Winery snapshots Languedoc 2:
Corbières & Fitou

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Languedoc 1: Coteaux du Languedoc & sub-zones
Languedoc 3: Faugères, Saint-Chinian & Minervois
Languedoc 4: Limoux Malepère & Cabardès
Languedoc 5: Vin de Pays d'Oc
Languedoc 6: Sommières & Nîmes

Domaine Adenis
Nadine Franjus-Adenis has a background as a science journalist and broadcaster, who moved to the Corbières in the late 90s to "mettre les pieds sur terre," as she says on her website ("get back to my roots" or "a foothold on the land" type-stuff, man). A fascination for wine, and the powerful vineyard landscapes that characterise this eye-candy neck-of-the-woods, led to a winemaking degree in 2000 swiftly followed by her buying up a few plots of old vines near Ferrals. Nadine only makes two red wines, which I sampled at a tasting laid on by the Corbières people at Château Boutenac in late October 2008, including three vintages of her top one:
2002 Agapê Corbières-Boutenac (Carignan Grenache Syrah) - nice resiny fruit with meaty leather notes; mature and tasty palate with dry grip and dried fruit finish. 87-89
2003 Agapê - spicier and richer, showing a bit more wood and punch but there's lots of juicy ripe v savoury fruit; stylish and well-balanced for a heat-wave 2003. 89+
2004 Agapê - quite elegant and more closed up to start, attractive fruit and spice with a touch of oak in the background; concentrated v firm mouth-feel with fine length. Needs a couple of years to come out fully. 90+
2006 La Mariole Corbières (mostly Grenache) - youthful 'earthy' black cherry nose leading on to chunky fruity palate, nice style. 87+
11200 Ferrals-les-Corbières. Tel: 04 68 43 62 77, www.domaine-adenis.com.

Clos de l'Anhel
Château Pech-Latt estate manager Philippe Mathias and his partner Sophie Guiraudon, who are based at Pech-Latt, have a small domaine of their own called Clos de l’Anhel ('lamb fold' in Occitan: there is a semi-crumbling farmhouse/sheep shelter alongside the track leading up to their vines, which they might eventually do up into a small cellar). So, their address is the same as Pech-Latt below (they do also have a cellar in a nearby village, but it's not marked and difficult to find). Philippe and Sophie have converted six hectares/15 acres (with three more in the pipeline) over to biodynamic grape growing, man, and are already coming up with remarkable results, as demonstrated by the three tasty reds below all built mostly from old Carignan. They've also planted "a bit of Syrah, Grenache and Mourvèdre;" as you do.
They're using very little in the way of oak barrels, and Sophie said "we might stop using wood all together," a refreshing trend I've spotted elsewhere on mini-estates; partly to let the fruit do the talking, and partly, I'd imagine, because new barrels are expensive. You can taste Clos Anhel's wines while visiting Pech-Latt; and Sophie might also take you up to their 250-300 metre-high (900 feet) vineyards if you arrange it in advance (you’d never find this peaceful spot on your own anyway), where you’ll be greeted by three cheeky donkeys. I don't think they work in the vineyard but are probably a good, three HP manure machine. Other growers worth pencilling in in this area include Domaine Baillat, Château Prieuré Borde-Rouge, Château de Roquenégade and Domaine la Rune. Tasted October 2008 and again in January 2009:
Les Autres vin de table (because it's 80% Carignan + Grenache, 14%) - the name refers to all those who helped with the harvest, listed on the label. Pure ripe liquorice, cassis and juicy raspberries; more savoury on the palate with tobacco and leather edges, and soft v dry mouth-feel; has a bit of a kick too but also juicy fresh fruit. 87
2007 Les Terrassettes Corbières (mostly Carignan + Syrah Grenache Mourvèdre, 14%) - shows similar purity of liquorice fruit with dark cherries and wild herbs; richer colour and body, tasty mouthful of spicy tobacco-tinged fruit; powerful with more grip & structure, lively finish too, needs 6-12 months to come together nicely. 89+
2007 Les Dimanches Corbières (50% 70 year-old Carignan + Syrah Grenache Mourvèdre, 10% of it aged in used casks, 14% alc) - again has that similar hallmark profile but more aromatic and floral with richer black cherry/olive fruit; concentrated and powerful with nice grippy texture v deliciously drinkable fruit quality, quite fine and well-balanced to finish. 90-92
Previous Clos Anhel vintages (Vinisud 2006).
Update Jan 2010. Sophie had their lively 2008s ready and waiting to be sampled at Millésime Bio wine fair in Montpellier:
2008 les Autres (mostly Carignan) - very smoky with liquorice and tobacco notes, very Carignan style with lots of dark blueberry too; fairly easy palate with a bit of grip too. 85
2008 le Lolo Corbières - a tad reduced on the nose (these weren't finished bottled samples), turning more intense with perfumed fruit and dark vs crunchy mix; attractive dry grip and bite on the finish. 87+
2008 les Terrassettes - lush, smoky and expressive with blueberry vs meaty notes; chunky yet supple with good depth of cherry/berry fruit, nice length with lingering dried fruits. 89+
2008 les Dimanches - similar profile but richer with lively dark plum, liquorice and tobacco; pretty intense mouthfeel with firm vs rounded tannins, tight long and delicious finish. 91+
Lagrasse. Tel: 04 68 43 18 12, anhel@wanadoo.fr, www.anhel.fr.

Château des Auzines
Award-winning Auzines (it's called Chateau or Domaine, the former referring to vineyards and cellar and the latter the entire huge property-cum-lieu-dit) is another organically farmed estate - for over ten years in fact, so a bit ahead of their time by modern standards - set on gorgeous forestland and hills near the historic village of Lagrasse (which might mean 'fat one' by the way). The Lagrasse area has become a veritable hub of exiting wineries (see above and below for more) in the vinous vastness that is the Corbières region.
Auzines comes to a quite sizeable 41 hectares (100 acres) of vineyards and is run by highly qualified winemaker/viticulturist Bruno Bernet, whose sought-after Syrah-based micro-label called 'Cuvée des Roches' is definitely worth tracking down, if there's any left. Alternatively their Hautes Terres red and deliciously good white Corbières even offer an equally rewarding taste sensation (and more affordable experience). They sell most of their wine in export (Germany, UK, Netherlands, Luxembourg, Japan, Denmark among others) so shouldn't be too difficult to get hold of, although North Americans reading this might have to wait as they don't appear to have crossed the Atlantic yet.
I tasted these wines at Millésime Bio, Perpignan January 2008:
2006 Fleurs Blanches Corbières blanc (mostly Grenache Gris) - honeyed apricots with very light toasted notes, attractively fresh v fat palate with rounded oily yet elegant finish. 87
2006 Rosé de Garrigues (Grenache Gris, Cinsault) - still quite fresh and elegant with oily roundness, subtle red fruits and crisp bite. 87
2004 Vin de Pays de l'Aude rouge (Carignan, Aubun?, Alicante) - rustic and quite rich with juicy smoky fruit and crunchier finish, attractive now. 85
2005 Fleurs de Garrigues Corbières rouge (60% Carignan, Grenache, Syrah) - lovely aromatic berry fruit, lively tasty palate with liquorice flavours, light tannins and elegant finish. 87-89
2005 Hautes Terres Corbières rouge (Grenache, Syrah) - a bit closed on the nose, some coconut and blackberry on the palate; chunkier gripper and more 'modern' style (although no better or worse for it than the above, just different), needs several months to open up. 87-89
2003 Hautes Terres Corbières rouge (Grenache, Syrah) - richer with more tobacco-edged tones, pretty grippy & powerful mouth-feel moving on to leather and spice. 89
2005 Cuvée des Roches (mostly Syrah) - a touch reduced to start with, although unlikely given this has seen quite a bit of cask ageing but there was something funny about the nose? However, it's concentrated showing ripe black fruits, extracted tannins but not too as there's nice roundness to balance that firmness; again needs some time to come together as it's promising. 90+
Update Oct/Dec 2008
I sailed over to Auzines in October 2008, where I met Bruno and his enthusiastic sidekick Franck who offered up the wines below for tasting. To find it, take the D3 road out of Lagrasse towards Carcassonne, then follow the signs turning right over a narrow bridge then left and keep climbing until you arrive at the winery buildings and chateau itself. Bruno talked about a few of the peculiarities that make Auzines special. "As we're at altitude here (300 metres / nearly 1000 feet), we have to have a good September otherwise we need to do a lot of sorting. We're really at the limit here for ripening (some of the varieties) so we wait."
There's more Syrah coming on stream (new plantings in 2005) and they've removed some of the old Carignan, although the blends will remain mostly Carignan except Roches. "Not all old Carignan is good, you need good clones... and because we're high up here, it's difficult for Carignan, we need late flowering to get proper ripeness, e.g. in 2002 it was all declassified to vin de pays. From 2005 to 2008, we've had a good late season so have waited to the right moment to pick, taking a few risks even..." For the red wines, no yeasts are added going the 'natural' route, and they like to age them "as much as necessary before releasing them." Bit of a luxury nowadays I'd have thought! Over to those wines:
2007 Fleurs de Garrigues Corbières (vat sample: mostly Carignan + Grenache Syrah) - no barriques. Lovely wild fruits, spicy and crunchy v quite rich; attractive bite and freshness v rounded tannins. 87+
2008 white Corbières (from barrel: Grenache Gris & Blanc) - very nice, not toasty really yet with fat and juicy, yeast-lees underbelly. Promising.
2006 Corbières (some barrique ageing: Carignan Syrah Grenache) - showing fairly obvious chocolate and cocoa touches at the moment, although there's delicious wild fruit underneath, black cherry & olive; firm bite and length suffused with fruit, finishing with a bitter twist. More depth and weight. 89+?
2007 Syrah (from barrel, destined for La Roche) - pretty woody but it has plenty of vibrant fruit and concentration, again shows dark cherries & olive with wilder edges; chocolate tannins on the finish, powerful v grippy texture. 90+
2004 Fleurs de Garrigues (Carignan + Grenache Syrah, 14.5%) - maturing 'sweet & savoury' notes on the nose; quite dry, extracted and firm palate with a hint of spicy oak texture; beefy with some resiny dried fruit on the finish, not sure will get much better. 87+?
2005 Hautes Terres (Grenache Syrah, 13.5%) - 12 months in barrel. Has purer fruit character with resiny dried cassis edges; solid and concentrated but better balanced, with more depth v those firm tannins and rounder texture. 89+
2006 cuvée des Roches (mostly Syrah, 13.5%) - lovely lush dark cherry with chocolate spice undertones, turning savoury and liquorice; firm structure v spicy oak v richness v tight length, quite elegant actually and well-handled. 90-92
2007 Fleurs Blanches white (mostly Grenache Gris) - delicious exotic v nutty nose, aromatic and rich with spicy oak / yeast-lees undertones; however, it's mostly nutty, apricot and floral in character; that 14% alcohol certainly adds weight although its lush v dry mouth-feel makes it a very nice, food-leaning white wine. €9.50 88-90
Previous Auzines vintages here (Millésime Bio 06).
Les Auzines, 11220 Lagrasse. Tel: 04 68 43 10 13, domaineauzines@wanadoo.fr / chateaudesauzines@wanadoo.fr / info@lesauzines.com, www.lesauzines.com.

Château La Baronne
I'm a bit lacking in the information department here, although pretty sure the property is located in the Fontcouverte area, just south of Lézignan and the lovely A61 motorway (although you don't notice it most of the time). Their sales guy showed me (at Millésime Bio wine show, Jan. 2009 Montpellier) some geological maps of the various plots and what's planted where (more interesting than it sounds, "can I show you my geological maps, ooh err..."). Anyway, let the wines do the talking shall we as they're pretty good... Update: have since found a website (added below), La Baronne is owned by the Ligneres family (pic.).
2005 Las Vals white (Grenache gris, Roussanne & Vermentino) - oily nutty developing style, quite fat and rounded with yeast-lees creaminess and toast v still fresh on the finish actually. 87+
2005 Pièce de Roche (very old Carignan: "the 1892, unmistakeable...") - perfumed floral Carignan nose with a tad of coconut oak underneath; rich, powerful and concentrated v minty and lively, firm tannins yet lush texture and dark fruit too. 90+
2005 Alaric (Syrah Carignan Mourvèdre) - quite rich and dark with black pepper and chocolate oak tones; nicely textured and concentrated with big lush mouth-feel v solid and dry, lovely underlying fruit. 90+
2005 Las Vals red (Mourvèdre) - smoky and ripe with a black olive twist; sumptuous depth and concentration, powerful firm finish. 90+
11700 Fontcouverte. Tel: 04 68 43 90 20, www.familleligneres.com.

Château La Bastide
Anne-Marie and Guilhem Durand bought this cute property twenty years ago, lying in the deepest northern corner of the Corbières appellation; just northwest of Lézignan and a pebble's throw away from Minervois country, actually. Their no-less-than 100 ha (250 acres) feature quite a lot of Syrah, which, looking at the wines, seems to like it here bathing in all that gravel, chalk and slate; with some young Mourvèdre coming on stream as well as less common Pinot Noir and Viognier, for example (and why not?). Anyway, the Durand family exports most of their wines, so good news for those of us in the US, Canada, UK, Belgium, Luxembourg or Germany (according to the printed blurb - see website for more details). I tried these in late October 2008, at a tasting laid on by the appellation people at Château Boutenac:
2007 Viognier Vin de Pays d'Hauterive - nice exotic style with juicy v creamy v lightly crisp mouth-feel. 85
2006 Syrah Vin de Pays d'Hauterive - attractive spicy menthol and cherries on the nose, bit of a chunky framework v fruity with rustic edges. 85
2006 Corbières (Syrah Grenache) - enticing herbal v creamy red and black fruit mix, more concentrated than you think it's going to be with firm texture and a bit of weight too. 87
2006 cuvée Plénitude Vin de Pays d'Hauterive (Pinot Noir Merlot Syrah) - herbal 'sweet & savoury' characters move on to light chocolate texture, a tad over-extracted and firm but it's interesting quand meme...
2006 L'Optimée Corbières (Syrah Grenache) - smokier richer style showing fair concentration v solid tannins, power and savoury v dark fruit on the finish. 89+
Château La Bastide, 11200 Escales. Tel: 04 68 27 08 47, www.chateau-la-bastide.fr.

Domaine Bertrand-Bergé
A serene daytrip back in late September 2006, taking in the wine villages of western Fitou country, set the scene ruggedly for discovering three wineries, one big and two small...
Jérôme and Sabine Bertrand revitalized their old 30 ha (75 acre) property in 1993 to start making real wine again. The family had stopped producing wine in the 1960s becoming co-operative growers; now they prefer the personal touch to shape quality and styles of wine by doing everything themselves. It shows too: these are arguably among the best in the area.
Le Méconnu Cabernet Sauvignon - Carignan, vin de pays Côtes de Torgan - nice liquorice and tobacco notes on a blackcurrant/cherry backdrop, fairly chunky and concentrated actually. €4.20 85+
2004 Fitou Tradition - lovely herbal blackberry fruit aromas lead to very fruity palate turning savoury and leather, easy start v more serious finish. €6.40 87-89
2004 Fitou les Mégalithes (mostly old Carignan) - maybe a touch corked as it seems a little stripped? Anyway, much tighter and firmer than above v 'sweet' liquorice fruit, powerful length. €9.30 89+
2003 Fitou Ancestrale (Carignan Grenache Syrah) - delicious ripe fruit then chunky structured mouth-feel, firm tannins v 'sweet' coating. €8.50 89-91
2004 Fitou Ancestrale (Carignan Grenache Syrah) - similarly attractive black fruits with light cedar oak, more closed up than above, tight fine finish shows class and potential. €8.50 90-92
2004 Fitou Jean Sirven - spicy wood v lush fruit, nice balance of power and concentration v elegance and length, dry grip v coating mouth-feel. €30 90-92
Rivesaltes Ambré Grande Réserve - complex Madeira and whisky notes layered with pecan nut sweetness, nice bite giving drier nutty finish. €8.80 50cl 88-90
2003 Rivesaltes Tuilé 'Ma-ga' (Grenache) - delicious ripe oxidising plum and tobacco nose, quite powerful alcohol (which should integrate as it's young) but lovely sweet spice and earthy fruit; wow. €18 90-92
Update to follow, summer 2010...
Avenue du Roussillon, 11350 Paziols. www.bertrand-berge.com

Domaine de la Bouysse
Martine Pagès and Christophe Molinier have been at the helm of La Bouysse since 1996, "following in grandpa's footsteps," as paraphrased from their website. Their AOC Corbières vineyards spread across two terroirs (if you can refer to such big areas using this elusive term) - Fontfroide and Boutenac - and they also make some nice white and red vin de pays varietals and blends. I've picked these two wines from a tasting laid on by the Corbières people at Château Boutenac in late October 2008:
2006 Corbières Roc-Long (Carignan Grenache Syrah) - a bit closed on the nose at first, moving on to attractive liquorice and black fruit palate with tobacco edges; quite rich v very firm and fresh framework, should be good in 6-12 months. 88+
2005 Corbières Mazérac (50% Carignan plus Grenache and sometimes a touch of Mourvèdre) - developing resiny fruit with liquorice and leather hints; quite full and powerful with dry chewy tannins yet maturing savoury fruit too; nice although feels like it's beginning to dry out? 87+
11200 St-André de Roquelongue. Tel: 04 68 45 50 34, www.domainedelabouysse.fr.

Château de Caraguilhes
Pierre Gabison, previously a shareholder in this vast picturesque estate and Pech-Latt, bought out Caraguilhes entirely in 2005 and has spent a fortune on restoring the chateau, looking at the sumptuous pictures on their website. He's also continuing a long-standing 'tradition' (true in this case) of organic farming and philosophy, apparently pioneered by the previous owner in the 50s and 60s, which was virtually unheard of back in the golden age of newfangled nasty synthetic sprays and fertilisers. The sizeable 130 ha (325 acres) of vineyards have been organically certified since 1992, which must be hard work. They lie on pretty rolling hills at slight altitude (up to 180m / 550 feet) surrounded by huge tracts of forest and scrubland, in the middle of nowhere: it's about 30 km (20 miles) from the sea, 15km south of Lézignan and 25 km southwest of Narbonne. Pierre's team includes young Etienne Besancenot, the new-ish "technical director" (senior winemaker I guess in "Anglo-Saxon" speak, as the French love to say as a put-down) who I first bumped into at Chateau de Pibarnon in Bandol back in 2004 (he was working the vintage as part of his studies); and Bruno Averseng in the field, literally. I tasted these wines at Millésime Bio 2009 in Montpellier:
2008 Domaine de l'Olivette Vin de Pays des Coteaux de la Cabrerisse (Grenache blanc, Marsanne) - nice crisp zesty style with floral and honeyed aromas / flavours. 80-85
2008 Caraguilhes white Corbières (Grenache blanc & Marsanne) - more intense with enticing citrus, honey and exotic fruits; crisp bite and length on the palate. 87
2008 Corbières rosé (50/50 Grenache & Syrah) - delicious, juicy and zesty rose petal and red fruit cocktail; quite big mouth-feel then very crisp to finish. 87+
2007 red Corbières (Carignan Syrah Grenache Mourvèdre) - attractive crunchy cassis and blueberry fruit; very vibrant and tasty with firm v fruity finish. 87+
2007 Solus Corbières (Carignan Grenache Syrah) - richer and more concentrated with a touch of chocolate oak texture, but it's mostly the lush v crunchy fruit that shines through; solid firm tannins countered by lots of liquorice and black cherry. Very nice. 90-92
2005 Prestige Corbières (Carignan Syrah Grenache) - oilier aromas and texture with maturing edges, still quite firm and dry with a touch of wood on the palate; big mouth-feel although has some rich dark fruit underneath, less seductive perhaps. 87+
Update: I paid Etienne a visit in late January 2010 and hence had the opportunity to tread some of the soil on this sizeable and handsome estate, found up a track off the main road between Thézan and St-Laurent. He's been overseeing a bit of ripping up and replanting including some Carignan, which is quite rare nowadays as most people only seem interested in (re)planting Syrah and Grenache. Etienne's pretty excited at being at the helm at Caraguilhes as he thinks "there's huge potential here." We tasted the latest vintages and a couple of experimental wines, which certainly confirm this:
2008 white (60% Marsanne + Grenache blanc) - quite exotic and rich with floral apricot and banana aromas underlined by yeast-lees notes; full and rounded vs crisp biter twist, nice clean vs fruity finish. 87
2008 Grenache blanc (barrel-fermented) - rounded and "sweet" mouthfeel vs quite crisp, vanilla notes but not too toasty overall; perhaps needs more bite and fat, although it's an interesting experiment.
2008 rosé (Syrah Grenache Carignan 13.5%) - very appealing strawberry / raspberry on the nose; weighty / oily palate then refreshing finish. Yum. UK: Waitrose stores. 87
2007 "classique" red - wilder "garrigue" tones vs very spicy black cherry fruit, ripe liquorice aromas too; quite concentrated with dry vs rounded tannins and lovely fruit too. Waitrose 88+
2007 "prestige" red (Grenache Syrah Mourvèdre) - more complex nose with its almost animal, meaty and savoury tones; less open on the palate, but it's a more exciting wine underneath showing subtle spicy finish; less charm now but give it a year or two. 89-91
2008 Solus red (more Mourvèdre and Syrah, less Grenache; cask sample) - estery aromas with wild black fruits; quite vanilla-coated adding "sweetness" countered by lovely depth of fruit, again good balance of dry and firm mouthfeel vs lush and ripe; carries the 15% weight well as it's surprisingly elegant and not overworked, finishing with tight bite. Needs 1 to 2 years to round out. 90-92
Caraguilhes reds are priced €6.90, €9.90 and €15.
11220 Saint Laurent de la Cabrerisse. Tel: 04 68 27 88 99, www.caraguilhes.fr.

Cave d'Embres et Castelmaure
The Embres & Castelmaure name evokes myth and legend, as a wonderful place lost in time yet one of the first co-op cellars (although much smaller than many) to understand what changes needed to be made to move forwards into the, perhaps inevitably and certainly very competitive, quality wine arena. This enchanting mediaeval village, or rather (later) merger of two villages, lying at the southern end of the Corbières, was where Patrick de Hoym de Marien, who's still the president, and MD Bernard Pueyo instigated a major rethink and replanting program in the 80s; as well as indentifying and mapping out all vineyard plots owned by the co-op's 70 members. This thorough "back to basics" in the vineyards - proper pruning, tilling, controlling yields, selecting grapes etc. - was complemented by upgrading winemaking and ageing techniques and equipment, with timely advice from a few key consultants and culminating in building a brand new cellar opened in 2007.
By the way, I pinched the picture, with the loud coloured stripes featured on their labels, off their poetic website, where you'll also find some stunning pictures and tips for staying and eating in this lost corner of the Corbières (the "main road" to the village only goes to, erm, the village). I sampled these wines at the enigmatically named "Salon du X" - it's not that much of a mystery, actually, a tasting organised by their agent Xavier Peyrot des Gachons with a dozen Languedoc & Roussillon winegrowers present (there were originally 10 in his "gang", I think) hence the X - in April 2010 at Domaine Gayda's impressive winery & restaurant complex, found between Limoux and Castelnaudary.
2009 Corbières white (Grenache blanc, Macabeu) - juicy and zesty vs exotic banana fruit; nice depth and oily vs crisp mouth-feel. 85+
2008 La comporte du garage (barrel-fermented Grenache blanc) - a bit spicy wood dominated vs juicy and colourful fruit; lightly creamy and maturing notes vs a bit of zing on the finish. 85+
2009 rosé - attractive "boiled sweets" fruity style, crisp and zesty to finish. 80+
La Buvette (mostly Grenache + Carignan 14.5%) - light colour with lovely ripe soft raspberry and sweet liquorice notes; quite stocky actually with a light touch of tannin, nice easy style. 85
2008 Castelmaure (Carignan Grenache Syrah) - scented "garrigue" with vibrant blueberry and blackberry fruit; juicy lively palate with a bit of weight and grip, subtle lingering fruit. 87
2007 La Pompadou (Carignan Grenache Syrah) - enticing cassis and black cherry fruit with more depth and concentration and a hint of chocolate oak; appealing "sweet" vs perfumed vs chunky finish, again tasty and well-balanced. 88+
2007 Grande Cuvée (Grenache Syrah) - riper liquorice nose and spicier too; fairly lush texture with a tad more oak, attractive depth and grip vs quite concentrated with "sweet" vs dry finish. 89+
4 Route des Canelles, 11360 Embres & Castelmaure. 04 68 45 91 83, www.castelmaure.com.

Domaine Les Enfants Sauvages
The "wild children," AKA Carolin and Nikolaus Bantlin and sons (not so savage really), have a little winery/cellar underneath and adjoining their house up the hill in the village of Fitou itself, but the wild-child vineyards lie just over the 'border' in the Roussillon. Hence "you know it makes sense" to double-profile them on this page as well filing them under Roussillon 2  (the same blurb I'm afraid). Carolin and Nikolaus' story is the kind-of love story I've written about before on this site, but I certainly don't mind telling it again. They fell in love with a beautiful place frozen in time, which was the catalyst for leaving their native Germany and settling in the area as soon as they could. So, in 1999 they bought some old vineyards surrounded by dry scented scrubland a few kilometres inland from Fitou and an elderly house in the village, which was refitted in 2004 to accommodate a new cellar.
Right from the start, like many young couples from elsewhere turned independent growers, they decided to nurture the eight ha (20 acres) of vines that "came with the land" as naturally as possible, using that "new-old approach" as they call it and by extension a minimalist winemaking touch as well. As their goal was to be certified organic (they are, as well as practising certain biodynamic methods), they realised - encouraged by Olivier Pithon among others - it didn't make a lot of sense to carry on being co-op growers (2001-2) and waving goodbye to their treasured grapes once picked. So, they took the plunge, went back to school and fused a mini-winery into their home, as I said. Good job too, otherwise these lovely wines (notes below) might not ever have seen the light of day. All the promising 2008s were tasted from vat or barrel (unfinished obviously) in March 2009.
2008 Carignan blanc - attractive fresh acid structure, tight and long palate; the barrel fermentation doesn't overpower it at all.
2008 Grenache blanc - slightly more exotic fruit aromas, again fresh tight and long in the mouth with a tad of light coconut flavour / texture.
2008 Grenache gris - fatter and peachier with apricot notes too vs nice taut mouthfeel and framework.
2008 Grenache rosé (barrel-fermented) - rounded and full-bodied rather than overtly fruity, long dry finish. Unusual.
2008 Carignan (60%+) Grenache Mourvèdre blend - six days maceration with foot-treading. Delicious black fruits and spice, firm framework on the mouth, fresh with lively fruit and attractive tannins. Lovely.
2008 Carignan (90%) Syrah - more perfumed with enticing blueberry fruit, 'sweet' and ripe vs tangy and tight, rounded tannins again.
2006 Roi des Lézards (Carignan Grenache Mourvèdre 14%) - nice "vinous" fruit and mouthfeel (wine like!) with very light chocolate / coconut texture; cherry and black olive notes, turning savoury & leathery vs vibrant and refreshing, solid yet rounded finish. Yum. €12 88-90
Muscat Vin Doux Naturel - very aromatic orange peel and grape nose; zingy and zesty with lovely fresh bite vs quite sweet and lush. 87+
10-12 rue Gilbert Salamo, 11510 Fitou. Tel: 04 68 45 69 75, www.les-enfants-sauvages.com.

Etoile du Matin
Geoffroy Marchand’s tiny domaine is organically grown ("if you can't here, where can you?"): his equally tiny cellar isn’t well-marked, although you should find it easily enough on the left just before the village of Feuilla; look out for the give-away wine-tractor or decorative Étoile du Matin boxes. Feuilla is the final frontier (derr dedd derr...) between Corbières, Fitou and Roussillon; and what a stunning setting too. I know I say that often enough, but you have to go there and you'll believe me! Geoffroy is one of an increasing number of young risk-taking growers either side of the Corbières, who’s crafting handmade, very natural and sometimes breathtaking wines (and sometimes a bit strange!): AOC, Vins de pays & table as fits his whim. He studied and worked in Burgundy, then a stint for the Roussillon’s one-and-only Hervé Bizeul, before settling here. His signature label (Syrah, Grenache and/or Carignan) is a wild-fruited powerful Corbières; there’s a peppery pure meaty Grenache rarity called Les Agnelles - actually, it’s got some Lladoner Pelut in it too, a disappearing Catalan variety thought to be related to Grenache (pelut means furry or pointy I think); and the 2006 was bottled without sulphur dioxide, something Geoffroy might continue to do depending on acidity levels etc. (starting with the 2007s) - and a slightly off-the-wall 100% Carignan. This estate should rapidly enter into every critic's Corbières top ten and is unquestionably one to keep an eye on. Late October 2008.
2007 Védépé (2/3 Carignan, 13.5%) - still had a bit of a malo-lactic fermentation pong, but this went after a few days open (probably implying it will naturally after a few months in bottle: the 07s were only just bottled when I tried them and haven't been released yet). Moving on to nice depth of pure crunchy fruit, spicy and fresh mouth-feel with lively blueberry and black cherry finish. 87+
2007 Miss Tam Corbières (Syrah Carignan 13.5%) - similar slightly 'off' aromas at first, moving on to a more concentrated and powerful palate, again it has that hallmark purity and earthy spicy berry fruit; chocolate texture v lovely wild fruit v dry grip. Will be good. 89+
2006 Carignan - fragrant liquorice and wild herbs; crunchy v rich, powerful yet quite fine and long, refreshing fruit purity too. 90
2005 Carignan - developing smoky liquorice, lush peppery and concentrated mouth-feel, still firm tannins but beginning to melt with savoury/tobacco notes. Delicious. 90-92
2006 Les Agnelles (Grenache Lladoner Pelut) - very appealing liquorice and cinnamon with raspberry and blackberry; meaty tobacco edges to a grippier textured palate, again has delicious fruit on its long tasty finish, maturing yet very alive. 92+
2006 Patangame white (Grenache blanc Grenache gris) - declassified to vin de table because it has 20 grams/litre residual sugar (g/l RS: meaning it would have been 16%+ if fermented dry) and is a little atypical! Nutty oxidised tones with floral honeyed fruit; that touch of sweetness balances nicely with its power and fresh mineral acidity v toasted almond v milky yeast-lees notes too, then appley finish. Different! 90
These wines are priced between €8 and €19. More Etoile du Matin wines here.
La Plantaire, Route de Treilles, 11510 Feuilla. Tel: 04 68 45 01 82, etoile.du.matin@wanadoo.fr, www.etoiledumatin.com.

Vins Gérard Bertrand
Gérard Bertrand’s little empire seems to be going places and comprises four properties (now five in fact - click on the autumn 08 feature below for more info) in some of the best sites in the Languedoc. Château l’Hospitalet is an impressive estate with a hotel, restaurant, art gallery and also hosts a jazz festival. You'll find it not far from Narbonne-Plage in the unluckily named 'La Clape' sub-appellation, after this 200 metre (650 ft) mini-range of rocky hills rising up from the sea. Domaine de Villemajou is located in the new Corbières AOC zone Boutenac and Château Laville Bertrou in Minervois la Livinière. At Domaine Cigalus, although actually in Corbières, the focus is on ‘international’ grape varieties shaping the Cigalus duo of red and white blends and other varietals. The GB group has also set up a joint venture with co-op growers in Tautavel, across the mountains in the Roussillon. Tasted October 2006 (click here and here for other wines):
2002 Le Blanc de Villemajou Corbières - ripe exotic nose (perhaps some botrytis even?) v light coconut, attractive developed fruit with dry mineral finish. Surprisingly good for a white from here. 87
2003 Domaine de Villemajou Corbières red (mainly Carignan) - smoky and rustic with richer liquorice fruit, leather notes v dried fruits; quite firm and powerful. 87-89
2003 Cigalus vin de pays d'Oc (Merlot Cabernet) - more like plum and blackcurrant fruit, good depth v ripe chocolate tannins; might v grace, chunky fruit v bite of tannins. 88-90
2003 La Forge Corbières (old vine Grenache) - smokier with a touch of chocolate oak, lovely rich fruit and light leather lead to tight firm finish; again has nice textured tannins v powerful length (although only 13.5%). 90-92
Bought in a supermarket August 06:
2003 Domaine Georges Bertrand Corbières Fût de Chêne - dark colour beginning to turn brown on the edges, lovely smoky leather and liquorice nose with pungent dark plum and wild herbs; lush and mouth-filling, quite big yet well made, a touch of tannin v soft ripe fruit. €5 88-90
Latest update autumn 2008: including six vintages of La Forge, their top red sourced from selected parcels within the Corbières-Boutenac sub-appellation, from the lieu-dit or single vineyard site that bears this name.

Domaine Grand Guilhem
You'll (eventually) find Séverine and Gilles Contrepois in a beautiful spot pretty much smack in the middle of the Corbières hills, not far from Villeneuve or Durban nestling in the rugged inland part of the slightly confusing Fitou appellation (well, all you really need to know is that its geography is purely political...). They have 10 organic ha of vineyards (25 acres) - officially blessed as such since 2004 - around their splendid stone-built home, which also has four guestrooms (they do B&B and wine dinners) and a couple of adjoining holiday cottages (see website below). I tried these wines with Séverine and Gilles at the 2010 edition of Millésime Bio organic wine show:
2007 Fitou - herby vs smoky nose, attractive dried currant and ripe dark plum aromas/flavours; quite powerful and chunky with firm tannins vs lingering maturing "sweet" fruit. 87+
2006 Fitou - more mature (obviously) and savoury with rich yet elegant fruit; lovely peppery concentrated palate with solid structure, big finish and dried fruit vs meaty flavours. 89
2006 Fitou "Coup de Coeur" (more Carignan, different parcels) - more volatile and cough sweet tones; firmer mouthfeel, probably more concentrated but overall less charming perhaps.
2005 Fitou - developing savoury aromas underpinned by nice "sweet" dried fruits; quite elegant for an 05 (some are pretty rich and big) with again fair grip but not too much. 88
Chemin du Col de la Serre, 11360 Cascastel des Corbières. Tel: 04 68 45 86 67, www.grandguilhem.com.

Château Grand Moulin
Jean-Noel Bousquet relocated his winery to the Lézignan ring road, after his cellar collapsed before his eyes during the incredible floods the area was subjected to in winter 1999. However, he took it as a good opportunity to rebuild and remodel things to suit a shift in growing and winemaking philosophy, plus incorporate a smart new tasting reception area and shop. The estate has now expanded beyond 100 ha (250 acres) in size, some of which is classified as Corbières-Boutenac AOC (a fairly recent sub-appellation centred on the village of Boutenac, about half-an-hour southwest of Narbonne, and also home to the Corbières police force... I mean, appellation authorities) starting with the 2005 vintage.
These wines were sampled February-March 06:
2001 Corbières Terres Rouges (Syrah, Grenache & Carignan, 13.5%) - a little closed and awkward on the nose, yet shows spicy lightly earthy black cherry/currant fruit with perfumed oak overtones; powerful, tight mouthful of smoky black fruits and chocolate vanilla then firm/tart, dry and long finish. Needs time as the oak and acidity/tannins are a bit out of kilter at the moment, but it should blossom in 2-5 years. 89-91
1999 Terres Rouges (12.5%) - lovely developed smoky nose, liquorice and spice, ripe raisiny black cherry fruit with tobacco notes; soft elegant palate set against remaining dry grip and attractive long finish. 91-93
1998 Corbières Vieilles Vignes (12.5%) - mature intricate aromas, savoury raisins and prunes with leather undertones; supple refined palate, nice depth of 'sweet' fruit v light dry tannin backdrop. Drinking now yet should reward from a couple more years ageing. 90-92
2001 Vieilles Vignes (Syrah, Grenache, Carignan & Mourvèdre) - complex smoky nose, appealing liquorice and prune fruit; soft tannins layered with well handled oak, elegant dry finish with ripe fruits lingering too. 88-90
2005 La Tour rosé (Cinsault, Syrah, Grenache & Mourvèdre, 13%) - fresh and crisp style: very lively tangy red fruits showing good extract v elegance and juiciness, zesty and long. 87
2002 Corbières blanc, fermenté et élevé en futs (Grenache Blanc, Vermentino & Macabeu) - toasty, oily and oxidising nose leads to milky yeasty weight and tanginess, rich palate finishing quite fat although there's still some fresh acidity underneath; quite good if you like this oaky style. 84
Grand Moulin update November 2008/January 2009
2007 La Tour Corbières rosé (13%) - nice dry and full style with creamy red fruit palate, quite elegant yet big enough to go with many different dishes. €4.60 85+
2007 La Tour Corbières white - citrus and honey aromas, floral notes on a rounded v crisp palate, appealing style. €5.20 85+
2006 La Tour Corbières red - fragrant black cherry and cassis with light vanilla and liquorice edges; attractive fruity mouth-feel and style with dry bite to finish. €5.20 85-87
2005 Vieilles Vignes Corbières red - richer with a tad of chocolate oak showing, quite concentrated dark fruit cocktail with chocolate texture, firm and powerful yet well-balanced. Good value too at €6.90. 88-90
2006 Terres Rouges Corbières red - smokier with wild herbs, liquorice and plum notes; solid mouth-feel with fair muscle, concentration and length; again well-balanced with nice, understated coco oak texture and subtle grip. €9.80 89-91
2006 Corbières-Boutenac red (14.5%) - more coconutty new oak on the nose but it has lush smoky dark fruits too, firm solid texture and punch; tasty and promising, closes up on the finish. Dear though at €14.50. 90+
6 Boulevard Maréchal Galliéni (RN113), 11200 Lézignan-Corbières. Tel: 04 68 27 40 80, contact@chateau-grand-moulin.com / chateaugrandmoulin@wanadoo.fr, www.chateau-grand-moulin.com.

Château Hauterive le Haut
Fabienne and Jean-Marc Reulet's expansive 90 ha (225 acres) of vines spread across four different zones: on the clay-sand soils around Boutenac, clay-limestone Caumont Cayenne hillsides, clay and sandstone around the Boutenac pine-forest and the Hauterive vineyard itself in Gasparets. I tried these wines over dinner (10th March 2010) with the owner/winemaker at Le Marie-Jean restaurant in Sète (that link goes to a post on my blog), and at the Languedoc "en primeur" tastings that week (see below):
2009 Corbières rosé (Cinsault/Syrah/Grenache)- raspberry fruity and quite chunky style with juicy and crisp finish. 85
2007 Corbières-Boutenac (old Carignan/Grenache) - very nice smoky savoury touches vs vibrant cherry and berry fruit, a tad of oak adding rounded texture vs quite concentrated palate. 89+
2009 Averal (50-50 Carignan/Grenache) - perfumed herby aromas, leading on to tobacco tones and blue/black fruits; crunchy vs ripe palate with lively length. €13.50 88+ (unfinished sample included in my 2009 Languedoc report).
11200 Boutenac. Tel: 04 68 27 62 00, reulet.6mablog.com.

Château Haut-Gléon
The Duhamel family's 37 ha (90 acres) of vines (15 different varieties) nestle among a huge expanse of wild and pretty forest and scrubland, lying between Durban and Portel in "Paradise Valley" on hillsides at up to 350 metres (1200 feet above sea level). They make a rather big range including bag-in-box and brandy even and, although I found their white and rosé tasted below very attractive, I'd have to try the reds again, as I had a bit of a problem with two vintages of the Haut-Gléon Corbières (especially the 2005: funny intrusive old wood or musty/corked?). And overall, these wines are kinda pricey considering... They have good distribution around the world: see their website for details (well done, by the way, not many have this amount of useful info on them). The following were tasted at the enigmatically named "Salon du X" - it's not that much of a mystery, actually, a tasting organised by their agent Xavier Peyrot des Gachons with a dozen Languedoc & Roussillon winegrowers present (there were originally 10 in his "gang", I think) hence the X - in April 2010 at Domaine Gayda's impressive winery & restaurant complex, found between Limoux and Castelnaudary.
2008 Corbières white (Roussanne, Grenache blanc, Marsanne) - quite exotic and honeyed with light spice and toast notes; nice rounded creamy mouth-feel with spicy undertones, lush and oily yet well-balanced finish. €15.50 87+
2008 Grenache gris rosé Vin de Pays de la Vallée du Paradis (13.5%) - a bit different for a pale-style rosé: closed on the nose to start, building up to oily raspberry aromas/flavours; quite fat, weighty and textured actually vs attractive light bitter twist. €9.50 85-87
2008 Le Petit Gléon Corbières red (Syrah, Grenache, Carignan) - ripe, juicy and easy style; has a tad of grip too vs soft and quite simple palate. €6.50 80-83
2006 Haut-Gléon Corbières red (Grenache, Syrah, Carignan) - spicy upfront oak, again that wood's a bit odd and intrusive? Although it has fair depth of fruit and power. Not sure?  €13
11360 Villesèque des Corbières. Tel: 04 68 48 85 95 / www.hautgleon.com.

Château Lacour Manoy
The Arnaud family has been nursing vines around here (near the village of Boutenac) for quite a while (originally set up shop in the 18th Century apparently). The present boss is André-Jacques, who's making some quite good reds as featured below, although admittedly I didn't like a couple of the others I tasted, and a reasonably attractive sweet white vin de pay. They also have two spacious holiday gites on the property - for info, click on their website lurking at the bottom of this blurb. I picked out these two wines, for your amusement, from a tasting organised by the Corbières people at Château Boutenac in late October 2008:
2002 cuvée Louis Domairon (50% old Carignan + Syrah Grenache) - vanilla notes lead on to savoury v resiny fruit with smoky edges; very firm mouth-feel (a little too perhaps), but it's got nice depth underneath even if essentially mature now. 87
2004 cuvée Louis Domairon - much richer and more concentrated with vibrant black fruits layered on spicy chocolate oak; promising I'd say with grippy v rounded texture. 89
11200 Montséret Tel: 04 68 433 959, www.aristidou.fr.

Château de Lastours
This breathtaking estate is perched high up in the Corbières hills, watched over by giant windmills facing the sea, and is well-signposted from the A9 motorway (the exit for Sigean) or off the Portel-Durban road: keep following the winding track upwards until you reach the tasting room/cellar. Lastours changed hands just in time for the 2004 vintage, following a period of neglect it has to be said. The new owner (the Filhet-Allard group) has invested a lot of money and time in upgrading and reducing the vineyard area, to focus on the best parcels: there’s been a massive vine removal and replanting programme led by resolute estate manager Xavier de Rozières. They're also in the process of planting 3000 olive trees with a view to producing their first oils from around 2015.
This has paid off in quality terms from the 2004s onwards, and their 2005 and particularly 2006 reds look very promising indeed (although care should be taken not to over-oak some of the wines!). Favourites include the Simone Descamps and Château de Lastours Reserve labels, and their 2007 white shows fair depth and class. Lastours also lays on 4x4 rides around this huge wild estate, which is great fun and gives you a better idea of how varied the vineyard terrain is up here. In addition, there’s a very good restaurant called La Bergerie; and further ambitious plans include constructing a new landscaped solar-powered winery (big cheque book, those Filhet-Allards). There are still a few handicapped people who work in the vineyards and live on the estate.
The three 2004 vintage reds below were cask samples tasted at Vinisud on 20th February 2006, the rest at the property on 9th Feb.
2004 Arnaud de Berre - lots of young spicy fruit, shows nice grip v softness and elegant length. 87+
2004 Simone Descamps - just a touch of wood adds choc and spice, displays intense ripe black fruits, more concentrated than the Berre with attractive soft texture, dry bite and length. 89-91
2004 Château de Lastours - a tad oakier but not much, lovely concentration set against structured mouthfeel, showing similar fruit style and elegance; will be super. 92-94
Update: tasted April 2007
2004 Château de Lastours Réserve - ripe 'sweet' fruit leads to rather dry chocolate wood. Disappointing considering this was looking really good in barrel: left it too long? €17
2004 Rosé - zingy v juicy fruit, more elegant style with subtle finish. 87
2000 La Grande Rompue - rather rustic nose yet has good concentration, power and some elegance as well; nice texture and mature fruit, a little too farmyardy (perhaps from poor barrel hygiene) but good underneath. 85+
2001 Château de Lastours - similar aromas to above but cleaner, more concentrated and firmer, good weight v elegance. 87-89
Lastours update November 2008
Xavier laid on a comprehensive tasting including everything they've made so far, except the 2007 and 2008 reds (unfinished obviously). We also took a spin around the estate to see how they've progressed with the replanting programme and remodelling parts of the terrain (some of the work to create water reservoirs and elsewhere to make way for more windmills).
2006 Lastours white - light coconut and toast notes yet it's still aromatic and quite crisp, fair weight with juicy v creamy texture. 85
2007 Lastours white - more yeast-lees tones and complexity with it v citrus fruit with nice depth and bite, leesy buttery mouth-feel then quite fine length. 87-89
2007 Lastours rosé (Cinsault Grenache Syrah) - quite rich and creamy with raspberry and strawberry fruit, still fairly crisp with refreshing finish. 85-87
2005 Arnaud de Berre (Carignan Syrah Grenache) - smoky nose with 'sweet' vanilla tones in the background; juicy and quite rich v firm yet rounded tannins, liquorice fruit v bitter twist on the finish. 87+
2006 Arnaud de Berre - lovely wild berry fruit with herbal undertones; quite concentrated, very fruity and lively, dry yet soft-ish tannins, again has that dark chocolate twist. 89
2004 Simone Descamps (Carignan Syrah Grenache) - surprisingly closed up to start, tight palate with light oak texture, fairly meaty and firm with the fruit still a little submerged. 89+
2005 Simone Descamps - similar concentration and depth to above with that powerful, firm and closed up palate too; more fruit though with dark choc texture and biggish tannins, quite fine and promising in the end. 90+
2006 Simone Descamps - oakier at this stage but again it's lush and concentrated; dark cherry, chocolate and liquorice on a solid palate, delicious fruit too. Needs 1-2 years to open up, long and balanced despite that chocolate oak coating. 92+?
2004 Château de Lastours Réserve (all three Carignan Syrah Grenache Mourvèdre and 14.5%) - showing more toasty coco oak, solid concentrated mouth-feel with that trademark 'sweet' v bitter texture, peppery dark fruits too; probably a touch too much oak, but this is commanding and quite impressive. 90-92
2005 Château de Lastours Réserve - toasted dark chocolate nose is quite up-front, but this has more fruit than the 04 with nice spicy intensity; perhaps a touch charred on the finish although it's very rich and vigorous with enticingly thick tannins. Needs 2-3 years. 92+?
2006 Château de Lastours Réserve - brooding and closed up with coconut and vanilla coating dominating at first; but once again it has livelier fruit (than the other two vintages) lurking underneath, finishing with lovely concentration and punch. Opened up over lunch. 93+?
Lastours, 11490 Portel-des-Corbières. Tel: 04 68 48 64 74, contact@chateaudelastours.com, www.chateaudelastours.com.

Domaine Lerys
A serene daytrip back in late September 2006, taking in the wine villages of western Fitou country, set the scene ruggedly for discovering three wineries, one big and two small...
Maguy and Alain Izard farm 45 "low-yielding" hectares (110 acres) around the pretty lost village of Villeneuve; they also do chambres d'hôte with two rooms above their nice shop, one double and one family with a terrace.
2003 Fitou tradition (Carignan Grenache, 13.5%) - perfumed and pure, liquorice and pepper fruit with light rustic notes; firm tannins v ripeness, elegant bite and length. €6.20 87-89
2003 Fitou Prestige (Carignan Grenache Syrah) - more floral and herby followed by nice black fruit, firmer and more austere with lightly bitter bite; structured finish with coating of tannins. €7.30 88-90
2001 Fitou Fût de Chêne (Carignan Syrah) - coconut spice with nice fruit underneath, layered tannins with long bite; attractive but would be better with less oak. €7.70
Rivesaltes (Grenache blanc & gris) - appealingly oxidised walnut and toffee notes, quite subtle freshness v sweetness. €6.20 87+
11360 Villeneuve-les-Corbières

Domaine Maria Fita
Marie and Jean-Michel Schmitt describe themselves as a couple of "vieux bab's" (old hippies, I guess, especially as I've met them once), who landed in this savage neck of the woods to make "different wines..." in "higher" Fitou country (paraphrased from their website). Restaurant owners in a former life, their love of good wine led them to buying a dozen ha of vines (30 acres) and finally fulfilling their obsession in 2000 by putting their name on the bottle. The idea is not to make "standardised" wines at Maria Fita: no "carefully marketed" range here! I tasted the ones below, which are indeed a bit different verging on the wild side even, at the enigmatically named "Salon du X" - it's not that much of a mystery, actually, a tasting organised by their agent Xavier Peyrot des Gachons with a dozen Languedoc & Roussillon winegrowers present (there were originally 10 in his "gang", I think) hence the X - in April 2010 at Domaine Gayda's impressive winery & restaurant complex, found between Limoux and Castelnaudary. A visit "sur place" is definitely called for...
2009 Fitou red - reduced on the nose (a tank sample though), moving on to lively "inky" cassis and berry on the palate; tight finish with dark spicy fruit, could be good. 85+
2007 Le Schmitou red vin de pays - quite rustic with meaty leather notes; fairly rich "sweet/savoury" palate vs a tad reduced and bretty? Nice depth though with very firm and meaty finish, not sure!
2004 Fitou - again has that meaty maturing fruit with liquorice and leather edges vs dry grainy mouth-feel; attractive smoky depth of fruit though, still very firm / extracted but good in an old-fashioned way. 85+
2001 Fitou - lovely dried vs meaty fruit, mature with a touch of oak grain; delicious lush vs dry palate, leather vs sweet fruit plus a bit of oomph and grip too. Again old-fashioned, "natural" style but good with it. 87-89
2007 Le Schmitou white - nutty oxidised and toasty nose; very rounded yet still has fresh bite too, interesting. 87
12 Avenue du Pont-Neuf, 11360 Villeneuve-les-Corbières. Tel: 04 68 45 81 21, mariafita.com.

Château Maylandie
Maylandie lies unobtrusively on the outskirts of the village of Ferrals, to the south of Lézignan and not far from the A61 (Narbonne-Toulouse) motorway. It's owned and run by Jean (whose father Jacques started the ball rolling in the 50s by buying a few vineyard parcels in the area), Anne-Marie and their daughter Delphine Maymil. There's a little shop at the entrance to the estate, where you can try their range: my favourites are the tasty concentrated Villa Ferrae and tobacco-tinged Carnache, aka ‘petites vendanges entre amis’ as the corresponding bunches were apparently picked by a few close friends. If you're planning a trip to get to know this wine region better, Maylandie is kitted out with two holiday gîtes across the yard from the château, which look out onto fetching vines. Delphine also organises walks around different vineyards within Corbières-Boutenac with a few other growers, if booked in advance. I tried these wines in late October 2008, at a tasting laid on by the appellation people at Château Boutenac:
2007 Le Cabanon Corbières (Grenache Carignan Syrah Cinsault) - a touch reduced on the nose, otherwise this wine has nice tangy cassis, cherry and liquorice fruit; fruity v crunchy v grippy finish. 85
2005 Cuvée Prestige Corbières (Grenache Carignan Syrah Mourvèdre) - attractive maturing resiny fruit with wild herb, 'tar' and wood undertones; dry texture v smoky fruit and good weight. 87+
2005 Villa Ferrae Corbières-Boutenac (Grenache Syrah Carignan) - resiny v savoury with appealing depth of rich 'tar' fruit; quite firm tannins at first v tasty and concentrated, worked well with the beef dish at lunch. 89+
2005 Carnache Corbières-Boutenac (50-50 Carignan Grenache) - fruitier style with tobacco and leather edges; again pretty firm mouth-feel but has that enticingly tasty, savoury maturing fruit on its long finish. 90+
Tasted in March 2010 at home:
2007 Carnache Corbières-Boutenac (Carignan/Grenache 13.5%) - black cherry, damson and cassis with smoky spicy tones, hints of tobacco and light vanilla/coconut too; attractive thick coating of dark chocolate, berries, liquorice and chunky dry tannins; quite concentrated and powerful with dense fruit, sweet vs meaty finish and lively, light coconut grip. Needs a few months in bottle to round out a little, yet pretty promising. 89-91
Ferrals-les-Corbières Tel: 04 68 43 66 50, www.maylandie.fr.

Château Meunier St-Louis
Martine and Philippe Pasquier-Meunier have over 20 years experience behind them to bring out the best of their sizeable 120 ha estate (300 acres). The white varieties are also all 20+ years old, which is probably one factor behind the latent quality of their attractive "Prestige" white wine, grown on "pebbly quartz sandstone terraces." The reds are at slight altitude as well but on stoney clay-limestone sites. Their top cuvée "Exégèse" is sourced from "the prettiest hills" (someone once said if a vineyard is beautiful, it must be good!) lying in the northernmost tip of the Boutenac appellation zone and selected grapes including their oldest Carignan. I tried these wines over dinner (10th March 2010) with Martine (among other Boutenac and Minervois owner/winemakers) at Le Marie-Jean restaurant in Sète (that link goes to a post on my blog), and at the Languedoc "en primeur" tastings that week (see link below):
2009 Prestige rosé Corbières (Syrah, Grenache, Carignan) - elegant and very crisp, attractive and versatile style. 83-85
2009 Prestige white (Grenache blanc, Bourboulenc, Marsanne, Rolle = Vermentino) - aromatic banana/pineapple notes with gummy lees-tinged intensity; nice rounded mouth-feel vs light bitter twist, "sweet" fruit vs mineral bite. 87
2005 Exégèse Corbières-Boutenac (Syrah, Grenache, Carignan) - quite oaky, sturdy and extracted with lush spicy fruit vs grainy wood; not sure at first, in the end the fruit comes through more although it's still pretty chunky, firm and tight for an 05. One to try again sometime...
2009 Exégèse (Syrah/Carignan/Grenache) - smoky bacon oak with ripe fruit and wild herb undertones; dry vs rounded tannins with minty finish. Good but far too expensive at €32! 87+   (unfinished sample from my 2009 Languedoc report).
Saint-Louis, 11200 Boutenac. Tel: 04 68 27 09 69, www.pasquier-meunier.com.

Vignerons du Mont Tauch
A serene daytrip back in late September 2006, taking in the wine villages of western Fitou country, set the scene ruggedly for discovering three wineries, one big (below) and two small (here & here)...
Just a few years off its 100th birthday, Vignerons du Mont Tauch is one of the most progressive co-operative cellars in southern France. It's grown bigger over the years combining 4 cellars & 250 growers in and around Tuchan, Paziols, Villeneuve and Durban, giving them 2000 hectares (nearly 5000 acres) to play with. And this year they formed a partnership with the united co-ops in Fitou itself and La Palme, near the coast. The massive stainless steel winery would look a little ugly set anywhere else but, jutting out underneath mighty Mount Tauch itself (picture above), it creates a pretty dramatic contrast.
The co-op has implemented a comprehensive vineyard management system that tracks each parcel, and the growers are helped at every stage to improve the quality of their grapes and environment. They're paid on a graded scale - and can be 'demoted' if necessary - that takes into account vine age, pruning, yields, disease, picking, ultimate wine type etc. So, for Les Douze (see below) I'm told you can actually trace the grapes to those 12 growers, who might not be the same ones every year. Les Quatre is sourced from four growers' (Robert, Christophe, Juliette and Jean-Régis) best plots in a high altitude vineyard near Paziols. 120 core growers (over ¾ of the vineyard area) have now taken the plunge into sustainable viticulture aiming to reduce chemical treatments "significantly": hopefully the others will too. MT wines are widely available in the UK, Sweden, Belgium and Canada.
Le Village du Sud fun range of vin de pays d'Oc varietals - click to see the cartoon pic of the label. The Merlot, Chardonnay and Rosé are available in the UK at Co-op stores for £3.99:
2005 Chardonnay - (a bit cold to taste) simple clean style, dry and crisp with light peach and citrus fruit; lacks a bit of character but it's OK.
2005 Rosé (Grenache) - zingy and dry with light red fruits, a bit stripped perhaps.
2005 Merlot - plum and currant notes showing a touch of Merlot character, fruity with dry tannins; a bit lean but OK.
2005 Syrah - nice peppery black cherry style, has more substance and grip. 82-84
2005 Mont Tauch Corbières (50-50 Carignan Grenache) - appealing berry and liquorice style, light fruit v a bit of grip. 82-84
2005 Mont Tauch Fitou (Carignan Grenache Syrah) - a bit richer and spicier with light tobacco tones, attractive firmness v fruit. 83-85
2004 Les Douze Fitou (Carignan Grenache Syrah, 14%) - nice smoky ripe fruit, good weight v light tannins; subtle background oak and earthiness v 'sweetness'. 85-87
2004 Les Quatre Fitou (Carignan Grenache Syrah, 14.5%) - perfumed coconut oak but not overdone, good depth of fruit v power and grip, quite long. 87-89
2004 L'Exception Fitou (Syrah Grenache Carignan selected from Tuchan and Paziols) - aromatic liquorice and black fruits with light layer of chocolate oak, concentrated powerful and structured finish; better than when first launched (previously too oaky). 89-91
The 3V range - Vins Vents Vignerons (wine wind grape-growers: blustery climate rather than local eating habits) - consists of small batch high quality cuvées, so far only available in France in restaurants and wine shops; but I'd be surprised if they don't crop up in Britain or elsewhere sooner rather than later. Tasted Oct-Nov 06:
2004 Montmal Fitou (Syrah Carignan Grenache, 14%) - closed up and unrevealing at first, better with a bit of air: touch of oak turning black cherry then more savoury, quite elegant tight mouth-feel; underwhelming in a positive way, quite like it in the end. 87+
2001 Château de Montmal Fitou (Syrah Carignan Grenache, 14.5%) - 12 ha (30 acre) vineyard in Villeneuve: rich and smoky with savoury leather notes, powerful and structured v maturing fruit, complex and well-integrated on the finish. Yum. 90-93
2004 L'Esprit de Montmal Fitou (Syrah Carignan Grenache, 13.5%) - lightly volatile complex aromas, ripe and smoky v herbal and white pepper, moving to blackcurrant black cherry and fig on the palate; elegant concentration and weight with firm long finish, fresh acidity even v power and alcohol. Gets better with aeration. 88-90
2005 Merlot-Carignan vin de pays de la Vallée du Paradis (13%) - nice aromatic inky yet juicy red and black berry fruit with smoky liquorice backdrop; lush v tarter side, fruity and soft v dry bite and length. 87-89
2005 La Coucante Corbières white (Grenache blanc Muscat, 13%) - subtle oats and coconut on the nose lead to enough floral fresh fruit with aniseed bite, crisp and dry v a bit of weight. Try with salmon in a dill sauce. 85-87
2005 Domaine de Coucante Corbières red (Carignan Grenache Syrah, 13.5%) - attractive more modern style with juicy black fruit and light oak, turns more rustic and chunky yet with relatively soft tannins. 87
Tasted July 2007:
MT Muscat de Rivesaltes - classic VDN style with aromatic grape, citrus peel and pear-drop notes; quite full and sweet v fresher punchier finish. £5 in the UK. 87
Mont Tauch update summer 2009: the village's annual Fête du Vin bash on 17th-19th July provided a lively platform (I think the entire village was out on Saturday night for the big dinner and watching the live band afterwards) to check out the co-op's swanky new visitor centre and wine shop, as well as catch on new wines and vintages...
2008 Les Garrigues Grenache blanc vin de pays (13%) - honeyed & oily vs floral, mineral and "stony" aromas/flavours; juicy and refreshing with aniseed notes, turns fatter with very light wood (?) spice and yeast-lees edges. €5.50 £6.99 (same price for all four of these varietals I think). 85
2008 Grenache noir (13.5%) - nice creamy vs spicy black cherry and liquorice with cassis and blueberry undertones; crunchy vs richer mouthfeel, fruity finish with lightly bitter twist. 85+
2008 Carignan - attractive fruity wild berry nose with spicy notes and a touch more vanilla; a tad tart on the palate although has appealing freshness too, then creamier on the finish. Quite good, perhaps less charming than above (maybe why there's more oak?) although has fair length and it was over-chilled anyway, as they all were at first. 85
2008 Marselan (13.5%) - riper jammier fruit with spicy dark backdrop and light vanilla wood; enticingly full-bodied, rounded and "sweet" vs dry bite and lively finish. 87+
2006 Fitou "Les Trois" (14%) - maturing savoury aromas with peppery vs dried fruits; nice bit of grip and integrated blob of oak vs rounded maturing resiny fruit flavours/textures. 87+
2007 Fitou "Les 12" (Carignan, Grenache, Syrah 14%) - big fruit and pepper on the nose, juicy attractive palate although ends up a little disappointing despite its nice dry vs "sweet" finish. Tried again the next day: perhaps richer and gutsier with appealing pure "sweet" liquorice & black cherry fruit; a touch of background oak, grip and power to finish. Majestic £6.99. 85-87
Muscat de Rivesaltes (15.5%) - classic piercing grapey honeysuckle Muscat and orange peel notes; sweet and tasty vs quite well-balanced and refreshing. £6.29 half-bottle Morrison's. 85
2004 Fitou "Tuchan" (Carignan, Grenache, Syrah 14%) - developing smoky tobacco notes with dried red & black fruits and a touch of spice; mature savoury palate with very light dusting of oak and dry texture, nice subtle warm finish. Drink now. 87(+)
2006 Fitou "Villeneuve" (Carignan, Grenache, Syrah, Lladoner Pelut 14%) - nice fresh berry and cherry fruit; attractive mouthful with fruity minty finish, although lacks a bit of depth and real character. 85+
2006 Corbières "Durban" (Carignan, Grenache, Syrah, Mourvèdre 13.5%) - a bit too vanilla coconut oaky although it does have quite appealing & vibrant fruit and "sweet" vs dry texture. 85
2008 Corbières white - fresh and clean showing a bit of character and floral honeyed juicy fruit. 83+
2008 Corbières rosé - lightly creamy red fruity style with crisp vs oily finish. 83+
2008 Chardonnay Le Dog de Charlotte vin de pays d'Oc (13%) - aromatic and a touch peachy and exotic with gummy citrus palate and clean attractive finish. 80+
2008 Le Village du Sud Chardonnay (12.5%) - a touch more yeast-lees notes and butter, moving on to fresh crisp bite vs a touch of weight. The Co-Op £4.49. 80-83
2008 Le Village du Sud rosé (Grenache) - juicy boiled sweet nose with crunchy red fruits underneath; attractive enough fruity vs crisp style. The Co-Op £4.49. 80+
2008 Merlot Le Dog de Jean Marc (13%) - herbal plummy and spicy, turning firmer in the mouth with fresh bite; not bad style. 80+
2008 Le Village du Sud Merlot (13%) - plummier still with a hint of soy sauce, turning to cassis with a tad of liquorice; juicier and lusher than above. The Co-Op £4.49 83-85
2007 Growers' Reserve Fitou - gets better with aeration showing creamy cassis and liquorice with wild herb undertones; a bit confected, jammy and simple although has quite nice dry texture vs crunchy fruit on the finish. Tesco £5.99. 83
2007 MT Corbières (Carignan, Grenache 13.5%) - similar style but a bit richer and more concentrated, dark fruity vs herby underneath; quite nice style and texture. 83-85
2007 MT Fitou (Carignan, Grenache, Syrah 13.5%) - more peppery on the nose plus nice liquorice, more interesting and gutsier than it used to be. Asda/Booths £5.99. 85
2006 Fitou "Les 4" (Carignan, Grenache, Syrah 14%) - up-front vanilla and coconut oak but also has nice ripe & resiny wild fruits vs herbs; attractive grip, coating and weight with concentrated spicy punchy finish, well-handled oak in the end. Waitrose £8.99. 89(+)
2006 Fitou "L'Exception" (Syrah Grenache Carignan 14%) - that dusty spicy oak is quite strong on the nose at first; however, this has lovely depth of dark fruit vs a touch of cedar on the finish, but it's concentrated enough to soak up that wood combined with maturing tobacco notes, nice grip and bite. Needs 1 or 2 years to mellow. Majestic £10.99. 88-90?
2 Rue de la Coopérative, 11350 Tuchan. Tel: 04 68 45 44 73, caveau@mont-tauch.com, www.mont-tauch.com.

Château Ollieux Romanis
This neat slightly fading 19th-Century château-cum-farmhouse is, as legend has it, named after olive trees planted by Romans (uh oh, Roman alert: so they did ever do something for us then!), which used to cover this picturesque rolling property. It's found to the west of Fontfroide Abbey in Corbières-Boutenac country, a few kilometres northwest of Montséret off the D613 road to Thézan-des-Corbières. Jacqueline Bories has now handed over the reins to son Pierre who, together with Jean-Pierre Amigues are slowly converting the 130 ha (320 acre) estate over to organics.
There are at least 20 ha of Carignan with the youngest vines 50 years old and the most senior dating from 1896 apparently. Their Cuvée Prestige, made from this old Carignan with Grenache, Mourvèdre and Syrah, exemplifies how attractive, concentrated and well balanced their reds are. Compare it to a €10 wine from elsewhere and feel self-righteous you discovered it here! Other highlights include the barrel-fermented cuvée Prestige white and seductive, oak-free, old Carignan-based Atal Sia (labelled as Boutenac AOC). There are also a couple of holiday gîtes, which might be integrated into a larger conversion of part of the winery buildings into a hotel and resto. Tasted November-December 2008:
2007 Les Ollieux Corbières white (Marsanne Roussanne 13.5%) - attractive mix of exotic 'fat' fruit and mineral crispness, oily v zingy with nice weight and length. Oddbins (UK). 85+
2007 cuvée prestige white Château Ollieux Romanis (Marsanne Roussanne Grenache blanc 13.5%) - enticing buttery coconut nose, oily juicy textured fruit v spicy oak; lovely depth of fruit and exotic intensity, crisp v toasty finish. Needs a few months to come together fully. 89+
2006 cuvée Alice Ollieux Romanis (Carignan Grenache 13.5%) - fragrant peppery resiny cherry fruit, dry coating v liquorice 'sweetness'; lively spicy finish, nice style. 87+
2006 cuvée Classique Château Ollieux Romanis (Carignan Syrah Grenache 13.5%) - richer and more complex, although similar style tasty fruit; weightier with bigger tannins, closing up a bit on the finish. 89+
2005 cuvée Prestige Château Ollieux Romanis (Carignan Grenache Mourvèdre Syrah 14%) - smoky wilder side on the nose, ripe dark fruits too; concentrated and grippy v that tasty fruit again, more savoury finish bolstered by very firm tannins; well-balanced though with bitter chocolate oak very much in the background, very promising. 92+?
2007 Atal Sia Corbières-Boutenac (majority Carignan plus Grenache Mourvèdre Syrah 14%) - delicious pure perfumed fruit, lush v crunchy, lovely intense 'mineral' notes v dark fruits; fine long palate layered with herby perfumed spicy flavours, attractive rounded tannins adding poise. Later: very intense cassis and blueberry fruit v dense concentrated and grippy texture, tasty intriguing  peppery v liquorice finish. 92-94
2006 cuvée OR Ollieux Romanis (Carignan Grenache Mourvèdre Syrah 14%) - lots of toasty dark chocolate oak, concentrated and powerful with extracted tannins; the oak is covering up the fruit a little at the moment but this probably needs 1+ years to open up. 90?
2007 Alicante Ollieux Romanis (14%) - different for sure, rich colour and deep aromas with peppery earthy black cherry/currant, plum and black olive too; quite gutsy, spicy and lush v dry yet soft tannins, attractive with fairly simple finish. 85-87
Update March 2010: more info here including note on the fledgling 2009 Atal Sia (goes to Languedoc 09 vintage report).
2008 Cuvée prestige white (Grenache blanc Marsanne Roussanne) - quite toasty and grainy, perhaps too much although it did open up with food getting fatter and tastier vs still quite tight and mineral.
2007 Atal Sia Corbières-Boutenac (mostly Carignan + Grenache Mourvèdre Syrah) - a second tasting confirms my note above: delicious nose showing perfumed blue/black fruits; nice "chalky" tannins with rich yet crunchy mouth-feel, herby minty vs savoury flavours on the finish. 92+
More Ollieux Romanis here.
Ollieux Romanis, 11200 Montséret. Tel: 04 68 43 35 20, www.chateaulesollieux.com.

Château Pech-Latt
Pech-Latt is a little off the beaten track, lying in an idyllic spot the other side of the tiny village of Ribaute and surrounded by nothing but vines (around 100 ha / 250 acres), although it’s quite well signposted whichever way you approach it from. Regarded as one of the leading lights in the Languedoc for organic viticulture and producing top-notch Corbières, their range is as handsome and complete as the fading old château itself. The reds in particular show the kind of depth and excitement you can achieve from well-looked after and highly expressive terrain typical of the Lagrasse area. Vineyards and winemaking are overseen by Philippe Mathias, who with his partner Sophie Guiraudon have a small domaine of their own called Clos de l’Anhel. Tasted October 2008 - February 2009:
2007 Corbières white (mostly Marsanne 13%) - honeysuckle and white peach, lightly floral with oily and quite full mouth-feel v reasonably fresh and relatively light; quite nice although turns a bit bland when it warms up (second tasting). 80-85
2007 Corbières rosé (13.5%) - tasted in situ: quite punchy with yeast-lees notes, crisp dry palate with light red fruits. Second bottle at home: a bit blander and flatter, I wonder if the plastic cork is to blame for that variation (premature oxidation, so to speak)? 80-85
2007 Corbières vieilles vignes (Carignan Syrah Grenache Mourvèdre 14.5%) - a tad closed up, awkward and reductive on the nose to start; however, moving on quickly to distinctly delicious lush dark fruit with a bitter chocolate twist, tobacco v violet edges too; very firm with big texture, closes up on the finish needing a good year to express itself fully, I'd say. Very nice though. 90-92
2006 Tamanova (Syrah Carignan Grenache Mourvèdre 14%) - also not very revealing at first, hinting at dark fruits; quite extracted and solid with chocolate texture although plenty of fruit buried underneath. We'll see. Another bottle another time: indeed, its rich spicy fruit is now more to the fore and the oak is melting into its generous rounded texture. 90+
1995 Les Pièces Nobles Vin de Liqueur (Grenache 15.5%) - jammy fruit with mature meaty edges, sweet v nutty oxidised flavours with a touch of grip too helping to balance out the sugar. 87-89
More Pech-Latt wines here (Millésime Bio 2006).
Ribaute, 11220 Lagrasse. Tel: 04 68 58 11 40, www.louismax.com.

Les Clos Perdus
This scattered collection of old-vine parcels is owned, and transformed into the wines below, by English farmer Hugo Stewart and Australian winemaker, former dancer Paul Old (now there's an interesting combination of talents), who have vineyards in the Corbières region and in the northern Roussillon near Maury (hence why they're in two guides!). They follow many biodynamic principles and tend the vines and their environment entirely by hand; well, using a few viticultural tools no doubt. The cellar is located in Peyriac-de-Mer on the coastal side of the Corbières, not far from Sigean and the sea obviously. Sampled at the Fenouillèdes wine show in April 2007:
2005 Prioundo Corbières (around Villesques: Grenache Cinsault Mourvèdre) – quite tight and fresh, peppery v cherry fruit, a touch bitter perhaps but it displays nice elegance. 85-87
2005 Cuvée 31 Corbières (Peyriac area: Mourvèdre Carignan Grenache) – meaty black olive characters, more weight and power, again fresh bite and tangy grip but balanced. 87-89
2005 Mire la Mer Corbières (Mourvèdre Carignan Grenache) – splash of vanilla oak with black fruit coating underneath, rounder finish yet still pretty extracted; quite attractive in the end but lacks soul (too much wood probably).
2005 L'Extreme Vin de pays des Côtes Catalanes (Maury area: Lladoner Pelut/Grenache Syrah Mourvèdre) – lush palate v quite toasty oak, closes up on the finish; difficult to tell, could be good... come back to it in 6 to 12 months. 89+?
Clos Perdus update Jan - April 2009
I popped in to see Hugo and Paul in their well-chilled cellar in Peyriac in January and tasted a few more wines on their stand at the Fenouillèdes wine show, in Tautavel in April. Latest news is the purchase of some "very old" Grenache Gris vines between Mas Las Frédas and Maury, to boost their white wine range; something I'm seeing more and more of generally, with increasingly impressive results.
2008 Grenache Gris (off the lees) - yeasty intensity v crisp mineral bite.
2008 Grenache Gris (older vines) - a bit more barrel adds nice roundness and texture v orange peel zestiness.
2007 Prioundo Corbières (mostly Grenache + Cinsault, from tank but final blend about to be bottled) - really perfumed and peppery with liquorice notes; fresh then fatter palate, very nice style. 87+
2007 L'Extreme (mostly Lladoner Pelut + Syrah from Mas Fred, nearly finished sample) - smokier and richer black fruits and spice; lively bite and length v light coconut oak texture. Paul wasn't "entirely happy" with this blend and might tweak it, but it's still v. promising though. 88+
2007 Mire la Mer (Mourvèdre Carignan Grenache) – dense smoky black olive, berry and cassis; dry and firm mouth-feel v lovely fruit, power and well-balanced tasty finish. 89+
2007 Cuvée 51 Corbières (mostly Peyriac: 50% Carignan + 35% Grenache + Mourvèdre, 14% alc.) - quite rich and medium concentrated with lively floral and dark fruit and light chocolate backdrop. 87+
2008 Lladoner Pelut (from tank) - tangy cassis v spicy v ripe dark fruit, dry rounded texture.
2007 Le Rosé (mostly Mourvèdre 13.5%) - deep orange colour, chunky and juicy with ripe raspberry fruit turning creamier, weighty v dry finish. Nice style. 87
2008 Cinsault - floral and plummy.
2008 Mourvèdre  - floral v black olive.
2008 Le Blanc - nice leesy edges v citrus and mineral bite; fresh and dry turning more interesting on the finish. 85
2008 L'Extreme blanc - fatter and more exotic, again nice yeast-lees and mineral bite v apricot notes. 87
2008 Le Rouge (Grenache) - very white peppery and explosive berry fruit; ripe v dry mouth-feel, attractive style. 87
2010 UPDATE: Paul was manning a stand at the enigmatically named "Salon du X" - it's not that much of a mystery, actually, a tasting organised by agent Xavier Peyrot des Gachons with a dozen Languedoc & Roussillon winegrowers present (there were originally 10, I think) hence the X - in April at Domaine Gayda's impressive winery & restaurant complex between Limoux and Castelnaudary.
2009 Le Rosé (90% Mourvèdre) - wild and herby edges vs creamier red fruits; tight and quite lean mouth-feel vs a bit of weight and roundness. 85+
2006 Mire la Mer Corbières (70% Mourvèdre etc. 14% alc.) – chocolate/coconut oak notes vs rich and smoky backdrop, quite toasty yet layered with ripe dark fruit and spices; attractive full rounded finish, tasty and well balanced in the end. 88-90
2007 L'Extreme vin de pays Côtes Catalanes (mostly Lladoner Pelut/Grenache + Syrah) - juicy black cherry, lush with "sweet" liquorice vs spicy undertones; quite soft tannins and finish vs 14% weight. 87+
17 Rue du Marché, 11440 Peyriac-de-Mer. Mobile France: 06 70 08 00 65, UK tel: 01725 511119; hugo@lesclosperdus.com, www.lesclosperdus.com.

Les Sabots d'Hélène
Amiable Alban Michel established Les Sabots d’Hélène in 2005. Apart from being his girlfriend's name, this refers to a title of a George Brassens' song, I'm reliably informed from a Google search, the cult French 'folk' singer - songwriter (for want of a better word, his lyrics are often more poetic and cutting than what you might usually refer to as 'folk'). So Alban is now the other new winegrower (along with Geoffroy Marchand) in the blink-and-miss-it village of Feuilla, bringing their number to a grand total of two (not much more room there for another cellar anyway). Alban is originally from the northeast, French Mosel country, and landed here after working in the southern Rhone and over the hills in the Roussillon. He talked about "the gold mine" this area represents and how the locals had missed the point, with its inexpensive vineyard land, fine old vines and climate so suitable for organic and biodynamic growing (he does). His domaine comes to a slender 4.5 hectares / 12 acres of (mostly Carignan) vines lying at altitude along the vividly wild southern chunk of the craggy Corbières hills. But he isn't very interested in expanding in size as he can do everything himself this way. Alban's wines are priced between €9 and €14, I tasted these in Jan/Feb 2009:
2006 La LiberTerre Vin de Pays Coteaux du Littoral Audois (100% Carignan 13.5%) - 1. very cold when I tried it in his cellar: a bit dominated by woody notes at first, lush v aromatic cassis fruit underneath then tight firm length. Needs a year or so in bottle I suspect.
2. Less obvious oak when warmer and aerated a little, although still has light coco spice, texture and flavour; similarly dense and powerful with aromatic cassis & blueberry, turning more liquoricey and meaty after left open for a day; nice dry v sweet texture, chunky pure fruit and spice; beginning to turn savoury, well-balanced and tasty finish. 89+?
2007 L'Abus d'ange heureux Vin de Liqueur de Carignan - delicious raspberry, liquorice and treacle flavours / aromas balanced by spicy intensity (17%) and dry tannins; very nice and unusual too. (60 g/l residual sugar)
2006 La Mauvaise Réputation Vin de Pays Coteaux du Littoral Audois (100% Carignan 14% alc. unfiltered) - quite coconut oaky at first, but when it warmed up plus with a bit of air (in fact it was better after being open for 2 days), it had appealing aromatic cassis, black cherry & blueberry fruit; thick-textured dry tannins, concentrated pure fruit with that oak moving into the background; powerful and firm v lush, pure and tasty. 89+?
2006 Pas de Bla Blah Corbières (Syrah Carignan 13.5%) - quite intense and aromatic showing attractive lush fruit with funky edges, black cherry spice and liquorice; ripe v very dry textured, concentrated rich and spicy although a touch grainy / gritty. Full of character but again there's perhaps something slightly intrusive about those barrels, in terms of texture on the finish? 88(-90)
11510 Feuilla Tel : 04 68 64 94 20 / 06 32 88 44 63, www.sabotshelene.com.

Château Saint-Esteve
Saint-Esteve is an alluring estate forlorn among old pine trees, wild shrubs and expansive vineyards (doh, what else), found up a track off the D611 between Montséret, Thézan and Portel. Eric and Sylvie Latham took it over, including 55 ha of vines (140 acres), in the mid-80s and are now making some attractive chunky reds from Syrah, Grenache, Carignan and Mourvèdre. Their 2006s, selected and noted below, are showing especially well. Eric and Sylvie also have a big five-bedroom gîte available to rent in the summer: see website for info. Tasted in Oct. 08 and Feb. 09:
2005 Corbières - smoky ripe nose, a tad oxidised but has some depth with that old-fashioned style; firm yet quite rich, beginning to fade a bit although shows attractive savoury cheesy mature notes, drinking now. €4.50 85-87
2006 Corbières - livelier than the 05 with spicy menthol fruit and cherry & liquorice notes; attractive rounded fruit v grip on the finish. 87+
2006 Ganymède Boutenac - I found the 2005 Ganymède a bit too firm, rustic and lacking charm. However, the 2006 is spicier showing good depth of black cherry and olive with  liquorice edges; firm-textured and powerful with chocolate hints and nice lingering fruit. Needs a couple of years. 89
11200 Thézan-des-Corbières. Tel: 04 68 43 32 34, www.chateau-saint-esteve.com.

Domaine Sainte-Croix
Jon and Elizabeth Bowen's fledgling domaine is found in the 'Hautes Corbières' (it is indeed higher up here) in the quiet little village of Fraisse-des-Corbières, "two valleys to the north of the Pyrenées Orientales (the official department name for the Roussillon+)," as Jon put it. Great drive across the 'border' too, it has to be said. Actually, they "set up in 2004," so longer ago than some in this guide: good to see new people are still landing in this breath-takingly raw and natural vineyard setting. Like many, Jon said they were "drawn to the parcels of old-vine Carignan and Grenache noir, blanc and gris planted on incredible soils." Before this, he'd already worked in the south as a winemaker at some well-known estates such as Pierre Clavel, just north of Montpellier.
Jon sums up their wines as "being made with the aim of expressing their origins, as I feel that here is a truly unique area. However, having worked both elsewhere in France and also in Australia and California, there are influences gained from many places in the way that we work." Pretty good overall definition of terroir, I'd say without using the terrible T word! And he expanded on this: "without resorting to clichés, as a winemaker it's of utmost importance our wines have a sense of place and an integrity gained by limiting the amount of interventions during winemaking." Fair enough I'd say, especially as wine doesn't make itself as others like to imply. These wines were tasted at their home in Fraisse on a dry but rather chilly January day 2009 (yes, it is cold here in winter too). They have good distribution in the UK through certain independents and elsewhere around the world - see their website below.
2007 La Serre (Grenache blanc Grenache gris Terret 14%) - nutty 'toasted' but not toasty notes, rounded full texture v mineral intensity running through it; creamy finish yet with attractive bite too. €10 87-89
2007 La Sorbeille rosé (Syrah Carignan Grenache 13.5%) - big ripe juicy style with oily 'nutty' tones too; rounded and rich fruity v again that nice mineral bite. €6 85-87
2006 Le Fournas Corbières (50% Carignan + Grenache Syrah 14%) - nice pure ripe smoky tobacco-edged fruit, liquorice and leather v plum and toffee apple; juicy v lush v dry grip, good balance and style. €7 87-89
2004 Magneric Corbières (similar blend of Carignan Grenache Syrah but from older vines and different parcels 14%) - developing attractive 'tar' notes mingling with tobacco and leather; bigger and more concentrated, with chunky tannins and very light wood texture; closes up on the finish although coming back to it, already 'sweeter' and more aromatic, more tobacco too. €12 88-90
2006 Carignan Vin de table - not very expressive on the nose to start, lightly nutty and herby perhaps; concentrated crunchy fruit with floral cassis aromas/flavours, very firm and dry-textured v depth and purity, again closes up on its long finish; it did open up later with some air, although there's a slightly awkward background wood texture? €16 89+?
2005 Celèstra Corbières (Grenache Carignan Syrah 14.5%) - complex minty herbal aromas with wild fruit backdrop; closes up on its firm-textured palate, yet lively lush flavours v sour & savoury, concentrated and intense finish; wow certainly different, I like it although not one for everyone; still pretty youthful actually. €20 90+?
2010 UPDATE: the following - a second tasting of some plus a few more recent vintages and one new wine - were served up by Jon at the enigmatically named "Salon du X" - it's not that much of a mystery, actually, a tasting organised by their agent Xavier Peyrot des Gachons with a dozen Languedoc & Roussillon winegrowers present (there were originally 10, I think) hence the X - back in April at Domaine Gayda's impressive winery & restaurant complex between Limoux and Castelnaudary.
2009 La Serre white - appley nutty and crisp vs oily, zesty and chalky; long steely finish. 87
2007 Le Fournas Corbières red - wild and smoky vs rich and tasty; turning meaty with spicy black fruits underneath, grippy and intense finish. 87-89
2006 Magneric - fruitier aromas with maturing plummy edges; again shows that lovely concentration with intense wild "garrigue" vs fruit and spice, lightly grainy finish. 89+
2006 Carignan - attractive maturing and meaty nose; good depth of fruit with tight elegant palate and grainy texture, although not sure about that wood? 87+
2005 Celèstra - carafed (as a touch reduced or wild/herbal anyway?): very spicy and concentrated palate though, again had mixed feelings as I did above but it certainly commands your attention!
La Part des Anges (Carignan Grenache, "late picked" 15%) - lush and sweet vs intense and crunchy blueberry; attractive bite and grip with wild spicy sweet finish. Very nice and unusual "passerillé" style (dried grapes). 90
7 Avenue des Corbières, 11360 Fraisse-des-Corbières. Tel: 04 68 42 27 26 / 06 85 67 63 88, www.saintecroixvins.com.

Château de Sérame
"...Delving deeper into the Corbières, this huge region has been witnessing an impressive transformation with several very serious investors on the scene. Château de Sérame is an extensive property straddling both Corbières and Minervois, who went into partnership with Bordeaux magnate Dourthe four years ago. With 120 hectares in production and 10 being replanted every year, “our aim is benchmark wines” commented winemaker Vincent Bernard..." Read the rest of this article. Tasted July 2006:
2003 Minervois (Syrah Grenache Carignan Mourvèdre) - warm blackberry and liquorice fruit with light toasty oak, slightly 'reductive' tang and complexity; nice soft-ish texture v depth of fruit, weight (13.5%) and chocolate coating; quite big yet the fruit wins the day. 87-89
2004 Minervois (Syrah Grenache Carignan Mourvèdre) - touch more vanilla but also lively floral spice notes; attractive juicy v fresh and tight mouthfeel, enough black cherry fruit to absorb the choco oak; more elegant and perfumed than the 2003. 89+
2004 Corbières (variation of same grapes) - tighter more blackcurranty fruit, again very light oak and reductive notes; nice concentration v firm tannins, elegant and long; needs a little time to express itself. 87-89
2003 L’Icone Corbières - powerful barrel-fermented, limited series red: pretty rich, spicy and toasty nose leads to very concentrated choco palate, sweet fruit v solid rounded mouthfeel, actually 15% but not so obvious. Quite wow Parker-esque style (sorry Robert for that sweeping comment), not sure I'd want to drink more than a glass. 90 (purely as a 'show' wine)
Domaine de Sérame
2005 Merlot Réserve, Vin de pays d'Oc - appealing plum and cherry aromas with very background oak, good varietal character; aromatic v chunky, attractive style. 87-89
2005 Cabernet Sauvignon Réserve, Vin de pays d'Oc - quite tangy and tight, perhaps bottle-shocked needing a few months; it does say Cab with less charm than the Merlot, maybe an awkward adolescence...
2005 Viognier Réserve, Vin de pays d'Oc - delicious floral apricot notes, gummy and fresh v fatter 'sweet' fruit, clean long finish. 87-89
2005 Muscat sec Réserve, Vin de pays d'Oc - sexy pure piercing orange peel and grape aromas build to a very zesty palate, 13.5% adds weight yet it's long and fine. 90
North of Lézignan: www.chateaudeserame.com

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