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Languedoc 1: Coteaux du
Languedoc & sub-zones
Languedoc 2: Corbières & Fitou
Languedoc 3:
Faugères, Saint-Chinian
& Minervois
Languedoc 5: Vin de Pays d'Oc
Languedoc 6: Sommières & Nîmes
 Château
Rives-Blanques
Jan and Caryl Panman
own the neighbouring vineyard to Domaine
Bégude (both of them lie above the village of Cépie: follow the
signs past and keep going up the lane for five minutes), which they
bought over 10 years ago from Eric Vialade, who still works here
overseeing vineyards and cellar. The hospitable enthusiastic Panmans
only make white and sparkling wines - although their new vintage
Crémant de Limoux rosé has a dash of Pinot Noir in it sourced from
elsewhere - which they’ll be happy to taste with you after showing
you around some of their picturesque vines. These lie on a plateau,
although slightly above Bégude, and are farmed in the "most
environmentally friendly way" they can, with a couple of plots of
old-vine Mauzac undergoing an organic trial (the whole vineyard used
to be, but the previous owner was plagued by a certain disease in
the mid-90s and was forced to treat with systemic sprays). Talking
of Mauzac, Caryl and Jan are vociferous champions of this local
variety, which, apart from being used for their sparkling wines, has
been transformed into an unusual barrel-aged dried white called
Occitania. Others worth trying include their fine Odyssée Limoux
Chardonnay, a complex dry Chenin Blanc called Dédicace, La Trilogie
(a barrel-selection blend of all three grapes not necessarily made
every year) and occasionally a luscious late-harvest, passerillé
Chenin-Mauzac name after their daughter Xaxa. I tried these in situ
in April 2010:
Blanquette de Limoux (90% Mauzac
10% Chenin Blanc, 12.5% alc, 3.5g/l
residual sugar) - lightly yeasty and appley on the nose; crisp and
refreshing, pretty dry and lively finish, nice clean elegant style.
85+
2007 Crémant de Limoux rosé (Chardonnay,
Chenin Blanc,
Pinot Noir) - gentle red fruits with appley vs lightly bready
notes; tight fine and crisp mouth-feel, again refreshingly dry vs
fuller oilier finish. 87+
2009 Chardonnay-Chenin
Blanc vin de pays d'Oc - attractive zesty style vs
lightly exotic peachy fruit; turns more citrus zingy and crisp vs a
hint of yeast-lees creaminess. 85+
2008 Cuvée Occitania Limoux (100%
Mauzac from plots undergoing organic conversion) - a touch of
coconut oak and lees on the nose, turning oilier vs wild floral and
honeyed aromas/flavours plus fennel and aniseed tones too; rounded
with underlying spicy coconut notes vs oily / mineral texture, quite
well-handled oak giving something a bit different too.
87
2008 Dédicace Chenin Blanc
(13%) - juicy melon fruit vs rounder oily creamy texture; quite
elegant and steely finish, closes up on itself although it's
promising...
2007 Dédicace Chenin Blanc
(13%) - maturing oily notes with coconut edges; attractive ripe
melon fruit vs mineral bite, hints of oak spice on its creamy vs
fairly steely finish. 87+
2006 Dédicace Chenin Blanc
(13%) - more developed oily nose (almost old Riesling-like
"petrol"), oxidising and complex; nice rounded towards buttery
palate vs greener edges, enticing lingering flavours.
89(+)
2008 Odyssée Limoux (Chardonnay
13.5%) - aromatic citrus notes with underlining buttery, oily and
lightly toasty profile; good balance of juicy leesy mouth-feel vs
weight and subtle oak spice vs crisp and long.
88-90
2008 Trilogie Limoux (mostly Chenin
Blanc + Chardonnay,
Mauzac) - a tad exotic and peachy vs
nutty and coconut; quite refined and steely vs fatter more powerful
side, oily "sweet" texture vs greener fruit and zesty lees; again
subtle oak handling, promising. 89-91
2008 Sauvageon (Sauvignon Blanc,
35% new oak) - toasty edges with green pepper and kiwi fruit tones;
fatter mouth-feel with oily coconut and slight punch vs crisp and
interesting finish. Not everyone's cup of tea though.
85+
2004 Xaxa (late-harvest passerillé 60%
Chenin 40% Mauzac,
14% alc & 90g/l RS) - complex nose/palate with marmalade and toasted
honey vs orange/lemon peel; has refreshing "cut" and a bit of weight
vs that sweetness, lovely balance and style in fact.
90+
11300 Cépie. Tel: 04 68 31 43
20,
www.rives-blanques.com.
Domaine Collin
You'll find Philippe Collin's Burgundy-modelled estate on the way
into the blink-and-miss-it village of Tourreilles, to the southwest
of Limoux or northwest of Roquetaillade.
He and his wife had the following vintages up for
tasting
at the enigmatically named "Salon du X" - it's not that much of a
mystery, actually, a tasting organised by his agent
Xavier Peyrot des Gachons with a dozen
Languedoc & Roussillon winegrowers present (there were originally
10, I think) hence the X - in April 2010 at Domaine
Gayda's impressive
winery & restaurant complex between Limoux and Castelnaudary. Some of
their wines are imported into the UK by Yapp Brothers and Colombier
Wines.
Crémant de Limoux Prestige (Chardonnay,
Pinot Noir) - toasty,
yeasty and oily vs quite fine and tight; pretty dry (only 6g/l
residual sugar) and zingy vs lightly bready, tasty and
mouth-watering with yeasty complexity. 87+
Crémant de Limoux Selection (mostly Pinot Noir) - again
fairly fine,
tight and dry style; steely and crisp vs oily and yeasty biscuit
flavours/texture, more serious rounded yet refreshing finish. £10 UK.
88+
2006 Limoux (Chardy) - tightly
textured vs toasty and grainy, quite mineral
style and still a bit closed up?
2001 - buttery and rich with luscious creamy fruit vs still zingy
actually, nice balance of hazelnutty maturity and freshness.
88+
2004 Pinot Noir - savoury maturing
profile showing dried red fruits vs
fresh bite; a bit vegetal perhaps in the end but has attractive
maturing PN style traits.
2001 Chenin Blanc ("noble rot"
with 120g/l RS) - maturing, oily, exotic
and spicy; marmalade vs underlying mushroom flavours, lush yet has nice bite
and balance with lively long vs caramelised finish.
89
Route de Magrie, 11300 Tourreilles.
Tel: 04 68 31 35 49,
philippe-collin2@wanadoo.fr.
 Domaine Gayda
All the wines featured below are actually vins de pays
d'Oc (their winemaking
policy so this blurb is also included on that page), but I decided
to bung them in here as well for the sake of better pinpointing
where to locate Domaine Gayda's
impressive winery & restaurant complex (modern yet
Mediterranean). Found between Limoux and Castelnaudary just before
the tiny village of Brugairolles (you can't miss it), Gayda is technically in the virtually unknown Malepère
appellation, although, as I said, this isn't what motivates owners
South African
Anthony Record and Englishman Tim Ford's wine styles
(Marc Kent of Boekenhoutskloof in the Cape is also listed as a
"non-executive director," by the way). They bought the estate in
2003 with 11 hectares (27 acres) of vineyard circling the winery and
another eight near La Liviniere in Minervois; plus they source
grapes from other growers: e.g. in Tresserre, Opoul and Maury in the
Roussillon; and Fontfroide in the Corbières. Their wines are sold by
New Generation Wines in the UK, James Nicholson in Ireland, various
importers in the US (see "where to buy" on their site, link below)
and Sean Robson in Hong Kong. The premises are also used by British
owned wine school
Vin Ecole.
I tasted these in April 2010 in situ:
2009 Sauvignon Blanc - nice
towards New Zealand style with mix of ripe and exotic vs grassier
side; pretty textbook zingy SB with a hint of class too.
85+
2009 Viognier - light peach and
apricot with a touch of spice too; creamier mouth-feel with lees
notes, aromatic crunchy yellow fruits with clean yet punchy finish.
85+
2007 Figure Libre Maccabeo -
nutty oily and developed nose, toasty with "sweet" fruit too;
lees-edged and mineral palate vs fair weight and nice nutty oily
finish. 87
2009 Gayda rosé - attractive creamy vs
red fruity style, crisp juicy and tasty. €6.50 85
2008 Gayda Syrah - attractive
pure spicy black cherry aromas/flavours; juicy fruit with a bit of
depth, a tad of oak and grip although nicely done. €6.50
87
2008 Figure Libre Cabernet Franc/Cabernet
Sauvignon - cassis and red pepper with spicy, "inky" and
tobacco tones; lively and quite concentrated palate with tasty
"sweet/savoury" finish, dry vs rounded texture. €14
87-89
2007 Chemin de Moscou (Grenache,
Syrah etc. 14%) - showing more
chocolate and coconut oak, although it's lush with dark fruit and
appealing rounded tannins; powerful with fruity vs dry texture,
perhaps lacks a bit of character but still good (although not
value-wise at €19.50).
87
2005 Chemin de Moscou (14.5%) - maturing "sweet/savoury" nose,
juicy and concentrated with solid mouth-feel and hints of coconut
spice; firmly textured and powerful, still needs a couple of years
or so to open up. 88-90
11300 Brugairolles.
0468 31 64 14 /
www.domainegayda.com.
 Domaine
de Mouscaillo
The lost wee village of Roquetaillade really does feel like it's
at the end of the road/world, perched up in the handsome hills south of Limoux at the southern end of the appellation
area. There are a
few good producers based around here including Marie-Claire and
Pierre Fort at Domaine Mouscaillo (some of their vines border
Domaine de l'Aigle, for example, now owned by the Gérard Bertrand group), whose
4.5 ha/13 acres of vineyards climb up gentle slopes to 400m/1300
feet in altitude. Mainly two varieties and two exposures: the
Chardonnay faces north and the Pinot Noir south, more or less (the
surging terrain here isn't as black-and-white chiselled out as that). There's "a tiny
bit of Chenin and Mauzac too," as Pierre explained on my visit in
December 2009.
The Forts returned to the south after many years at
the helm of rather well-known Château de Tracy in Pouilly-Fumé
(central vineyards, inner Loire valley). Pierre is also quietly optimistic
about the future for Pinot planted in prime sites, although it's
taken time to find its feet and they only have less than one hectare
at the moment! I tend to agree, as you'll see from my
notes below and comments made elsewhere on Languedoc producers
experimenting with Pinot. Expanding briefly on winemaking techniques used for the Chardy, he told me they "ferment in demi-muids
(450 litre barrels of varying ages) with lees-stirring, then leave
it until after the following harvest." As for vintage 2009, "we
picked from 1 to 12 September. It was hot from June onwards and we
had to pick quickly, so acidity is lower than usual but it's not too
alcoholic either." I tried a few promising 2009s from cask and all
vintages back to 2004, their first actually, in descending order:
09 "younger vines" Chardy - lovely grapefruit and
spicy floral notes; turning bready and creamy vs juicy and dry, just
a touch of fresh acidity on the finish.
09 "older vines" Chardy - touch toastier and more
structured, more powerful too yet with mineral bite, juicy citrus
fruit and nice length.
09 "old vines" Chardy (malolactic fermentation done) -
richer with more prominent yeast-lees notes vs again attractive
juicy citrus zest, then more buttery on the finish vs finer acidity.
09 "old vines" Chardy (no malo-lactic) - much
crunchier and fresher with pure lemony fruit, nice bite and length.
These lots of Chardy all end up in the final blend, in differing
proportions, as Mouscaillo only does one label.
2009 Pinot Noir (older cask) - attractive perfumed cherry and
spicy notes, expressive Pinot style; touch more savoury on the
palate with freshness and light grip.
09 Pinot Noir (new barrique) - more structured and firmer
tannins, spicier but still has plenty of Pinot character and depth
too.
2008 Pinot Noir (from vat) - delicate and quite intricate
again showing those perfumed floral cherry tones, subtle creamy
depth and "sweet/savoury" flavours; lively and fairly firm finish
with nice length. Give it a bit of time in bottle and we'll see.
87(+)
2007 Pinot - richer darker red fruits on the nose; firmer
mouthfeel closing up to a pretty structured finish vs elegant
perfumed fruit underneath. Needs 2-3 years to open up although again
hints at some quality PN touches. 86-88
2008 white Limoux (about to be bottled) - quite honeyed and
peachy vs spicy toasted edges; fairly powerful mouthfeel vs
refreshing acidity adding mineral bite, then toastier fatter finish.
88+
2007 white - richer and more open with background toast
notes, pineapple, peach and citrus too; quite creamy and oily, still
a bit toasty on the palate, but it's concentrated and turning nutty
too with nice weight on the finish vs fairly crisp acidity actually.
89-91
2006 white - maturing yeasty creamy notes vs background
spice; oily and rounded mouthfeel vs attractive refreshing twist,
less concentrated with grainier texture although drinking quite well
now. 87+
2005 white - delicious buttery Burgundian nose, complex with
hazelnut and oaty/leesy development; powerful and full yet tighter
than the 06 in the end vs exotic, oily and nutty; good balance with
a touch of class even if it's quite toasty/woody still, as there's
lots going on plus that attractive maturing and rich vs vibrant
finish. 90+
2004 white - oddly the nose is less open at first and
toastier perhaps; quite fat and creamy vs a tad more awkward wood on
the palate, although does show some depth vs fresh mineral finish.
87
6 rue du Frêne, 11300 Roquetaillade. Tel:
04 68 31 38 25 / 06 78 93 37 61,
mouscaillo@orange.fr,
mouscaillo.fr.
 Les
Caves de Sieur d'Arques
One of the biggest and most enterprising co-op cellars in the
Languedoc (for example, they supply the wine for Gallo's hit US
brand called Red Bicyclette, although they did allegedly get their
fingers burnt over a certain "Pinot Noir" wine!), who produce very nice examples
despite the substantial volume of the whole variety of Limoux styles. Recommended sparkling wines include their Bulle de Blanquette Brut, aged in bottle on the yeast lees for 24
months, and stylish Crémant de Limoux rosé (see
tasting notes
below,
sampled at
Vinisud Montpellier February 2008). They also do
guided tours around their enormous factory-like winery and show a
touristy
film, which is nevertheless interesting to see how the local fizz is
produced on a large scale compared to the family-run estates featured
in this guide.
See below under Domaine Fourn for a bit of blurb on the
production of the different Limoux sparklings. Caves Sieur's still
Limoux wines come from four separate vineyard areas and are also
worth a taste: the best ones are arguably from La Haute Vallée,
higher altitude plantings that help express more finesse
perhaps.
Bulle de Blanquette Brut (Mauzac Chenin
Chardy 12.5% alc, 24 months lees ageing) - elegant
toasty/yeasty aromas, quite rich honeyed mouth-feel with crisp
backdrop and a bit of class too. 89-91
2005 Crémant de Limoux Brut (15 months ageing) - finer in a
way and more floral, less textured though with light honeyed fruit
then subtle refreshing finish. 87-89
Bulle de Crémant rosé (same plus
a bit of Pinot Noir) - touches of red
fruits with toasted-bready undercurrents, nice mouth-feel with crisp
intense length. 89+
Méthode Ancestrale
tradition (100% Mauzac 6.5%) -
quite sweet yet refreshing with oily developing fruit, a bit odd
although nice. 85+
Avenue de Carcassonne, 11303 Limoux. Tel: 04 68 74 63 00,
www.sieurdarques.com.
 Domaine
de Fourn - Robert
This
40-hectare estate, owned by the Robert family and set adrift in the
hills not far from the village of
Pieusse, is efficiently signposted; otherwise you really would be on
a "magical mystery tour" to find it (maybe that's the idea, hush
hush and all that). Ardent defenders of the
region's distinctive fizz, like Domaine Martinolles below, this is a
good place to see how sparkling Limoux is made in the different
styles; particularly as the Roberts still use traditional racks to
slowly invert the bottles to remove the sediment. This process is
mostly automated nowadays, as it is in Champagne and understandably as it's very
labour-intensive, where the wines are stored in 'giro-palettes'
which jolt every now and then while gradually tilting the bottles.
Blanquette is made mainly from the Mauzac variety (90+%) with
some Chardonnay and Chenin blanc, depending on producer preference, and can be Brut
(quite dry with about 8-10 grams per litre residual sugar (RS) v
towards high acidity) or Demi-Sec
(actually quite sweet). Crémant is always dry (similar Brut spec. to
above) and often based on Chardy and Chenin with some Pinot Noir.
Both styles undergo
second fermentation in bottle and must be aged on the fine
yeast-lees for at least nine months before being disgorged: the
best, and certainly the most interesting wines are aged for much
longer. The Méthode Ancestrale style is a bit of
a local curiosity ("for local people" perhaps) and can be quite attractive:
100% Mauzac, sweet (50+ g/l RS) and refreshingly light in
alcohol (around 7%) making them nice with fruit desserts, for
example. I
tasted
these Robert wines in situ in April 2008:
2004
Blanquette de Limoux Brut Carte Noire (90%
Mauzac + Chardy Chenin, 12%
alc.) - quite fine and appley with light biscuity development and
ageing character; crisp elegant and quite dry v subtle chocolate
flavours too. 85-87
2001 Crémant de Limoux Brut (60% Mauzac
+ Chardy Chenin, 12.5%) - richer
nuttier aromas, more cakey flavours v quite dry & elegant acidity;
nice length and style showing age v finesse.
89
2004 Crémant de Limoux Brut (50%
Chardy 30% Chenin
Pinot Mauzac,
12%) - tighter and fresher with delicate toasted biscuit
flavours, again attractively fine & crisp length.
88-90
2006
Blanquette Ancestrale Doux (100% Mauzac,
7%) - pleasant, buoyant and sweet balanced by nice acidity; try with
light desserts. 85
11300 Pieusse.
Tel:
04 68 31 15 03, contact@robert-blanquette.com
or robert.blanquette@wanadoo.fr,
www.robert-blanquette.com.
 Domaine
de Martinolles
Located roughly between Limoux and Carcassonne outside the village
of Saint-Hilaire (the abbey here is said to be where the
Blanquette traditional method sparkling style was first conceived),
you'll eventually find the Vergnes family's cellar, tasting room and
holiday gite at the end of a twisty track off the 'main' road
(you'll see a kind of embossed stone obelisk marking the entrance). Once you've passed
through vineyards and olive trees, all you have to do is manoeuvre
your car around a couple of snoozing dogs blocking the drive, after
they've checked you out and given an approving 'woof'. Guardians of
a fairly classic range, if you like, especially their Crémant (the
Vergnes' obviously, although perhaps one of the hounds is a
part-time winemaker). I digress: these wines were tasted in April 2008 at the
estate:
2006 Limoux blanc 'vieilles vignes' (Chardonnay
13.5%) - quite big, fat and toasty yet also has fairly rich
rounded fruit and refreshing finish. €7.70
87
2005 Limoux rouge (Merlot, Cabernet
Sauvignon, Grenache, Syrah) - perfumed 'garrigue'
tones with spicy plum and black cherry fruit, moves on to a bitter
chocolate v liquorice palate with fresh but rounded tannins. €5.40
87
2006 Blanquette de Limoux (mostly
Mauzac 12.5%) - shows a nice mix of fresh and crisp v
biscuity and more exotic fruit; finishing with elegant dry length.
€6.20 87
2005 Crémant de Limoux (Chardonnay
Chenin blanc Pinot Noir 12.5%) -
more generous and classier displaying fine oily toasty fruit v
crisp, stylish and long finish. €8 90+
11250
Saint-Hilaire. Tel: 04 68 69 41
93,
info@martinolles.com,
www.martinolles.com.
Domaine
Bégude
English couple James and Catherine Kinglake
put their money into a dream in 2003 and bought this charming property, which
lies up above
(at 400m altitude) the village of Cépie to the north of
Limoux (south of
Carcassonne) and offers spectacular views in all directions.
Describing his philosophy as "turbocharged lutte raisonnée" meaning as
environmentally friendly as possible without being full-blown organic,
James and his winemaker are making
some handsome Chardonnays –
oaked-aged, full-bodied AOC Limoux styles and lively unoaked Vins de Pays – surprising
Chenin Blanc
and an attractive rosé from the small amount of Pinot Noir they have planted
(see 2008 update below).
They can accommodate up to 30 people for a vineyard tour, tasting and lunch
in their converted barn function room, if booked in advance. Bégude's wines are
available in the US and UK as well as elsewhere in northern Europe
and the Far East. Email them for details (at the bottom). The
following 2005s were unfinished wines tasted
from vat in the cellar December 2005:
2005 Sauvignon Blanc - attractive citrus v mineral style, soft ripe
gooseberry fruit then leaner crisp finish.
2005 Chardonnay (will be blended with barrel fermented Chardonnay) - nice
clean white peach fruit and balance of weight v elegance, again finishing with
crisp length.
2005 Chardonnay (will be vin de pays) - more mineral and yeast leesy
style, tighter longer finish.
2005 Chardonnay - livelier and richer although a touch bitter on
the finish at the moment.
2005 Chenin Blanc (will blend 85-15 with Chardy) - lovely melon v buttery
fruit, intense and fresh v fat yet fine.
2005 Pinot Noir
rosé - elegant rose petal
aromas build to creamy weightier mouthful.
2004
Chardonnay vin de pays - creamy raisin fruit showing juicy
fatness v greener crisper edges; very attractive at €5.
2004
Chardonnay-Chenin Blanc - again creamy to start followed by
leaner fresher finish. £5.99 in the UK.
2004 Chardonnay Limoux - shows light toasty oak and juicy fat
fruit then a more elegant finish, well balanced.
 Bégude
update April 2008: A long-overdue return visit revealed that,
with the successful 2006 vintage the Kinglakes have launched an experimental red batch made from
late-picked Pinot Noir called L’Esprit
- they left one row of the most promising Pinot until the end of
September -
and a limited barrel-selection Chardonnay called L’Etoile ("about one third as
much as the classic," James told me, after several critical tastings
of all the Chardy in barrel). He's also toying with the idea of
making a sparkling Limoux: watch this space.
I tasted these wines in April 08 including a few potentially
exciting 2007s from tank and cask:
2007 Sauvignon Blanc - lovely
piercing citrus and pea notes with zingy grapefruit, pure and zesty
palate with crisp yet relatively soft finish. €6 at the winery, and
also available in Loch Fyne restaurants across the UK.
87
2007 Bel Ange (Chardy + touch of
Chenin Blanc) - nice peachy v citrus
style, rounded mouth-feel with weight v freshness; very drinkable
now actually. £6.49 Majestic. 87+
2007 (different batch) - a bit fatter, oilier and honeyed
with again crisp graceful finish; less structured perhaps.
87
2007 Pinot Noir
rosé - zesty nose with light red
fruits, elegant and fresh with subtle depth of fruit. €6
87
2006 Limoux blanc 'classic' -
judicious toasty oak adds texture as do the lightly creamy
yeast-lees characters, shows nice fruit v acid balance. €8
89
2007 Chardy from a new demi-muid
(600 litre barrel) - lively fruit v subtle oak coating, very
promising.
2007 Chardy from a barrique -
more yeast-lees presence with lovely fruit, texture and crisp
length; stylish.
2006
L’Etoile de Bégude,
Limoux
(selected
Chardy,
13.5%) - closed nose showing delicate
toasted coconut oak, creamy oily and peachy mouth-feel with nice
yeast-lees depth, weight then crisp balanced length, tight structure
and purity too. Opened up over the next day or so. €15
90-92
2006
L’Esprit
de Bégude, Vin de pays d'Oc (Pinot
Noir
14.5%) - unusual sort of New Zealand meets Sonoma PN style: a layer
of oak adds a bitter chocolate texture to its smoky savoury
characters edged with attractive cherry fruit; pretty big and bold
yet there's freshness too. Should open up with a few months in
bottle, it's a bit awkward at the moment.
89-90?
Saint-Martin-de-Villereglan, 11300 Cépie.
Tel: 06 86 05 73 74 (mobile), fax: 04 68 69 20 41;
james@domainebegude.com,
www.domainebegude.com.
 Château
Guilhem
Son
Bertrand Gourdou-Guilhem (pictured) has now taken over at the winemaking
helm at this well-known property found on the southern side of the
Malepère
appellation,
on the edge of the quiet village of
Malviès
(southwest of Carcassonne, northwest of Limoux).
The old family
château,
built in Revolutionary times, is charming and timeless although a little
flaking perhaps. Future
renovation plans - the recent focus has been on upgrading vineyards and cellar -
could include converting it into up-market 'chambres d’hôte' offering rooms and
meals. The
Malepère
region itself isn't very well known and a bit of a final frontier ("to boldly
go" etc...) for wine in the Languedoc, stretching out on its western side
towards Castelnaudary almost. Growers were crowned with full
AOC status in 2007, if
that really makes any difference, and like
Cabardès they've decided to
base their wines on a mixture of Med/Southwest/Bordeaux varieties,
although leaning more towards the latter as Merlot is central to their red
wines.
Guilhem is making some
good reds crafted from Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Malbec; a
lively dry rosé as well as decent Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc.
As
part of a charity event, every year one parcel is
left unharvested until October, after the other 30-odd hectares have been
gleaned, to celebrate the Fete des Vendanges when customers
and friends are invited to pick the remaining grapes, taste fermenting musts,
play games, stick a couple of Toulouse sausages on the Barbie and
contribute to local good causes, of course. I
sampled these wines at
Vinisud Montpellier,
February 2008, and/or in situ when I visited in April 2008:
2007 Cuvée Tradition
rosé, Malepère
(Cabernet
Franc Merlot
13%) - lovely zingy red fruits and roses style, crisp intense and elegant in a
Provence kinda way.
87
2006 Cuvée Tradition rouge, Malepère (Merlot
Cabernet Sauvignon)
- nice mix of sweet and sour fruit with lightly rustic edges, creamy cooked
cassis v tart tangy plum with lingering spicy black cherry on the finish.
85-87
2007 Cuvée Tradition rouge, Malepère (Merlot
Cabernet Sauvignon)
- more fragrant and spicier than the 06, showing good depth of black cherry and
plum with tarter edges and grip on the finish.
UK retail approx £7.99.
87+
2006 Cuvée Prestige, Malepère (Merlot
Cabernets Malbec)
- richer nose and palate, not too toasty on the coconut oak front; good depth of
fruit and textured tannins, interesting mixed style towards Bordeaux but with
more power and/or sunshine.
87-89
2006 Clos du Blason (Merlot
Cabernet Sauvignon)
- one selected parcel fermented in barrel: showing quite a lot of new oak at the
moment but it has rich fruit as well; not sure, will have to taste it again
later down the line.
2006 Grande Cuvée (Merlot
Cabernet Sauvignon)
- chunky fruit and tannins again with those spicy coconut flavours and texture
but not too much; rounded, richer and more powerful yet has nice bite and a
touch of elegance in the end.
89-91
2007
Sauvignon Blanc,
vin de pays d'Oc - attractive fresh citrus tones, crisp yet soft mouth-feel with
elegant zesty finish.
85
2007
Chardonnay,
vin de pays d'Oc - juicy pear and white peach style, light yeast lees notes
and a touch of cream adding extra dimension, then fresh and zippy.
87
Guilhem's
UK importer/agent is Stevens Garnier, Oxford.
Le Château, 11300
Malviès. Tel: 04 68 31 14
41, contact@chateauguilhem.com
or
bgourdou@chateauguilhem.com;
www.chateauguilhem.com.
Château de Brau
Cabardès AOC is found to the north of Carcassonne and is trying to push a
'west meets east' image, with varying degrees of success. The region is planted
with a mix of Mediterranean, Rhone, southwest and Bordeaux varieties; and
further afield too with Chardy, Sauvignon, Pinot Noir etc. cropping up
more and more. As you approach from further east or south in the Languedoc, the weather
can quickly change once you're in or beyond Carcassonne (sometimes rainier or
colder in the winter yet hotter in the summer too), as if there
actually is some kind of Atlantic-cum-continental karma at play; even though you're
still much nearer to the Med here. While Cabardès has (had?) its fair share of rather
ordinary wines (nothing unusual about that then), there's a burgeoning band
of top estates coming to the fore such as Château de Brau and the others
featured below this profile. For more info on Cabardès producers and to get hold
of a copy of their handy little wine trail in English (includes a
few hotels, restaurants etc. as well), check
out www.aoc-cabardes.com.
Back to Brau. This charming, unpretentious and quite sizeable (40 ha/100 acre) estate is owned by Gabriel and Wenny Tari and farmed organically:
certified back in 1989 in fact with the youngest Syrah and Pinot being
converted. It's split roughly into two big chunks - one around the
winery and chateau, the other just off in the distance on rolling slopes at slightly
higher altitude - with natural borders formed by the river to the south (a
tributary of the Aude) and wilder countryside to the north. Unusually, they have
15 different varieties planted, mostly red including oddities such as Fer
Servadou (from the southwest) and Egiodola, a crossing of Fer and Abourriou (que?!).
Their Cabardès red blends are particularly impressive, although so is the Pinot
Noir (rare to find good examples in the south) and other varietal wines like
Cabernet Franc. The property is well signposted from the
tricky-to-pronounce village of Villemoustaussou, and individuals or small groups
are preferred by appointment.
What I also like about Gabriel and Wenny Tari,
apart from nice wines, is their openness in poking fun at established so-called
wisdom, or rather the usual clichés rolled out by some growers. This snippet from their brochure
gives you a taster and also
shows we must be kindred spirits, reflecting a line from the intro blurb on my
homepage (an attempt at humour, if you bothered to read
it and are a Monty Python fan): "We have not been growing wines since Roman times. We are farmers...
modern-day peasants and have been for a long time... we don't have an
exceptional terroir, just good land for vineyards of which we've ploughed every
inch and which we've revived according to organic principles over the last 20
years" (not my translation by the way). Hats off.
The following wines were tasted at
Millésime Bio, Perpignan January 2008,
and/or in situ when I visited in April 08.
2006 Pinot Noir
Pure, Vin de Pays d'Oc -
touch of toasty chocolate oak leads on to attractive 'sweet and savoury' Pinot
fruit, juicy mouth-feel v fresh bite and tannins; with a little air the oak
drops revealing more silky Pinot character, surprising considering it's made
from young vines too. 89-91
2005 Domaine Majelus
Merlot - smoky plum and
cassis notes, nice ripe edges with 'tar' and liquorice v grip and fresh acidity.
87+
2006 Cuvée Château Cabardès (Merlot
Syrah Cabernet Sauvignon) - nice mix of herbal
pepper and ripe smoky fruit, again solid tannins v ripeness and power v
lightness of touch. 89-91
2006 Cuvée Exquise Cabardès (Syrah Merlot Cabernet
Sauvignon and sometimes Grenache too) -
different from above, more berry fruit with light mint tones then liquorice on
the palate v dry grip from textured tannins; less charming now perhaps but could
blossom. 88+
2005 Le Suc de Brau Cabardès (Syrah, Cabernet
Sauvignon) - more peppery and rustic with light coco oak, black cherry
and cassis; powerful chunky and quite concentrated palate v rich smoky liquorice
and black fruit layered on its firm solid framework. 90-92
2006 Cabernet Sauvignon
Pure - attractive juicy cassis enhanced by smoky prune tones,
quite elegant finish actually. 87-89
2006
Cabernet Franc - pretty ripe and spicy
v red pepper notes but mostly full and rounded in style, very appealing wine.
87-89
2006
Fer
Servadou - a little reduced and funky
on the nose but this is concentrated, peppery, rustic and rich; nicely handled
tannins and finish too. 88-90
2006
Egiodola - a bit stalky and closed on
the nose, reveals more in the mouth with lively spicy tart aromatic damson v
darker fruit and liquorice; quite concentrated with very grippy tannins and
fresh acidity, different for sure! 87+
2006 Syrah - less exciting to be
honest, although made from young vines so we'll see.
2007 Domaine de Brau
Chardonnay-Roussanne
(12.5%) - nice peachy v yeast leesy style with a bit of depth and crisp finish.
85+
Update 2010. Gosh, was that really
two years ago... these new vintages tasted with Gabriel and Wenny at Millésime
Bio show in Montpellier:
2008
Chardonnay / Roussanne
- quite rich and exotic with peachy and yeast-lees tones; juicy with
a touch of weight then crisp bite vs "sweet" fruit and lively finish
still. 87
2008
Cabernet Franc /
Cabernet Sauvignon - attractive
"sweet vs savoury" mix with herby red pepper notes vs richer darker
berry and cassis fruit; nice styling and depth on the palate.
87+
2007
Fer
Servadou - juicier than previous vintage perhaps with meaty/savoury
notes and light wood spice; quite lush vs tarter side with dark
fruits and leather on the finish, attractive tannins too.
87+
2009 Pinot Noir - a bit
closed up but slowly reveals enticing "sweet/savoury" Pinot style,
nice fruit vs grip too; promising. 87-89
2007 Cuvée Exquise Cabardès - a touch of oak on the
nose vs maturing herbal berry fruit; chunkier and lush on the palate
vs tight firm mouthfeel, ripe vs savoury finish. Yum.
90
2006 Le Suc Cabardès (Syrah, Cabernet
Sauvignon) - spicy wood aromas, moving on to chunky and concentrated
mouthfeel; a tad oak-heavy perhaps but has nice oomph, richness and
spicy finish. 89
Domaine de Brau,
11620 Villemoustaussou. Tel: 04 68 72 31 92,
chateaudebrau@aliceadsl.fr.
Château
de Pennautier - Vignobles Lorgeril
The Lorgeril family wine empire, based at this marvellous aristocratic 17th-Century
Château
(pictured, currently undergoing lengthy renovations) in Cabardès
country northwest of Carcassonne, now not only takes in many appellations and
promising estates in the Languedoc, but they've also recently dipped their toe
into French Catalan territory by purchasing vineyards in Côtes du Roussillon
Villages AOC. They
own two other properties
in the Carcassonne area, Château La Bastide and Château de Caunettes, all adding up to a
significant amount of total Cabardès production; plus another leading one in
Minervois-La-Livinière called La Borie Blanche; as well as having interests in
or partnerships with domaines in
Saint-Chinian, Faugères
and Corbières. Which makes them a pretty formidable player in the South.
Although
overall the company produces quite a lot of wine including a wide range of AOC
blends and Vin de Pays varietals - such as a fairly benchmark, chunky
barrel-fermented Chardonnay, a handful of good rosés and reds full of character
- their top
Cabardès
wine called L’Esprit, made from Syrah, Cabernet and/or Merlot, develops real
complexity after five years ageing and certainly makes a serious quality statement (see
below).
Back in Pennautier on the wine tourism front, the mini-empire also has a
campsite and gîte complex adjoining the chateau’s grounds and good wine
bar/restaurant/wine shop located on the left as you arrive in the village, next
to the winery just before the bridge, where you can taste from the whole
Lorgeril range. If you want to visit the chateau itself (just over the bridge on
the right), and after they've finished all the work, you’ll need to make an
appointment. The wines below were
sampled at Vinisud Montpellier,
February 2008, and/or in situ when I visited in April 08.
2006
Sauvignon Blanc,
Vin de Pays d'Oc (13%) - oily
ripe citrus style finishing with fresh crisp bite. 85
2006 Chardonnay (13%) - again shows nice ripe peachy fruit in a Chile style,
quite concentrated actually then crisp with fair length.
85-87
2007
Viognier (13%) - zesty
and aromatic
with lightly exotic fruit, citrus flavours too v weight and fatness.
85
2005 Marquis de Pennautier blanc,
Vin de Pays d'Oc (Roussanne
Marsanne Bourboulenc Grenache blanc 13%) -
waxy mature almost botrytis nose, creamy palate with nutty maturity v citrus
too; very attractive food white and still just alive.
87
2006 Marquis de Pennautier,
Chardonnay
Terroirs d'Altitude - light toast and
oatmeal enhanced by exotic and oily flavours/textures, a bit flabby and toasty
but it's quite crisp too.
85
2005 Marquis de Pennautier
Chardonnay
- much richer exotic fruit v still tight
acidity lending a little freshness; ripe oily oatmeal, chunky maturing 'sweet'
fruit and subtle toast then cleaner length.
87-90
2007 Mouline de Ciffre, Languedoc
rosé
- strawberry and raspberry fruit; crisp
and dry v rounded, lightly creamy and sturdy even.
85+
2007 L'Orangerie de Pennautier
rosé
(12.5%) - fresh rose petal and crunchy red
fruits, zesty & crisp v nice depth of fruit.
87
2007
Château de
Pennautier,
Cabardès
rosé
(13%) - similar to above two yet has tighter structure and zingier length v a
bit fuller and chunkier. 87+
2006
Château de
Pennautier,
Cabardès
red
(13.5%) - bright cassis / black cherry with light red pepper and redcurrant notes; quite grippy
v vibrant lightly
creamy fruit, dry v 'sweet' texture. 85-87
2003
Château de
Pennautier,
Cabardès
Collection Privée - attractive smoky development showing
savoury leather,
liquorice and raisin edges; still pretty firm but concentrated, powerful and
balanced in the end thanks to maturing fruit and rounded v dry texture.
89-91
2001 Esprit
de
Pennautier,
Cabardès (Syrah
Cabernet
13.5%) - smoky herbal & complex, maturing meaty fruit with liquorice, dark
cherry and chocolate tones;
concentrated and rich v solid tannins, lovely savoury/sweet fruit
v power and length.
94
2000
Esprit
de
Pennautier,
Cabardès
(Syrah
Merlot)
- mature v herbal nose, rich fruit v big tannins, attractive ripeness turning
savoury with leather and mushroom.
92-94
2006 La Borie Blanche,
Minervois
(14%) - smoky rustic notes enhanced by delicious wild black
fruits and herbal mint tones, ripe yet dry tannins set on a juicy fruit finish; very attractive.
The next time I found it more austere and not quite right, must have been a
funny bottle. So we'll go with initial score.
87-89
2006 Moulin de Ciffre,
Saint-Chinian
- more extracted and less charming now but
it has underlying blackberry fruit v those solid tannins.
87
2003 Les Hauts de l'Enclos des Bories,
Minervois-La-Livinière
- still quite youthful with peppery black cherry fruit
and liquorice v meaty edges; very firm tannins lined with more liquorice, pretty
powerful alcohol (welcome to 2003) but it works, just. Wow indeed.
90-92
2003 Les Hauts de la Borie Blanche,
Minervois-La-Livinière
- subtle oak with menthol and spicy black cherry, very concentrated with
extracted tannins but it's well-balanced. Not sure what the difference is to
above wine but my notes aren't the same anyway.
92+
2007
Château de Ciffre
Faugères,
Terroirs d'Altitude (barrel sample) - gorgeous spicy vibrant fruit with subtle
depth on the palate, promising although don't leave it in oak for too long!
89-91
2007
Château de Ciffre,
Saint-Chinian
(barrel sample) - the property straddles both AOCs by the way.
More lifted perfumed Syrah style, chunky mouth-feel with liquorice and spice;
yum.
90-92
2007 Mas des Montagnes,
Côtes du
Roussillon
Villages (vat sample) - nice fruit and spicy liquorice Grenache style, grip v
ripe and rounded. 85+
2007 Mas des Montagnes Terroirs d'Altitude,
Côtes du
Roussillon
Villages
(cask sample) - similar fruit but much more concentrated, firm tannins v vibrant
liquorice with savoury leather edges.
89
2006 Domaine des Causses,
St-Chinian
(13%) - a bit thinner than the others, OK
but lacking.
80
2006 La Combe des Oliviers,
Corbières (70%
Mourvèdre 13%) -
attractive resiny ripe nose leads on to a 'sweet' v spicy palate; good depth,
style and length & balance of fruit concentration v tannins. Aromatic
Bandol-esque liquorice, black olive and tea notes; lush fragrant fruit v grippy
tannins v weight. 90-92
2003 Les
Cèdres,
Vin de Pays d'Oc (Syrah
Malbec) - nice mix of 'sweet 'n' sour' with very chunky fruit and
tannins, rustic v tangy finish showing real depth too. 92+
2005 Pinot Noir, Le Clos de St-Jean - pretty
tight and closed with fresh acidity, background wood and elegant fruit; not
getting much, needs airing perhaps.
Spring 2009
update:
I tasted a few new wines with English (yet another invader in the
south of France!) export sales director Tim Smith, who also took me
on a tour around the recently restored Château de
Pennautier.
For more info on that, read my
article from the July 2009 issue
of Decanter
magazine.
The Lorgeril range is well represented in the UK and US - send them
an email for details (click below).
2007 Saint-Chinian
Terroirs d'Altitude - enticing dark cherry and tobacco notes on the
nose; spicy and lush mouthfeel vs grippy and powerful, pretty chunky
texture vs nice fruit and length. €8
89
2007
Faugères
Terroirs d'Altitude - same blend of grapes and treatment, different
vineyards (although adjacent where the two appellations border each
other). Spicier and more structured, dense and concentrated with
underlying dark ripe fruit. €9.70
89+
2007 Mas des Montagnes
Côtes du Roussillon
Villages - richer "sweeter" spicy liquorice fruit (more
Grenache in this wine); attractive
rounded palate, juicy and lively vs a touch of grip. €6.10
87
2007
Mas des Montagnes Terroirs d'Altitude
Côtes du Roussillon
Villages -
more closed up on the nose showing a hint of chocolate oak;
punchier, firm and tight palate vs good depth of fruit, a bit
unrevealing but should develop nicely. €9.25
89+
Route de
Carcassonne, 11610 Pennautier. Tel: 04 68 72 65 29,
contact@lorgeril.com,
www.vignobles-lorgeril.com.
Domaine Escourrou
Guy and
Arnaud Escourrou work as a father and son, men-of-nature team and are certainly
doing their bit to put
Cabardès on the serious red wine map. Semi-retired Guy
works (and occasionally talks to according to their website) the vines and soil,
while Arnaud, international winemaker, concentrates on his 'baby' (part
French/part South American: read on), their excellent flagship wine called
‘La Régalona’, which I
gather is produced lovingly but also rather ruthlessly, in terms of the fussy selection,
pruning, fruit thinning etc. that I'm told is involved. This
Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon and occasionally Merlot blend shows great depth of fruit,
structure and ageing potential. Apparently the wine has created quite a stir in
the region and further afield in Bordeaux, where a leading critic praised it
very highly (allegedly thinking it was Pomerol!) and
Jean-Luc Thunevin is a bit
of a fan too. Arnaud has also launched a Régalona project in Chile using the same
quality philosophy and varieties. So if you want to taste the wines at their
place, an
appointment is advisable as he spends several months away from their unassuming
home in the sleepy village of Ventenac, although dad is an equally enthusiastic
host. I was lucky enough to try several vintages
in situ when I visited in April
2008.
2004
Régalona - light
hint of coconut oak layered with dark cherry/cassis, lovely depth of fruit
showing 'sweet' v bitter twist; powerful with grippy tannins balanced by nice
vibrant spicy fruit, needs 2-3 years to round out a little.
90+
2003 Régalona - richer riper and more open with a touch of coconut, again
has that lush black
cherry fruit with wild herbs too filled out with lots of liquorice; solid
texture v concentrated fruit, 'sweet' v savoury development, forceful finish but
actually well-balanced in its own way.
92+
2002
Régalona -
complex and savoury with liquorice maturity and light cedary touches, very
grippy and chunky smoothed out by developing sweet and savoury fruit.
89+
2005 Régalona (about to be bottled) - the oak's more obvious but it has
lots of juicy berry
and raisin flavours, chewy tannins and lush concentrated attractive fruit core,
finishing quite elegantly actually.
90+
2006
Cabernet Sauvignon (from barrique, destined to part of the blend)
- lovely dark cassis with tobacco and light spicy oak, rich texture v grainy
tannins, tart cassis fruit v generous mouth-feel. Promising.
92
2006
Syrah
/ Merlot
(ditto) - closed up to start with, moving on to dark cherry and plum pudding
with soy sauce tones; very concentrated showing depth, style, well-handled oak
and nice fine-grained tannins. Should add a pretty special dimension to the
blend.
94
2007 (random cask) - a touch of malolactic fermentation notes but this
shows lots of chunky black cherry and berry fruit, fine fresh tannins, balance
of power v elegance and pure concentration too. Very promising.
6 Avenue de la Viale,
11610 Ventenac-Cabardès. Tel: 04 68 24 92 30 / mobile
06 17 40 54 31,
arnaud.cabardes@wanadoo.fr
or
contact@laregalona.fr,
www.regalona.fr.
 Domaine de Cabrol
Claude Carayol and his team work 21 handsome hectares of vines
planted on this elevated
- up to 300 metres / 950 feet altitude in parts - sprawling estate (the remaining 100
or so ha are scented scrubland and forest), out of which they coax a
handful of exciting red wines. The most representative are perhaps the following three rich solid
blends: Vent d’Ouest, or West Wind made mainly from Cabernet Sauvignon, Vent d’Est
- East Wind with Syrah predominating - and the dense age-worthy La Dérive; which
are up there among
the
Cabardès appellation’s best wines (as long as you like chunky tannins) and
reflect its philosophy in terms of chosen varieties and the sites where they perform
best. Access to the domaine is through an old gated wall on the left off the
D118 road heading north from Carcassonne towards Mazamet, just after the village
of Villegailhenc, where vineyards and landscape begin to get sparser
and wilder before merging into the ominous Montagne Noire (Black Mountain
obviously).
See website below for more details, but basically they're open for tasting from
11am-12pm (except in winter) and 5-7pm every day (earlier in the summer)
including Saturdays: ring first anyway. Claude sells his wines mostly to
wine merchants and restaurants in France, so is probably as yet undiscovered in
English speaking wine circles... these three were
sampled in situ when I visited in April
2008.
2005 Vent d'Est (mostly
Syrah 13.5%) - attractively floral, rustic
tinged black cherry
nose; moves on to tight, firm and fresh mouth-feel layered with dark chocolate
and cherry fruit; needs a little time to open up.
89+
2003 Vent d'Ouest (mostly
Cabernet Sauvignon) - nice herbal cassis and mint aromas
with peppery undertones; dense palate, grippy v lush, 'sweet' v bitter twist;
still pretty chunky and concentrated.
90+
2003
La Dérive
(Cabernets Syrah Grenache) - smoky and liquoricey, again dense and
extracted but it works, rich fruit v very firm tannins then savoury tang on the
finish; wow, still youthful really.
92+
11600
Aragon.
Tel:
04 68 77 19 06,
cc@domainedecabrol.fr,
www.domaine-de-cabrol.com. |
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