small vineyard of Chardonnay, planted by his grandfather, and kept for sentimental reasons. The wine is fresh and rounded, offering easy drinking.

Les Cocalières blanc, Coteaux du Languedoc 16.00€
A blend of Marsanne, Roussanne and Rolle. Montpeyroux does not have an appellation for white wine; there are too few producers – the INAO would say insufficient representation, so it will become Languedoc in due course, as Coteaux du Languedoc disappears The wine is fermented in 600 litre barrels and the grapes come from new plantings up in the hills above Montpeyroux, a cooler site and a fabulous spot, where Sylvain has cleared garrigues. The oak is very well integrated, with some white blossom fruit, minerality and textured layers of flavour. Very satisfying.

2010 Montpeyroux Rosé - 7.00€
A blend of Mourvèdre, Grenache and Cinsaut. Quite a deep bright colour. Closed nose, with firm fruit and some body. A food rosé. Je ne sais pas faire des rosés mode, observed Sylvain.

2010 les Servières, Vin de Pays de l’Hérault 8.50€
A pure Cinsaut, from some very old vines. Quite a deep colour, with fresh raspberry fruit. A lovely example of the appealing fruit of Cinsaut, with acidity and tannin and a streak of minerality on the finish.

2010 Lou Maset rouge, Coteaux du Languedoc – 7.00€
A blend of Cinsaut and Grenache. Deep young colour. Ripe fruit with some peppery notes. Young and fresh.

We tried a few barrels, some Syrah, and some Carignan, and the components of the future 2009 Montpeyroux. Sylvain used to make a Cocalières rouge and an Aupilhac rouge, but has decided that they make a much better wine blended together, definitely a case of 1+ 1 = 3. Cocalières is a cooler site, with fresher wines, while the wine from the original Aupilhac vineyard is denser, warmer and more tannic. Together they combined fresh perfume and richness.

And then for some tasting from bottle: in his little tasting caveau under his house in the rue du Plô in the centre of Montpeyroux.

2009 Lou Maset, Coteaux du Languedoc – 7.00€
A blend of Grenache, Cinsaut with a little Carignan, Syrah and Mourvèdre. This is ripe and easy, with supple fruit, and nicely rounded. All the wine spends six months in foudres.

2009 Le Carignan, Vin de Pays du Mont Baudile - 14.40€
Sylvain has long been an enthusiastic proponent of Carignan; he had some in his first vineyard, and people said ça ne vaut rien, but he didn’t want to pull it up, partly as he had so few vines at the time. And his 2009 shows how right he was to keep it. It was aged in foudres and has a lovely brambly nose, with quite rounded, concentrated fruit on the palate, some tannin and a spicy note on the finish.

2008 Montpeyroux, Coteaux du Languedoc - 13.30€
A blend of Syrah, Mourvèdre and Carignan from the Aupilhac vineyard, aged in barrels and demi-muids and then in foudres, so that it spends two winters in wood. Quite firm solid fruit, with some brambly notes on the nose. On the palate some leathery notes and some supple tannins, with dry spice on the finish. A serious mouthful.

2008 Les Cocalières, Coteaux du Languedoc 15.50€
The last vintage of this particular cuvée, from Syrah 65%, with 25% Grenache and some Mourvèdre. Quite a rounded nose; leathery and perfumed, with a nice texture and freshness and minerality on the palate. Lovely nuances of flavour.

2005 la Boda, Coteaux du Languedoc, Montpeyroux – 24€
Sylvain described this as a blend of two terroirs, Syrah from les Cocalières and Mourvèdre from Aupilhac. He whole bunch ferments in a demi muid and ages the wine in new oak. It is solid and dense with notes of chocolate and leather, a concentrated mouthful, but it doesn’t have the charm of the others. Sylvain ruefully observed that ‘le moins bon est le plus cher!’ Well he does have to pay for that new oak!

And then we were treated to some older bottles

2005 les Cocalières, with a fresh nose and quite rounded, maturing leathery notes on the palate.

1999 Le Carignan – quite a meaty nose, but nicely balanced palate, with intriguing red fruit and notes of maturity. Very satisfying.

1996 Montpeyroux – Lovely leathery fruit, quite elegantly leathery fruit on the palate. Mineral notes, with some smoky fruit. Layers of flavour, and a great example of how well the red wines of the Languedoc develop in bottle.

DOMAINE LA SARABANDE

2011-04-04T18:02:00.005+01:00

Faugeres is a relatively small and compact appellation, compared to neighbouring St. Chinian. There are now nearly fifty estates, half of which have been developed in the last ten years. Sometimes it is a new generation of a local family; sometimes French from elsewhere, and increasingly so, there is an influx of foreigners, English, Belgium, Australian. …..

So how does an Australian meet a girl from Ireland and land up in the village of Laurens? Paul Gordon had discovered wine while working in London for Terence Conrad; he comes from Sydney and when he went back to Australia, he found a job with the Australian Oddbins and studied wine-making through a correspondence course at Charles Sturt University. He then worked a vintage at various estates, Brokenwood, Domaine Chardon and Hardys, and then as a flying winemaker in the Gard and in Spain, and also in New Zealand, at Isabel Estate in Marlborough. Isla was backpacking in New Zealand at the time, and turned up at Isabel estate to earn some money in order to continue travelling….. they spent five years in New Zealand and then it was time to come to Europe – Spain was the first possibility – Priorat perhaps. ‘the wines are fantastic but it is simply too expensive. Land costs too much. An entry level wine would have to retail at 20€’. And so they started looking in France. They wanted to grow Grenache, Syrah and Mourvèdre, and someone advised Roussillon, Montpeyroux, Pic St. Loup or Faugères. And they realised that Faugères ticked all the boxes : ‘it’s close to the mountains; close to the sea; has very good soil and great wines; nice villages and it is not too busy’. They looked for vineyards to rent and someone offered them 5.5 hectares, in two blocks just outside the village of Autignac. And they found a house, in Laurens, with a large garage, that was perfect for some small vats and a few barrels.

Paul and Isla took on their first vines in March 2009, just in time to prune them. At the end of 2009 they bought a small vineyard of Syrah, five year old vines on grey schist, and they have also bought half a hectare of Mourvèdre and acquired some 60 year old Carignan. They now have about six hectares, the classic five varieties of the Languedoc, as well as some Aramon, and are eventually aiming for ten hectares, and maybe some white varieties.

The production is tiny. They have virtually sold out of their first harvest. In 2009 they made 6000 bottles, and in 2010 13,000. They very generously opened some of their few remaining bottles for me to taste..

2010 Faugères Rosé,
A blend of Cinsaut, Grenache and Mourvèdre, all pressed immediately in a basket press, which gives more colour than a pneumatic press. Paul was quite blunt. It’s a cash cow.’ It is quite a deep coloured rosé, a good food rosé, with rounded ripe mouth filling fruit – you might also say a winter rosé, with body and texture. Paul gives it a long slow fermentation. He has a very efficient refrigeration system. ‘You mustn’t let rosé get too hot’. The Mourvèdre was tricky in 2010, with rain at the end of the season causing problems with ripening, but this had the effect of lowering the overall alcohol level to 12.5°

2009 Faugères –
A blend of 60% Grenache grown on a cooler, north west facing slope, with 25% Carignan, 12% Syrah and a drop of Mourvèdre. The Carignan is aged in a new 500 litre barrel. Good colour. Quite peppery, spicy fruit, with some ripe cherries from the Grenache. A lovely freshness, with some spice. Quite furry tannins, which will fade with time. ‘You must get your Grenache skins absolutely ripe’ or else you can get some unwelcome acidity.

There is no filtering, no fining; Paul uses natural yeast and as little sulphur as possible. The work in the vineyard – this is Isla’s domaine – is organic, with minimum use of sulphur and copper. Powdery mildew is the main problem.

Their aim is to make serious wines with ageing potential, but Paul is not afraid to experiment. So next came:

(2009) Vin de France, essentially from Syrah and Aramon. Aramon is very thick skinned; with large juicy bunches of grapes. It gives what one could only describe as a funky note to the wine. The colour is deep, and the nose quite solid and dense, with ripe berry fruit, some firm acidity and some furry tannins and a dry finish. There are some peppery notes too

2009 Les Espinasses - Named after the vineyard in Autignac, and mainly Syrah, 30 year old vines, grown on a south facing slope in schist and surrounded by garrigues. The crop is 15 hl/ha. Good colour. The nose is quite rich and ripe, with smoky oak and berry fruit on the palate. Paul described this as ‘very handmade’, he uses a basket press and the wine has spent 14 months in a medium toasted 500 litre barrel. The grapes are virtually selected by hand, rejecting any shrivelled berries, and there is a low juice to skin ratio.

And then we adjourned downstairs for some tasting from vat and barrel, beginning with
2010 Misterioso Vin de Pays d’Oc. It is due for bottling next week. A blend of Grenache Noir and Mourvèdre, but the blend may vary from year to year. Medium colour; young ripe fruit, quite perfumed, with medium body. It needs a little time to settle down, but promises well.

And next some barrel tasting:

Grenache with a little Carignan. The Carignan had not been pruned for at least one, if not two years when they took over the vineyard. This had some smoky cherry fruit and a lovely freshness and perfume.

2010 Carignan – again some lovely fruit, raspberry rather than cherries, and the wine did not seem to have taken up too much oak. Fresh acidity and tannin, and an elegant finish.

2010 The Syrah component of Les Espinasses. Deep colour; ripe and intense – the oak is quite present, but the wine is still a baby. Paul gave it a four week post-fermentation maceration, and kept 15 – 20% as whole bunches, with the stems.

Clavelle vineyard, Syrah with 15% Mourvèdre. Again he kept 15 – 20% of the stems. Deep colour; quite dense and perfumed, with ripeness and freshness. Good structure.

I suddenly realised that this was the first time that I had tasted every single barrel in somebody’s cellar.

And next year Paul wants to try a fermentation of Grenache Noir, all as whole bunches, following the example of the Châteauneuf-du-Pape estate. Domaine du Pégaü. Nothing is going to stand still here and I sense that Domaine la Sarabande has far to go.

A PRUNING LESSON

2011-03-31T18:49:00.006+01:00

It’s been a wet month of March in the Languedoc. We got down to our house last Saturday and apparently missed some monsoon conditions a week or so ago. Opinions varied as to whether 200 or 300 mls of water had fallen in three or four days. Whatever, that’s an awful lot of rain in a short space of time. In some places the rain was very violent and elsewhere more gentle, but still persistent. The vines are happy, and so are the vignerons, with water reserves looking good for the summer. But the rain also meant that everyone is behind with their pruning, so we had the chance of a pruning lesson with our friends, Deborah and Peter, at Mas Gabriel.

I might have answered a question on pruning for the MW exams, but it has certainly never made any sense. There is nothing quite like looking at a vine and working out just what you are doing to do to it. We were let loose, well, closely supervised on a small vineyard of old gobelet vines, Carignan with a few interloping Cinsaut. You can tell the difference; Cinsaut has a much straighter trunk and the shoots were thinner and more fragile than Carignan, which has wonderfully gnarled, twisted trunks. I looked at a vine, which needed a drastic prune and Deborah explained: you need to leave four shoots; if there are two side by side, you go for the lower shoot, but it also depends on its position in the vine and how other shoots will be affected; the shoots need to be spaced out, with at least a fist between each shoot, and then you cut, leaving just two buds per shoot. And after a while, I found I did get my eye in, and it did begin to make sense.

Some shoots are remarkably tough and resistant to normal secateurs, but Peter and Deborah also have electric secateurs. These cut through the thickest shoots with consummate and effortless ease, but they are potentially lethal. The first rule is: keep your left hand, if you are right-handed, firmly behind your back…….I was also surprised by the amount of sap the vines produce when cut; you really could see tears of sap.

It was a lovely sunny morning, instead of the rain that had been forecast. Deborah and Peter favour organic viticulture, ploughing between the rows, so their vineyards are a carpet of white rocket and field marigolds. And spring was in the air.

Then we went over to their vineyard of young Syrah vines. This year is their 4me feuille and two shoots need to be tied down onto wires, for cordon royat. These are the shoots which will be the base for growth in years to come. You choose the two lowest and strongest shoots and cross them over leaving four buds per shoot. The bark on the shoot creeks alarmingly and worse still is the sharp sound of a branch cracking. I fear I was guilty – but so was Deborah. You have to bend the shoot very gently, almost massaging it, to persuade it to lie horizontal to the wire. And as budbreak is beginning, you have to be careful not to inadvertently damage a young fragile bud. I was found guilty again. However, it was surprisingly satisfying work, and the morning passed in no time at all.

ST CHINIAN V. FAUGERES, AGAIN

2011-03-25T15:35:00.006Z

Continuing to explore the similarities, or otherwise, between Faugères and St. Chinian, I found myself at a tasting of the wines of the largest Cabardès producer, Château Pennautier. The Lorgeril family have expanded their vineyard holdings considerably in recent years and now own Château de Ciffre, the property that includes both St. Chinian and Faugères. They make a selected cuvée, Terroirs d’Altitude, in both appellations and they did taste true to form, with the Faugères more supple and perfumed, while St. Chinian was more structured, with vines grown on schist, as well as clay and limestone soil.

2009 Château de Ciffre, Classic St.Chinian
A blend of 40 % Syrah, 30% Carignan 20% Grenache and 10% Mourvèdre, with no oak ageing. Medium colour; dry spice with quite a firm spicy palate. Medium weight; rounded with a dry finish.

They do not make a Faugères Classic, as they have less vineyards of Faugères than St. Chinian.

2008 Faugères, Terroirs d’Altitude
70% Syrah, 20% Grenache Noir (old vines) and 10% Mourvèdre, grown on schist. 20% of the wine is aged in 600 litre demi-muids for 12 months. Quite a perfumed nose, from the high proportion of Syrah, with fresh fruit and spice. Medium weight and not obviously oaky

2008 St. Chinian Terroirs d’Altitude.
60% Syrah; 40% Grenache, grown on schist as well as clay and limestone.
Medium colour. Quite firm nose,; a touch leathery. More structured that the Faugères, with more obvious oak. Quite firm and structured. Just what you would expect from St. Chinian. However I preferred the Classic cuvée. And loved the Faugères Terroirs d’Altitude.

They also make several cuvées of Cabardès. Here my favourites were :

2009 Cabardès Classic
A blend of 20% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Merlot, 20% Grenache, 20% Syrah and 10% each of Cabernet Franc and Malbec, with no oak ageing. Medium colour; quite firm fruit on the nose, with some rounded cassis and a touch of spice on the palate, with a tannic streak.

2008 Cabardès Terroirs d’Altitude
A blend of 30% Syrah, 25% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Franc, 10% Grenache Noir and 5% Malbec. Some oak ageing. Riper and more rounded than the Classic, with some smoky notes from the oak and some quite supple tannins.

PICPOUL DE PINET - THE CAVE DE L'ORMARINE AT PINET

2011-03-22T17:02:00.002Z

One of the highlights of the search for my book, The Wines of the South of France, was dinner at the restaurant La Côte Bleue outside Bouzigues on the Bassin de Thau. Bouzigues is known for its oysters and from the restaurant dining room you look out over a broad expanse of oyster beds, eating molluscs that were in the water a few hours earlier. And the wine was Picpoul de Pinet. It was a perfect combination, the refreshing acidity of the wine simply complementing an oyster like a squeeze of lemon. And all seemed right with the world.

Picpoul de Pinet is a vivid illustration of just how dramatically white wine from the south of France has improved over recent years. Not so long ago all the white wine produced around the Bassin de Thau was destined for the vermouth, Noilly Prat, which is made in nearby Marseillan. As herbs and spices feature largely in the production process, the flavour of the base wine was a very secondary consideration, and an oxidised golden colour was acceptable, and even desirable. But production of Noilly Prat has dropped and another outlet was necessary for the wine; an improvement in quality was the only way forward.

Quite simply, the grape variety is Picpoul, or Piquepoul, which is grown around the village of Pinet, and other nearby villages, Florensac, Pomerols. Castelnau de Guers, Mèze and Montagnac. The vineyards form a surprising oasis of white wine in a sea of red wine. The terroir, or soil, explains the reason for this unexpected oasis of white wine. Quite simply the soil is too generous for red wine. It is mainly limestone, which suits white wine, with some clay, sand and appropriately a scattering of fossilised oyster shells. The climate is very much influenced by the sea, with a cooling effect during the nights of the hot summer months, and the vines benefit from maritime breezes.

Comparisons can be odious but I think it is fair to suggest that Picpoul de Pinet is the southern French equivalent of Muscadet. Neither packs a punch of flavour, but they provide brilliant accompaniments to the local seafood, and when finely crafted, have deliciously subtle flavours. The cooperative at Pinet, with its brand name L’Ormarine, and striking logo conveying the blue sea, green vines and yellow sun, are amongst the pacesetters of the appellation. They dominate the production, accounting for 45 per cent, with the nearby cooperative of Pomerols responsible for 30 per cent. There are two other smaller cooperatives – that of Florensac has a good restaurant, but unfortunately the quality of the wine does the cooking a disservice – and 26 independent wine growers account for fifteen per cent of the 1050 hectares of Picpoul de Pinet.

I met the director Cyril Payon on the penultimate day of the harvest. He looked tired, as he hadn’t had much sleep over the past few weeks for they pick at night by mechanical harvester, so the cellars had been open from midnight every night since the middle of August. But things had gone well; the vintage was looking good, with healthy ripe grapes, even though quantity is down a little. We were shown an efficient stream-lined cellar, with modern equipment, allowing for a gentle pressing. Chilling the juice and wine is an essential part of the process and cellar hygiene is a paramount consideration.

Like Muscadet, Picpoul is a grape variety is that can be short on flavour. What was fascinating to see at L’Ormarine was the range of tastes they are able to extract from a subtle grape variety. We began with Préambule, bottled with a screwcap, which is still a pretty revolutionary step for the south of France. This was light and delicate with some fresh acidity, but not much flavour. Move onto Carte Noire, their main brand, with an annual production of 600,000 bottles and you have a wine that is riper, more rounded, with more depth of flavour; there are citrus notes and a hint of iodine from the sea. Next up the scale comes Duc de Morny. The vinification is identical, but they have selected grapes from older vines and better vineyards, and it shows in the wine, with more weight and a sappy freshness. The Duc de Morny was Napoleon III’s Minster of the Interior – and apparently Picpoul was one of his favourite wines.
Next came a cuvée prestige, with a slight different winemaking technique, using juice from the filtered lees of the juice, making for a richer wine with more depth, but again with fresh salty acidity. And they have also make a sparkling Picpoul – which I could happily leave. It’s a bit earthy for my taste.

More exciting was a late harvest wine, called Vendange de Novembre, made from grapes which have been left to dry on the vines. And finally there was an expression of a typical Languedoc drink, Carthagène. You take the juice from one year’s production, and stop the fermentation by the addition, in this case, of eau de vie de Piquepoul, so that you have a fresh grapey drink, with hints of aniseed, and a lightly alcoholic kick on the finish. So instead of one dry white wine, I was impressed by the astonishing versatility of a grape variety that I could, so mistakenly, have dismissed as neutral.