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Listed in alphabetical order
(ignoring Mas, Domaine, Clos, La, des etc). As most of these producers are
one-man/woman bands or hubby&wife operations, it's best to email or ring in
advance if you want to tour, talk and taste with the owner/winemaker. Otherwise
you might find the only one at home is the faithful winery dog! If calling from
outside France, add 0033 and drop the first 0. Also includes
my favourites from these wine shows: Fenouillèdes 2007-2009, Millésime Bio 2008-2010 and Vinisud 2008.
On this page:
Domaine/Château/Mas Alart, Amiel, Arcadie,
Arguti, L'Ausseil,
Les Balmettes, La Balmière,
the Bee,
Berta-Maillol, Bila-Haut, Mas Blanc,
Borde Vieille,
Brial-Baixas-Les Pins, Caladroy,
Calvet-Thunevin, Camp Roc,
La Casenove, Castello, Vignerons Catalans,
Cazes, Chênes, dels Clots,
Comelade,
Coume Majou, Coume Mas,
Coume Roy,
Crémat.
The rest: Roussillon 2: D to L
Roussillon 3: M to R Roussillon 4: S to Z
 Mas Alart
Frédéric Belmas and his winemaker
produce attractive, rather than sensational, red Côtes
du Roussillon that can be drunk young while benefiting from a little bottle-age;
barrel-matured Rivesaltes
Hors d'Age
(literally
'beyond age': made from white grapes but slowly
turns golden brown, as the Stranglers once sang, over the years) and
a lively Muscat de Rivesaltes. The Mas also makes a kind of balsamic vinegar -
the smell in the on-site plant (for want of a better word: French has the
handy vinaigrerie) is wonderfully overpowering - and a variety of things from organically
grown almonds. It's not too difficult to find, off the main road heading out
of the village of
Saleilles towards Perpignan;
easy does it down the potholed rustic track that leads to it. Tasted mid October
2006:
2005 Muscat sec, la Vigne de Madame - crisp and fresh with lightly perfumed,
grapey citrus peel notes; clean mineral finish. 83-85
2005 Carignan vieilles vignes - attractive liquorice fruit, juicy black cherry v
dry tannins, quite fine and long. 87
2005 Côtes
du Roussillon (Syrah Grenache Carignan) - young
spicy fruit, quite concentrated yet elegant, ripe v dry textured finish.
87-89
2005 Muscat de Rivesaltes - fresh and lively honeyed orange peel flavours, nice
bite and length v sugar. 87-89
1994 Rivesaltes
Hors d'Age
- complex rich, oxidised toffee notes on a dried fruit backdrop; good length,
'cut' and maturity v sweet finish. 89-91
Tasted summer 06:
2001
Côtes du Roussillon rouge (13%) - complex
maturing meaty tones layered on liquorice and red pepper fruit, soft and ready
to drink with a little dry tannin left to finish. Approx €4.50
89
Tasted Sept. 2007:
2005 Merlot, vin de pays des Côtes Catalanes
(13%) - enticing plum and cassis aromas with gamey earthy edges, slightly
baked/oxidised although this bottle was found on a high supermarket shelf under
a light and it had a plastic cork; quite lush and powerful v a touch of
extracted dry tannins, not exactly elegant but good with sausages. €3.95
85
Off the D22, 66280
Saleilles. Tel: 04 68 50 51 89,
www.mas-alart.fr,
frederic.belmas@wanadoo.fr.
 Mas Amiel
Arguably the most famous name in the Maury area (and suitably celeb prices to
match, you might be cheeky enough to add), Mas Amiel has been owned by Bordeaux magnate Olivier
Decelle (Chx. Jean Faure St-Emilion, Haut-Maurac Médoc, Bellevue Fronsac,
Haut-Ballet Canon-Fronsac) since 1999, who has obviously made substantial resources
available to overhaul and replant the vineyards and build a smart new tasting
room/shop on-site. Amiel is a vast and beautiful estate spanning across 190
hectares (470 acres) of vines, 155 of them currently in production, in "90
parcels." The latter figure sounds a bit difficult to get your head round (where
does one plot start and finish exactly?) but, if you get the chance to be driven
around some of the many tracks here, there and everywhere; then you can see what
they mean. The terrain varies greatly with slopes undulating in different ways
with different exposure (although much of it south-facing), peaks and troughs of
altitude and a colourful variety of schist etc. soils, some towards black and
some not so black. In 2003, Olivier called in soil specialists Claude and Lydia
Bourguignon to analyse vineyard health and if and where there were any
deficiencies to rectify. Winemaking and vineyards now come under the watchful
eye of Nicolas Raffy, who I tasted the following with in November 2009:
2007 Altaïr white Côtes du Roussillon (Grenache gris,
Macabeu, Grenache blanc:
all old vines from a mixed plot, 13%) - honeyed milky aromas with slightly
exotic and very light coconut spice notes; fat, oily, smoky and nutty mouthfeel
vs mineral bite and attractive bitter twist; mature now. €16
85-87
2007 Notre Terre Côtes du Roussillon Villages (Grenache,
Syrah, Carignan from 10
plots, 14.5%) - dark cherry and liquorice notes underpinned by creamy cassis; a
touch of chocolate oak texture vs firm tannins vs very fruity on the palate,
finishing with dry bite and appealing weight although not overpowering. €12
87
2006 Carerades Côtes du Roussillon Villages (old-vine
Grenache, Syrah,
Carignan
from 3 plots; the latter two spent 18 months in barriques, 15%) - toasted dark
chocolate plus quite strong "rubbery" oak tones; concentrated lush mouthfeel
vs oaky texture, a bit too toasty at the moment but it does have very nice depth
underneath. Not convinced the right winemaking
balance is there, but it might surprise and mellow. €25 87+
2008 Vintage white Maury (Grenache gris: 110g/l residual sugar, 15.5%) - floral
honeysuckle aromas, white peach and "hot stone" notes too; juicy tasty palate
with fairly tight finish helping the sweetness and alcohol to blend in nicely,
promising actually. €15.50 88
2007 Muscat de Rivesaltes - piercing aromatic aromas/flavours but there's
something else there too; zesty and zingy vs sweet mouthful, turning oily with
attractive bite of alcohol and herby / citrus finish. Rather dear though at €14! 85
2007 Vintage Maury (Grenache from about 20 different parcels, "muté sur grain"
leaving c.100g/l RS, 16%) - gorgeous pure blackberry and other wild fruits,
turning liquoricey too with tobacco edges; delicious fruit vs solid firm tannins
and punchy 16% but it has plenty of depth; appealing sweet vs dark chocolate
bite then closes up a bit on the finish. Needs 2 or 3 years just to open up, let
alone actually starting to mature... €14.50 89-91
2006 Vintage Charles Dupuy (selected older Grenache + 14 months in barriques,
80g/l RS, 16.5%) - very dark colour and rich toffee & leather nose, turning
meaty too vs lush dark lively fruit; a touch of oak on the palate yet it's
nicely integrated with those chunky tannins, sweet/savoury profile showing
truffle and Black Forest gateau flavours, then dry grip and power. Wow. €32
90-92
L08 Plentitude "Passerillé sur schiste" (dried out Macabeu
berries picked at 22° potential, 145 RS
& 14.5%) - strange herby spicy mineral nose; moving on to very rich honeyed
flavours, explosive sweetness vs fresh cut and bite. Odd but nice.
87+
Cuvée Spéciale Maury 10 Ans d'Age (aged 1 year in demijohns outside + 9
years in large oak tuns, 16%) - brownish/red colour showing toffee and gravy
aromas layered with dried fruits and roasted pecan; explosive sweetness tempered
by dark roast coffee notes, fig and tobacco too vs attractive bite and coated
mouthfeel. Complex and tasty with very long, sweet/savoury finish. €15.50
92+
1980 Millésime Maury (16.5%) - quite brown too but has deeper colour,
cocoa and dried liquorice on the nose with intricate cheesy Madeira-like nose;
still has chunky tannins and nice oomph vs lush sweet liquorice fruit then meaty
spicy undertones; very alive still and very long, tasty maturing finish.
Excellent. €45 93-95
1969 Millésime (16%) - lighter colour with more amber/brown hues, similar
nose to above but meatier with more of that mature wild cheese Madeira thing
going on; much more toffee-ish and cooked liquorice vs grip and punch, then
toasted coffee, fig and tobacco. Again still alive, rich and long although the
alcohol carries it more than the 80. €70 92-94
Mas Amiel, 66460 Maury. Tel: 04 68 29 01 02,
www.masamiel.fr.
 Domaine Arcadie
Looking at their website, "Arcadie" appears to be taken from 20th Century
Provence-based writer Jean Giono; and you could say there's a kind-of creative
writer's touch to Agnès & Raphael Graugnard's wines. They originally hail from a
winegrowing-family background in the southern Rhone - Agnès cited one of the
reasons why they're working towards organic certification is remembering her
father being ill after using "conventional" (synthetic) sprays, and "we don't
like these nasty products anyway..." And ended up in the raw northern Roussillon
because of, like for many young newcomers to the region, its affordable old
vineyards in breathtaking natural settings; not that the southern Rhone is
exactly ugly! Agnès, who also works as a contract winemaker for some other small
domaines, said she "uses minimal sulphur dioxide (in the winery/wines), but I'm
not aiming at using none (can be risky)... as long as your hygiene standards in
the cellar are good."
Arcadie now comes to just over five hectares (12.5 acres) of pretty plots dotted
here and there across the Agly valley and Fenouillèdes areas: see notes below
with locations. I tasted these wines with her in the cosy cellar, next to their
shop in the village of Tautavel (mostly from vat or barrel unless I don't
specify, in which case a finished bottled wine) in March 2009. By the way, TP3
is their 1975 ex-army truck (it's quite cute actually despite its macho nature!)
they use for vineyard work and transporting grapes...
2007 rouge (mostly Syrah from vat, more
Grenache will be added) - lovely spicy
black cherry, cassis and liquorice notes; quite fresh acidity and subtle dry
tannins add bite and length. 87+
2008 Syrah (from Lesquerde & Saint-Arnac, vat) - delicious fruit, similar to above
but more black cherries; more structured too with quite fine finish. Yum.
2008 Mourvèdre (vat) - closed nose, very peppery and perfumed black fruit /
olive flavours; firm and fresh mouthfeel, long structured finish.
2007 TP3 Côtes du Roussillon - very attractive vibrant black cherry and cassis fruit, spicy vs
'sweet' and pure perfumed vs earthy herby peppery notes; nice lush mouthfeel vs
light dry tannins and texture, fruit and refreshing twist on the finish. Elegant
and peppery with a bit of depth and appealing dry coating, although a delicious
simple pleasure really. €7.50 87-89
2008 TP3 (vat sample: Syrah, Lladoner
Pelut & Grenache) -
more liquoricey and "black forest gateau" fruit vs again very spicy; enticing ripeness
vs firm coating, good length. (Now bottled, €7.50)
2008 Grenache (Tautavel, vat) - very juicy and tasty, 'sweeter' and fuller
profile vs those nice tannins again, 'sweet' vs savoury finish.
2008 Grenache &
Lladoner (from schist on the Col de la Dona, the other side
of Estagel, and Col de la Bataille, between Estagel and Millas) -
gorgeous big spicy nose with lots of ripe fruit, concentrated with thick
tannins. Yum, very promising.
2005 Alba Côtes du Roussillon white - a tad oaky / toasty on its own but nice with e.g. baked fish
with breadcrumb topping; turning oily with peach and apricot flavours underlined
by spicy coconut, nutty creamy oxidising notes too; quite powerful finish, gets
nuttier and more buttery after open for a day vs coconut oak and aniseed bite,
definitely mature now though. 85+
2006 Arcadie Côtes
du Roussillon Villages (Lladoner Pelut,
Syrah Grenache Mourvèdre 14.5%) - quite dense
looking with attractive ripe black fruits, liquorice and pepper on the nose
underlined with background coconut spice and some maturing smoky notes;
well-made wine with mix of lush concentrated fruit, grippy grainy lightly
coconut texture, 'sweet' dark cherry fruit and spices; punchy mouthfeel with
nice dry coating and framework vs peppery blackberry / cherry and liquorice then
subtle chocolate / coconut dusting. Still quite tight and fine, needs 1 to 2
years to fully open up yet it's attractively tasty and drinkable now with e.g. a
good steak. Next day: more aromatic and juicy vs tight grainy texture then more
savoury and supple on the finish. 89-91
And these two tasted at the Fenouillèdes wine fair, April 2009:
2008 Alba white (Grenache gris &
Grenache blanc) - very nice spicy aniseed and
fennel notes vs milky edges, spicy juicy yeast-leesy flavours and textures with
fresh length. Yum. €10 87-89
2007 Arcadie Côtes
du Roussillon Villages (blend as 06 above, more or less) - lively blackberry /
cherry fruit with hints of black olive; peppery vs lush mouthfeel, firmly
structured dry and powerful vs 'sweet' yet meaty fruit. Drinking now although
promising enough to keep for a few years (yeah, right...). €10
90+
1 Avenue Jean Badia, 66720 Tautavel. Tel: 04
68 51 27 33 / mobile: 06 76 54 22 49,
www.vinarcadie.com.
Domaine Arguti
This is Ugo Arguti and his daughter Angélique's
promising little estate, yet another
Bordeaux (Saint-Emilion to be precise) winemaker who realised the Roussillon is better!
On a haphazard journey through the region in April 2004, they were so struck by
the steep elevated (at 300 metres/1000 feet altitude) vine landscape around
Saint-Paul, that they bought four hectares (10 acres) within a few hours. Or so
the romantic story goes...
These two 2006 wines presented at the
Fenouillèdes wine show, held
in April 2007 in Tautavel, were barrel samples.
2006 Grenache Gris, vin de pays - pretty
toasty but creamy and spicy, nice juicy fruit and concentration, weighty yet
fresh too. We'll see how it develops once in bottle.
87-89
2006
Côtes
du Roussillon Villages (Grenache Carignan Syrah)
- lovely intense aromas, black cherry fruit v rich ripe tannins; delicious
already! 89-91
2009 update: gosh, two years have just
whizzed by again! So, these three Argutis were tasted at the Fenouillèdes wine fair, April
2009:
2008 Le Grand A white (Grenache Gris)
- lightly toasty coconut vs juicy lees notes, refreshing mineral mouthfeel vs
fatter apricot fruit. 87
2007
Côtes
du Roussillon Villages (Grenache/Syrah/Carignan)
- quite coconut oaky at the moment although quite rich, spicy and structured too
for an 07; tight and firm palate vs dark berry and liquorice fruit.
87-89
2008 CdRV (cask sample) - darker fruit profile, perhaps more concentrated
with chunky framework, attractive fruit and style; liquorice and pepper vs solid
and dry on the finish. 89+
And this wine in early September 2009 (a medal-winner in this year's St-Bacchus
competition - click for full report and reviews of all the wines):
2006 Le Grand A Côtes
du Roussillon Villages (Grenache Carignan Syrah
14.5%) - well-made polished style, powerful and peppery with maturing dark
fruits vs coconut oak spice and textured tannins; drinking quite well with e.g.
fillet steak although it's a bit too punchy and warm on its own. Leave it till
winter. However, it does have attractive dry vs lush fruity texture vs savoury
flavours; the next day, it was meatier with more savoury/leather notes vs that
"sweet" dark fruit and the oak merging into it better; quite nice tannins with a
bitter twist, although I still found the alcohol a touch dominant, definitely a
big food wine. 89(+)
14 avenue du 16 août 1944, 66220 St-Paul de Fenouillet. Tel: 05 57 74 69 82 (in
Bordeaux), mobile 06 80 18 36 22,
domaine.arguti@wanadoo.fr,
new site:
domainearguti.fr (although still under construction 09/09).
 Domaine
de
L'Ausseil
First of all, a few words to accompany Anne and Jacques de
Chancel's inspiring bird- and bug-labelled (designed by Anne) wines.
The 'company flyer' (a more than adequate A4 photocopy actually) begins thus: "Searching for a spot
of terrain to make wines we like, we landed, almost by chance, in January 2001
in Latour de France..." Can't blame them, it's beautiful and very northern-Roussillon around here:
a dry fractured rocky patchwork of windswept old vineyards.
Talking of which, nearly half of Ausseil's (means bird in Occitan - this area
marks the ancient border between Catalan and Oc country) 12.5 ha/30 acres is
planted with 70-100 year old Carignan; followed by Syrah, Grenache, Mourvèdre,
Grenache Gris, Macabeu and some Merlot too. 2007 marked the beginning of the
quest for organic certification, as they were already in to working the soil
(instead of drenching it in nasty chemicals) and using
natural compost (smelly but effective). Wines tasted at the
Fenouillèdes wine show, held
in April 2007 in Tautavel:
2005 Libellule vin de pays des Côtes Catalanes blanc (mostly Macabeu)
- interesting appley intensity leads to a rounder creamier palate, mineral
freshness v quite fat mouth-feel. €8 87+
2005 Papillon vin de pays des Côtes Catalanes blanc (mostly Grenache Gris)
- spicier and honeyed, milky edges on a quite crisp and fresh length; lots of
character and style, a tad of light oak but well-handled. €14
90
2005 P'tit Piaf rosé vin de pays des Côtes Catalanes
(Mourvèdre) - fresh and aromatic yet meaty too v
raspberry and cream fruit, zingy structured length. €4.90
87+
2004 Cot Côtes Côtes
du Roussillon rouge (mostly
Carignan)
- perfumed and floral nose leads to a quite rustic soupy palate, rich with
appealing fruit and light grip; a little too smoky in style but still good. €7
87
2004 La Capitelle, Latour de France Côtes
du Roussillon Villages (Carignan
Syrah
Grenache)
- tighter finer wine, lush yet floral black cherry and liquorice, nice peppery
edges, firm fresh finish. €8 90-92
2003 La Capitelle, Latour de France Côtes
du Roussillon Villages (Carignan
Syrah
Grenache)
- more fruit forward than the 04 with violet and black cherry notes, liquorice v
savoury palate, dry firm and powerful suffused with rich maturing fruit. €8
90
2004 Les Trois Pierres, Latour de France Côtes
du Roussillon Villages (50%
Syrah) - 100% barriques and it shows: more
toasted chocolate on the nose, quite extracted and choco palate yet lush and
firm; dry finish, closes up. €14 89-91
2003 Les Trois Pierres, Latour de France Côtes
du Roussillon Villages (50%
Syrah) - attractive herbal black cherry
aromas, the oak is much more in the background, again solid framework v lush
fruit. €14 90
2003 Drôle d'Oiseau, Latour de France Côtes
du Roussillon Villages - rather barrel heavy, charred extracted palate, a bit
too much. €24!
Spring/summer 2009 update: I caught up with
Jacques in the lovely village hall in Tautavel, host to the groovy Fenouillèdes
wine fair in late April 2009. A few of his latest vintages ran as follows:
2007
Papillon white - still floral and zesty vs
nutty creamy flavour/texture, fresh acidity vs fatter side on the finish.
85-87
2007 Du Vent dans les Plumes Côtes du Roussillon Villages - very peppery
menthol notes, spicy and intense; quite rustic too moving on to liquorice fruit
vs power and fairly soft tannins to finish. 87
2005 La Capitelle Latour de France - smoky and meaty with dark
plum fruit underneath, again peppery turning more savoury and leathery; power
and grip vs melting tannins and rich fruit. 89-91
2005 Les Trois Pierres Latour de France - oily "vinous" nose and
body vs tighter firmer mouthfeel than above; again shows nice "sweet & savoury"
development vs juicier fruit too, fine grained tannins even if quite stonky.
90+?
18
Boulevard Carnot, 66720 Latour de France. Tel: 04 68 29 18 68
/ 06 76 81 03 48, chancelj@free.fr,
www.lausseil.com.
 Domaine
des Balmettes
Lucien Salani is, like his friend Geoffroy Marchand at
Etoile du Matin, one of an increasing
band of young risk-taking growers with vineyards either side
of the Corbières, who is making handmade, natural and whimsical wines; sometimes breathtaking, sometimes just a little too off-the-wall for some. All of Lucien's
wines are Vins de Pays (Côtes Catalanes)
and most of them are varietal too, although it doesn't
say so on the label. Each one is named after the plot(s) where a particular variety
is planted - and more specifically the type of trees alongside - reflecting the different soils and, perhaps more importantly, varied
lie of the land and micro-climate that characterise his vineyards as a whole.
So, each wine says
more about terroir, or rather the different
terroirs you find here, than so-called appellation.
For example, out of seven hectares (17 acres) he has spreading out from the back of
Cases-de-Pène
towards the hills above Espira; there's "Grenache facing all ways, Syrah facing
south" and a few white vines here and there too. Despite the fact that his Syrah
turns out a cracking wine, Lucien thinks: "Grenache and Carignan are the
best
adapted varieties here... Syrah also doesn't live as long (max 60-70 years)...
And why have Mourvèdre if you have to treat it because it ripens late. The ideal
is to get good ripe grapes without intervening with chemicals... and (for example)
using traditional field selection to choose the most resistant plants" (as
opposed to clonal selection or GM). On the winemaking front, he no longer
de-stems the grapes (whole bunch fermentation) and is trying to move towards
using zero sulphur dioxide (already quite low). These wines were tasted, and
some of them re-tasted, between October 2008 and January 2009:
2007 Les Agaves (Macabeu) -
tasty, nutty and tangy; mineral freshness v honeyed floral fullness, dry and
quite fine finish.
2007 Les Amandiers (Grenache on mostly marl, 14%) - ripe, smoky, tobacco-tinged
black fruit and liquorice cocktail; turning meaty on the palate with lively gripping mouth-feel, tasty and long.
90
2007 Les Oliviers (Grenache on mostly schist, south and north facing parcels
picked 2 weeks later, 14%) - less developed and smoky, much tighter and firm-textured mouth-feel with a tad of chocolate; nice depth of fruit underneath those
currently big tannins, needs 6-12 months to open up. 90-92
2007 Les Figuiers (Syrah 14%) - slightly
reductive yet smoky nose with wild
cherry and herbs; again very ripe v savoury, very firm and powerful, dark
fruit v dry texture. Needs 1-2 years to open up. Yum. 92+
2008s tasted from vat:
Macabeu - lovely, nutty and savoury, rounded v fresh.
Grenache Blanc - more exotic and fatter,
powerful v crisp finish.
Grenache Gris - pinky/copper colour,
deliciously spicy and full v lively and with a touch of grip even.
Agaves (red) - gorgeous fruit v meat v grip.
Oliviers - big structure and concentration but nice tannins.
Les Balmettes ('Grenache Ouest' = west: new cuvée
about to go into barrel) - more austere with coating of extract/tannins v lovely
dark cherry and choco twist.
Syrah - rich and dark, big concentration and
tannins layered with deep fruit.
2007 Muscat de Rivesaltes (15.5%, 100
grams/litre residual sugar) - rich and honeyed with attractive freshness so
doesn't taste so sweet; oily textured peachy fruit v refreshing pear flavours,
much crisper finish than most. 87+
2005 Les Oliviers (14%) - maturing smoky rustic nose with fig and
cooked black cherries, cheesy / savoury with volatile
complexity; meaty palate with leather notes and liquorice, grippy textured
tannins v concentrated wild fruit v maturing 'real cider' flavours. Something in
the background like it's a tad corked? Coming back to it: ageing quite quickly
yet still has a kind-of wild intensity, richer mouth-feel with more liquorice
and peppery now, turning more savoury and softer v firm and powerful. Still has
ever so slightly 'musty' finish but it doesn't smell corked though?
90
2006 Les Oliviers (14%) - funky/reductive(?), slightly volatile
'real cider' aromas layered with 'sweet' dried black fruit, fig and wild herbs;
very concentrated & ripe with tobacco and leather edges, very solid dry coating
with big spicy finish, although it's comfortable with itself. At least, it will
be as it closes up a little with lots of grip v lightly savoury fruit. Not sure.
Next day: less funky, more complex with dried herbs/fruit, lush liquorice and
smoky too; dry coating v ripe maturing fruit with leather, fig and baked apple;
tasty and savoury v structured finish. 89+
2007 Les Oliviers (14%) - complex volatile wood-smoke notes v very ripe
dried fruit, liquorice v peppery herbs, toffee apple and very light leather too;
very concentrated, lush & rounded v solid dry tannins, 'sweet' liquorice and fig
then tight closing up finish; needs a year to come out fully. Next: intense ripe
fruit with wild/volatile edges v big structure and bite; a one-off.
92+
Click here for
more Balmettes ('Top Languedoc & Roussillon over €10').
2 Rue des Jaoumets, 66600
Cases-de-Pène.
Tel: 04 68 38 16 03 / 06 09 58 17 35,
www.lesbalmettes.com.
Domaine de la
Balmière
I first met Laurent Marquier back in very cold January 2005 - see
below below for my previous tasting notes on his wines - when we briefly
trampled over a peaceful little spot on his wild old vine-land. I've tried his
wines a couple of times since, most recently at the Fenouillèdes wine show in
late April 2009, and the message is pretty consistent: he's making some exciting
wines! Here they are:
2007 white (both Muscats) - turning quite oily, mineral and nutty vs
lively citrus still; quite concentrated with maturing complex finish, not very "Muscaty"
and all the better for it. 87+
2005 Tradition Latour de France Côtes du Roussillon Villages (Syrah Mourvèdre Carignan
Grenache) - smoky and developed with lush fruit vs
herbal edges, attractively "soupy" and spicy with a bit of grip on the finish;
nice now actually. 87+
2006 Espoir - similarly smoky nose but finer and more concentrated, peppery too
with plenty of character, fruit and chunky tannins; nice black olive / spicy
finish, good stuff. 89-91
2005 Latour de France (mostly Syrah) - more balsamic with dark olives and
a touch of wood spice vs rich smoky fruit; again dry and firm texture vs big
rounded mouthfeel, complex with "sweet & sour" finish.
90+
2008
Tradition (tank sample) - delicious berry fruit vs chunky rich tannins, very promising.
2008 Latour (from barrique) - similar lush fruit with vanilla
overtones not surprisingly, very solid palate but "sweet" tannins and very
peppery; yum.
And a few
earlier vintages, tasted in May 2006 (click
here for more wines from that show):
2005 Muscat sec - very lively mineral style with crisp citrus fruit
v lightly rounded finish. 87
2005 Côtes du Roussillon rosé
- floral white peach and redcurrant fruit, attractive dry finish and
length. 87
2005 Latour de France CdRV (1/4 each of Grenache Carignan Syrah Mourvèdre) -
lovely peppery ripe black fruits and olive, firm dry mouth-feel with
generous rounded texture. Promising. 88-90
And in 2005 (more on that here):
2003 Latour de France -
Smoky and rustic offering attractive fruit, good concentration and lingering
balanced grip. 89-91
2004 Muscat - a
bit closed on the nose, gummy extract with crisp citrus depth.
87
La Balmière, 66720 Latour de France. Tel: 04 68 29 00 04, lc.marquier@club-internet.fr.
 Domaine
of the Bee
What's all this English then, you might be wondering? Bit of a giveaway but the
name has a certain ring to it. The people behind the Bee are Justin Howard-Sneyd
MW "biggest nose" (I quote from their website), aka former head of
Waitrose wine buying (since moved to Direct Wines/Laithwaite's) and long-time enthusiast for south of France wines; Philippe Sacerdot
"biggest brains" and Justin's wife Amanda "biggest hair." Back in 2003, a second
family trip to the Maury area (so the story goes...) instilled a minor obsession
to buy a few plots of vines, which now total nearly 4 hectares of old Grenache
and Carignan, "about the size of 5 football pitches" (not being a soccer type,
it never occurred to me to use that comparison to explain ha but it does the
trick).
These exposed (big wind and sun) vineyard parcels are managed by Richard Case at
Domaine de la Pertuisane,
who also makes the wine at his / American partner's new mega-winery up the hill
from Maury (more on that to follow...). I say "wine" as there's only one so far,
hence the single tasting note below on the promising 2007 vintage. Before that,
the grapes went into various Pertuisane wines. There's a lot of blah blah said
about yields in this area (and just about everywhere really), but they sum it up quite neatly on the site
referring to quantity produced in 07: "Imagine a square 4 metres by 4 metres
with one bottle sitting in the middle. That's roughly the yield that these
ancient vines give us." Anyway, this translates as the wine costing £16-£20 a
bottle depending on how many and whether you buy it in the UK or France. More
details from
www.domaineofthebee.com, where there's even an honest FAQ justifying "why is
it so expensive?" I like your nerve! Tasted in late October 2009:
2007 Domaine of the Bee vin de pays des Côtes Catalanes (Grenache,
Carignan 15%) - a dusting of coconut oak layered
with very ripe dark fruits; spicy and chunky mouthfeel with dry vs quite soft
texture, rich and powerful yet balanced with fairly intense but not too huge
finish. 87-89
 Domaine
Berta-Maillol
This "perhaps 400
year-old estate" is found a few kilometres inland from Banyuls-sur-Mer town centre
(where they also have a shop), not far from the Maillol
museum (well-known 20th Century artist who is a relative) and the riot of a 'road' that
eventually climbs over the Col de Banyuls into Spain. The Berta-Maillol family
loves to
chat enthusiastically about the region's wines - how they're made, history, what to eat with them
- while tasting with you in their old cellar. In fact, there are some lovely recipe
ideas on their website (see below). Banyuls Vin Doux Naturel is
obviously their pride and joy - the appellation stretches across the sheer rugged
slopes behind and between the seaside towns of Collioure, Port-Vendres,
Banyuls-sur-Mer and Cerbère - and these fortified, Port-style red wines
slowly improve as they mature...
2004 Collioure Arrels (mostly Grenache plus
Mourvèdre Carignan
Syrah) - perfumed blackcurrant and
cherry with lavender notes, quite tangy yet attractive fruit to finish.
85
2004 Collioure Barral - grippier and a little spicier with background oak
v chunky fruit; odd sort of glue smell to start but has a better finish.
83-85
2005 Banyuls blanc (Grenache
blanc
& gris
plus
Muscat) - nice aromatic
style, sweet honey and flowers v fresh zingy finish; somewhat youthful showing
promise. 87
2004 Banyuls (Grenache) - appealing black cherry, prune and leather notes;
not very sweet with lively alcohol and light tannins on its good length.
87-89
2003 Banyuls - more oxidised and sweeter, delicious liquorice and
prune fruit followed by nice bite. 87
2001 Banyuls - meatier with stronger leather tones, lovely rich
liquorice flavours within its complex developing fruit; long and well integrated
tannins/alcohol, a bit drier than the 03. 90+
Banyuls Hors d'Age (solera method: average age 5 to 8 years with a
tiny proportion much older) - intricate savoury v toffee aromas, rounded and
tasty palate with roast beef and prune notes; very long finish, a real treat.
92-94
Updated spring/summer 2009: affable brothers Jean-Louis and Michel
Berta-Maillol have made some changes in winemaking techniques and style, which
show through nicely in their richer fruitier 2007 and 2008 Collioure reds; as
well as new dry white wines and a chunky rosé. And a new blog too:
http://bertamaillol.zeblog.com. All the 2008s I tasted were unfinished tank
or cask samples:
2008 Collioure blanc (Grenache
blanc
& gris)
- exotic and "fat" with attractive apricot and quince aromas/flavours mingling
with hints of pine essence; quite rich vs zesty with a tangier side vs creamy
yeast-lees notes, dry mineral bite with fresh acidity vs rounded and weighty.
87+
2008 Muscat sec (Alexandria)
- lively perfumed orange peel zest vs grapey "Muscaty" notes; zippy and gummy
palate with a dry twist. 85-87
2008 Collioure rosé (Grenache
Syrah) - lively red
fruits with creamy edges, gummy "boiled sweet" tones with off-dry finish. Nice
style. 87
2008 Collioure rouge (50+% Grenache plus
Mourvèdre Carignan
Syrah, ageing in big
tuns) - delicious black cherry and blueberry fruit, spicy and minty too; firm
and dry mouthfeel vs vibrant floral liquorice flavours. Yum, will be lovely.
2008 Collioure Barral (more Grenache
and
Syrah than above plus
Carignan,
ageing in barriques) - deeper colour with a touch of chocolate oak, more
liquorice and spice too; much firmer palate but concentrated too with floral vs
"sweet" fruit, good balance and style showing power and grip vs freshness vs
ripe texture. Promising.
2007 Collioure Barral - powerful yet perfumed with dark cherry
fruit; rich rounded and liquoricey vs dry and solid, chunky and weighty vs lush
and tasty. 90
2008 Banyuls Rimage (Grenache) -
Black Forest Gateau richness vs quite raw alcohol (not surprising at this
stage), firm and fruity finish.
2007 Banyuls Rimage (Grenache, 6
months in barriques) - mellower showing more cooked cherry aromas / flavours;
lush vs structured mouthfeel, lively at this stage of course with lots of
substance and fruit, attractive grip and texture vs sweetness. Very nice style
and again promising. 88+
Mas Paroutet, Route des Mas, 66650
Banyuls-sur-Mer.
Tel: 04 68 88 00 54,
domaine@berta-maillol.com,
www.bertamaillol.com.
 Domaine
de Bila-Haut / M. Chapoutier
The big name and big heart of Michel
Chapoutier making a move on the Roussillon several years ago now - I'll update
this profile with a date and other data (and I'll actually go there at some
point...), as, despite the flash press kit and
CD, there's very little detail in it about his operation here apart from it's
based in and around the village of Latour-de-France - must have helped in
convincing any lingering sceptics, if there were/are any left, that there really
are some superb old vineyards in the Agly Valley stretching across the
Roussillon's ragged northern reaches. An ideal spot probably (dry and windy) for implementing the
company's global philosophy and farming policy of organic/biodynamic winegrowing. As for the
two reds below, they're sourced from different parcels on different soil and
aspect (gneiss, schist and limestone just to hit you with a bit of geology;
some vineyards higher than others); and the first one doesn't see any wood
during winemaking,
whereas the second has a longer maceration and half of it is aged in casks.
Tasted December 2009:
2008 Les Vignes de Bila-Haut Côtes du Roussillon Villages (Syrah
Grenache Carignan 13.5%) - attractive vibrant aromatic fruit and spice,
black cherry with liquorice and wilder smoky notes too; juicy and quite lush
showing nice weight vs refreshing bite and dry chalky tannins; young obviously
but drinking quite well now. Fairly straightforward and gluggable wine and not
bad with cannelloni, which the next day (the wine not the pasta) opened up to a fruitier,
more peppery, unoaked Crozes-Hermitage look-alike! Fr online €5.80, UK £8 Armit Wines,
Bordeaux Index, Genesis Wines. 85-87
2007 Occultum Lapidem Côtes du Roussillon Villages Latour-de-France (Syrah
Grenache Carignan 14.5%) - richer smokier and denser than above, although
has plenty of nice earthy/minty dark fruits, liquorice and meaty/leather/tobacco
tones; chunky and lush mouthfeel with light wood grain texture vs rounded
tannins, attractive weight and power (and higher alcohol!), spicy vs grippy vs
rich fruit on the finish. Fr online €10, UK £13 Roberson's,
Quintessentially Wine. 89+?
Click here for a couple of
Chapoutier's Hermitage wines.
66720 Latour-de-France:
www.chapoutier.com.
 Domaine
du Mas Blanc
Jean-Michel Parcé puts together quite a diverse range of traditional reds (mostly Collioure)
and Vins Doux Naturels, sourced from different plots lying in first-rate sites
around the Banyuls-sur-Mer area, which usually age well - he doesn’t tend to release them until he thinks they're
ready. Jean-Michel, whose winery and cellars are located right in the town
centre, has been at the helm of Mas Blanc for over 30 years
continuing the pioneering work done by Doctors Gaston (grandfather) and
André (father) Parcé. So, a few generations of Doctors (Who?) then, for those of
you who
don't know them and get the tangential "joke" ((w)ho (w)ho).
On the Banyuls VDN front, he makes just about every style
imaginable (and a couple more besides), which makes Mas Blanc a good place to learn
something about these distinctive wines. For example, his ‘Rimage’ La Coume, built from
rather old Grenache, is
intensely "sweet and sour"; and Colheita-style ‘Excellence’ impressive,
quirky and complex. As for Collioure reds, Clos du Moulin (the name of the
vineyard, pic. above) is made from about
80% Mourvèdre supplemented by Counoise and is something of a solid meaty forte; and his half-Syrah Cosprons
(again, a single vineyard site) is rich,
smoky and savoury. Jean-Michel has also started producing more whites
(e.g. the promising ‘Signature’ below) and rosés, as well as a few
balsamic-style Banyuls vinegars (see website at bottom for details). Spring
2009:
2008 Signature white Collioure (Grenache
blanc Marsanne Roussanne
&
Tourbat) - exotic fruit and banana notes lead on to zesty
citrus vs a touch of yeast-lees creaminess, finishing with nice fresh mineral
length. €12.50 87-89
2006 La Llose red Collioure - already turning smoky and savoury with minty
herbal undertones and nice cassis fruit too; tangy vs soft mouthfeel with subtle
concentration, attractively lively and firm vs easy and supple on the finish. €9
87
2004 Cosprons Levants red Collioure - smoky leather touches although still a bit
closed up surprisingly; maturing ripe resiny fruit vs hints of wild herbs on the
palate, enticingly elegant savoury and tasty finish. €18.50
89+
2004 Clos du Moulin Collioure (mostly Mourvèdre)
- meaty black olive aromas with dried fruits too; attractive elegant palate
showing a lush savoury side vs firm but accessible tannins, dry yet quite fine
finish. €23 89+
2005 Les Junquets Collioure (mostly Syrah) -
very cassis nose although perhaps a tad reduced;
cleaner palate, pretty solid at this stage with 'sweet' vs herbal fruit, tight
closed up style but give it 1 to 2 years. €28 90
2006 Rimage Banyuls - oxidising meaty edges vs nice intense sweet raspberry vs
dry grip all lending good balance. Still young. €21 87+
2004 Collita Banyuls - more liquoricey with dried / cooked fruits, spicy
too vs firm textured, lush and sweet vs meaty leather tones.
€15 88+
Cuvée du Docteur Banyuls - more oxidised with toffee and sweet nuts; oily
texture vs dry grip, nice traditional style with a warming Christmas pudding
finish. Just what the, erm, Doctor ordered (groan). €13
89+
1998 Vieilles Vignes Banyuls - maturing "cheesy" aromas, intricate and
savoury; rich toffee vs again that dry texture, nutty and long. Yum, all comes
together nicely. €30 92+
2000 Excellence Banyuls "Colheita style" - unusual nose showing toffee,
banana, caramel and baked Brazil nuts with an interesting "herbal" backdrop;
sweet vs structured and punchy mouthfeel with delicious "sweet & savoury" mix,
dry grip vs liqueur-like flavours. Wow. €35 92-94
Hors d'Age Sostrera Banyuls ("solera" style) - really oxidised and sweet,
very complex and Madeira like although more raspberry syrup; again firm palate
yet minty or something too, fine mature wild cheese notes then structured and
still lively finish. A one-off. €45 92+
This "bin-end" was found in a LeClerc store (north Perpignan), early summer 2009
(I assume as it was only €5 and bottled with a screwcap, so I doubt originally
destined for French supermarkets):
2005 Les Piloums Collioure rouge (13.5%) -
attractive mature supple style with dried, smoky, savoury fruit; lacks a bit of
substance and class but quite a bargain though. 85
And this is what I said back in September 2005:
2003 Banyuls blanc (Grenache Blanc Malvoisie
Muscat d'Alexandrie 16.5%) - Unusual bromide nose leads to minerally
palate, finishing more Muscaty and aromatic; good balance of alcohol and
residual sugar. 85
2001
Banyuls Rimage, la Coume (Grenache Noir 17.5%)
- Fairly oxidised nose (intentionally) showing lovely spicy 'garrigue' fruit
with perfumed wild flowers, attractive grip of tannins v sweetness with good
bite and length. €38 92-94
2001 Clos du Moulin,
Collioure (80%
Mourvèdre + Counoise) - Lovely ripe smoky complex nose with sweet berry, liquorice,
mushroom and lavender; soft v structured mouthfeel, dry texture with bite of
tannin and acidity layered with rich wild raspberry fruit, subtle elegant length
and concentration. 90-92
2003 Mosaique, Collioure - More up-front and straightforward than
the Clos Moulin, ripe blackberry fruit then quite structured closing up a little
on the finish; again shows richness v elegance v firmness. €15
87+
9 Avenue Général de Gaulle, 66650 Banyuls-sur-Mer. Tel: 04 68 88 32 12,
domainemasblanc@free.fr,
www.domainedumasblanc.com.
La Borde Vieille - Felluns
See my article "Strange goings-on in Maury" for
details and review...
 Dom Brial
- Vignerons de Baixas - Château les Pins
Let me explain: the cooperative cellars in the
pretty village of Baixas (west of Perpignan airport) go under the brand name
Dom Brial - some of the wines with bright, sense-of-humour labels (lipstick &
fruit) and others
more trad - and own Château les Pins, their premium estate a stone's throw
away. With this wide grape source "we can adapt to make what sells and what customers want," Claude Sarda told us during an enlightening, late summer visit.
He
also said there's a surplus of Vins Doux Naturels (sweet fortified whites and
reds) but not really dry wines, the production ratio being about one-third to
two-thirds. Their preferred solution is to come up with ideas to sell more sweet
wines - this used to be a massive market in France - rather than stop making
them. Either option is a brave choice...
Grapes from Les Pins are hand-sorted by
about half-a-dozen people in the cellar; in general, control and traceability of the grapes'
health,
quality, sugar levels, provenance etc. are quite strict, as it should be in any big
winery. Technical advisers work with the co-op growers (300 of them) in their vineyards, and everything is weighed and
analysed on the spot when they deliver the fruit, before they proceed to
unload. I'll spare you the chemical analysis but can confirm the little lab has
a machine that goes ping. The winery, which takes up half of the village,
has been totally refitted over the last ten years; so plenty of stainless steel
and other shiny geeky stuff.
2002 Château les Pins Côtes du Roussillon blanc, vinifié en barriques (Grenache Blanc
Malvoisie Roussanne) -
oily oxidised development, fat-textured quite toasty yet concentrated; not for
everyone and definitely needs food. €9 85+
2005 Rozy, vin de pays Côtes Catalanes (Muscat
Syrah) - quirky blend for this light, cheekily packaged (bikini clad
bottle) rosé: fresh and aromatic with tangy finish, perfumed and easy yet has a
bit of weight too. €4.50 82-84
2004 Dom Brial les Terres Rouges, Côtes du Roussillon Villages (Grenache Syrah Mourvèdre Carignan, 13.5%) -
nice peppery rustic black cherry and cassis notes, aromatic fruit v light grip
and bite. €6 87
2002 Côtes du Roussillon Villages Elevé en fût de chêne (13.5%) - smoky
mature liquorice nose, rustic black fruit set on a rounded soft palate; nice for
2002 (difficult vintage here). €6 87-89
2002 Château les Pins Côtes du Roussillon Villages (Grenache Syrah Mourvèdre Carignan)
- similar to above but more complex and liquoricey, smoky perfumed fruit with
elegant long finish. They also sell quite a few older vintages in their shop.
€8.50
90+
2004 Château les Pins Rivesaltes Primage (Grenache, 15.5%) -
attractive mix of sweet blackberry and leathery maturity, sugar-coated mouthful
cut by drier tannins. €8 87-89
Above tasted on 5/9/06 - see wines of
the moment for reviews of other Brial wines, which are mostly sold in France
at the moment although they have plans to increase their presence in the UK and
US.
Tasted summer 2007:
2006 Le Pot rosé (Syrah
Cabernet 13%) - quite fat and juicy start with strawberry and redcurrant
fruit, more elegant dry fresh finish. €3.50 87
"Wine of the moment" Feb 2009:
2008 Dom Brial Côtes du Roussillon rosé (Syrah Grenache 13%) - classic
storming Roussillon rosé style, deep coloured with a light touch of tannin
adding dry texture; 'winey' aromatic and crunchy red fruits with rose petal
edges, juicy and zingy with chunky fruity mouth-feel and full dry finish. Nice
foodie (e.g. hake fillet in Provencal sauce). €4.19 87+
More Brial
here (2009 Saint-Bacchus awards).
Cave des Vignerons, 66390
Baixas.
Tel: 04 68 64 22 37,
contact@dom-brial.com,
www.dom-brial.com.
 Château
de Caladroy
Overall, a quite impressive, even if large range
and sometimes not exactly fantastic value,
from this revitalised chateau "up in them there hills..." Although once again,
on the first occasion below, I was least impressed by the supposed top wine; all dolled
up in "impressive" new oak and rather heavy winemaking (knock this fashion on
the head please!). Anyway, the rest are mostly rather tasty and better value for money
in MHO.
A wee bit of history is called for, as Bélesta really is an extraordinary wee place
lost in time; just like Caladroy itself, which is found on the twisting road on
the way in from the Forca Réal pass. Originally, the chateau was built in the 12th Century to defend the
border between France and "Spain" (hence the village’s full name), or rather Catalonia/Aragon depending on the
date (click
here for a fascinating summary of the region's complicated history).
Restored and rebuilt over the years, it reflects a mixture of architectural
styles depending on who was paying. The Saint Barthélémy de Caladroer chapel
dates from the same time, and the Maurin family, who owns the estate, had the
bright idea of turning it into a discreet tasting cellar. You can also buy their
unusual grape juice jams (Muscat or Grenache: try with different cheeses),
cooking-friendly red wine
vinegar (great for caramelising onions or meat) and delicious untreated olive
oil. This first batch of wines was tasted at the
Fenouillèdes wine show, held
in April 2007 in Tautavel:
2006 Rosé
des Vents Côtes du Roussillon (Syrah Grenache Carignan Mourvèdre)
- quite tight and zippy framework v gentle strawberry and raspberry fruit, fresh
long finish. €6.20 87-89
2005 Cuvée Les Schistes Côtes du Roussillon Villages (Syrah
Grenache Carignan) - lovely juicy blackberry/cherry, perfumed v
liquorice; very fruity with light tannin backdrop. €7.20
89
2005 La Cour Carrée Côtes du Roussillon Villages (25% each Mourvèdre
Syrah Grenache Carignan) - similar aromas and fruit style to above but
more concentrated, liquorice charm v oomph and grip, nice balance. €10
90
2004 La Juliane Côtes du Roussillon Villages (Syrah Carignan Mourvèdre
Grenache) - smokier more rustic and savoury v lush black cherry fruit,
firm and fresh with good length and power. €13 90-92
2004 Saint Michel Côtes du Roussillon Villages (at least half Mourvèdre
plus Syrah Grenache) - lots of vanilla and
chocolate oak, extracted tannins, robust closed up finish; more serious perhaps
but more enjoyable? Dear at €22.
2010 update:
fast-talking Serge Maurin did a full-monty tutored tasting for me in situ back
in March and filled me in on a touch of extra detail. With an on-going
replanting programme, sizeable Caladroy currently amounts to about 100 ha (250
acres) lying in one spot around the chateau, with certain plots at over 300m
altitude. As for exports, his wines are well distributed in Denmark, Switzerland
and the US (Vintage 59, Washington DC) although "not a lot" in the UK at the
moment. They've also been focusing on getting people to come and visit them (you
could do worse, it's a spectacular location) and now do a fairly serious
turnover in direct sales.
2009 Expression de Caladroy white vin de pays (Chardonnay,
Macabeu, Muscat 13.5%)
- fresh pear fruit with toasty lees and vanilla notes; juicy palate with crisp
bite vs subtle oak giving a rounded vs lively finish. €6.90
85
2009 Rosé
des Vents Côtes du Roussillon (Syrah Grenache Carignan
13%) - very aromatic rose petal and red fruit style; fatter creamier mouthfeel
vs tight, crisp and mouth-watering finish. Nice balance and elegance too. €6.50
85+
2007 Clot de la Vigne Côtes du Roussillon Villages (13.5%) - attractive
simple red with juicy cherry fruit, a touch of liquorice and spice too; fruity
and easy with quite soft tannins giving a tad of bite. €5.80
80+
2007 cuvée les Schistes Côtes du Roussillon Villages (14.5%) -
herbal/reductive notes plus richer cassis and liquorice; vibrant fruit vs
rounded grip and peppery finish, light bitter twist vs dark fruit cocktail.
€7.30 87
2006 la Cour Carrée Côtes du Roussillon Villages (14%) - nice
maturing "sweet" fruit with savoury edges; tighter firmer finish with light wood
texture, quite elegant style; perhaps lacks a bit of depth but might improve
still... €10 87
2008 Pierre Droite Côtes du Roussillon Villages (80% Mourvèdre
+ Syrah Carignan 14.5%) - this one's new: wilder
herbal black cherry / olive with liquorice tones; very firm coating of tannins
vs chocolate oak and lush fruit, tight fresh and closed up finish; promising
though and has lingering floral herby vs dark fruit flavours. €15
88-90
2004 la Juliane Côtes du Roussillon Villages (mostly
Syrah 14.5%) - delicious maturing nose with black cherry, developing
meatier edges with "sweet/savoury" profile and some background oak spice;
concentrated yet elegant with a touch of chocolate texture, still firm actually
with a bitter twist vs enticing maturing fruit. Quite fine. €13
89-91
2006
Saint Michel (14.5%) - similar blend but new barrels: it's oaky but has
enough substance behind all that vanilla and chocolate; tight and elegant palate
with "sweet/savoury" edges, quite fine tannins actually. We'll see if that oak
drops a bit, although it seems less obvious than on the 04 above, a typical 06
really. Still rather expensive though at €22! 87-89
Al Vi Réal Rivesaltes Ambré VDN (15.5%) -
lovely caramelised walnut notes then more aromatic and orange peel-tinged; nice
bite and twist vs rich marmalade, quite smooth and well-balanced too. €8
87-89
2007 Rivesaltes Grenat (16%) - lively fruity
cassis and wild herb flavours vs dry tannins adding bite, not too sweet despite
its alluring Black Forest gateau finish. €8.50 85-87
2009 Muscat de Rivesaltes -
delicious, very typical grapey Muscat aromas with zesty pear notes too; nice
crisp-ish edges vs all that sugar! €8 85-87
Rivesaltes Tuilé (16.5%) - complex herbal vs
dark fruits, Madeira-esque and smoky with oxidising dried fruit; lovely
"sweet/savoury" towards meaty palate with attractive dry bite, dense dark
chocolate vs grippy tannins and complex finish. €10 90
More Caladroy
here (2009 Saint-Bacchus awards).
66720 Bélesta de la Frontière. Tel: 04 68 57
10 25, contact@caladroy.com,
www.caladroy.com.
Domaine Calvet-Thunevin
Jean-Luc Thunevin needs little
introduction (Château Valandraud and other St-Emilion properties); winegrower Jean-Roger Calvet is the local
partner in this Maury-based estate and the one who runs it day to day. The Thunevin name has certainly attracted a lot of
attention to the domaine (and high prices too) and this area on the whole; an d
soon you won't be able to miss it arriving in Maury from the Estagel direction,
as they're building a huge winery and shop
at the village entrance. He, Jean-Roger (a charming down to earth chap by the
way) and their American importer (New York's Eric Solomon) have recently
purchased a further 10 hectares in the Lesquerde area to the south, bringing the
estate to 60 ha/150 acres. They've also set up a merchant company to buy in
grapes to boost production, so obviously believe in the region's future.
Interesting to note that this very red-focused producer is starting to make a
few traditional sweet Vin Doux Naturel wines "to see if it
works," JR told me. The following were tasted in the Dom CT
cellar (a genuine 'garage' in fact), April 2007.
2004 Cuvée Constance, vin de pays Côtes Catalanes (Grenache Carignan)
- lightly leafy, a bit reduced even? Odd slightly
sour palate to start, however it ends up quite firmly structured vs almost elegant
actually. Needs airing maybe? €6
2004 Les Dentelles, Côtes du Roussillon Villages (mainly old Grenache Carignan)
- quite toasty coco oak but less obvious than previous vintages (e.g. 2002),
firm Bordeaux style with floral cherry fruit; nice texture of fine spicy
tannins, again relatively elegant. €18 87-89
2003 Hugo, Côtes du Roussillon Villages (Grenache Syrah Carignan)
- more seductive with juicy liquorice and tobacco fruit, very rich with firm
chocolate oak; powerful but not so overblown. €30 88-90
2004 Les Trois Marie, Côtes du Roussillon Villages (mostly Grenache)
- rich glob of liquorice, black cherry and lightly oxidised leather; coconut
oak layered palate that again finishes a bit too much on the wood tannins,
although there is sweet fruit underneath. Priced at a very reasonable €100! 90 perhaps,
as a show wine. Admittedly, the oak
started to calm down a little on these wines over lunch.
Spring/summer 2009 update:
I tasted Jean-Roger's currently available vintages in a rather different setting
- the bold new Calvet-Thunevin statement winery, made from massive blocks of
sand-coloured Gard stone, is very much operational and has somewhat altered the
view on the way in to town! Those additional 10 ha (25 acres) of mostly Syrah and
some Carignan mentioned above, planted on
granite soils at 400+ metres altitude (1300 feet) near the village of Lesquerde,
are now on stream bringing more "cooler-climate" fruit to the blends. "We've
also moved to more sorting," Jean-Roger added, "and ageing in larger barrels"
(good: hopefully less oaky wines then. And
following on from his comments above about doing a Maury VDN style; well, see
below for the result (definitely worthwhile)! They'll be launching a dry white wine this year too,
so I look forward to trying it...
2005
Cuvée Constance Vin de pays des Côtes Catalanes (Grenache
Syrah Carignan
14.5%) - showing some ripe strawberry and liquorice fruit, a bit baked/oxidised though (it was
already open, don't know for how long...); firm and dry textured with not bad
fruit and punch, lacks a bit of charm. 80-85
2005
Les Dentelles Côtes du Roussillon Villages (Grenache Carignan)
- nice gamey edges vs liquorice and spice; powerful firm mouthfeel with subtle
oaking (hoorah) adding texture, leaner and tighter on the finish than I thought
it would be. 87+
2004 Hugo Côtes du Roussillon Villages (Grenache Carignan
Syrah 15%) - again a bit baked on the nose (open), has richer extracted
dark fruit with meaty edges vs very firm tannins still; however, its big
concentrated mouthful is certainly seductive. 87+
2005
Les trois Marie Côtes du Roussillon Villages (Grenache
16%)
- very rich and extracted with quite a lot of chocolate oak, although enticingly
lush, peppery and meaty too; big grainy tannins give a solid dry palate but
there's a bit of underlying freshness too, and still shows better balance
despite its 16% alc. Needs 1-2 years to open up. 88-90
2004 Maury (Grenache 80 grams/litre residual
sugar) - attractive fruity vs meaty leathery notes; chunky and grippy mouthfeel
vs good sweet fruit with maturing edges. 88+
13 rue Pierre Curie, 66460
Maury. Tel: 04 68
51 05 57, contact@thunevin-calvet.fr,
www.thunevin-calvet.fr.
Camp del Roc
I can't find any info on Philippe Botet's winery
at the mo (you should see my desk: I have a tech sheet hidden somewhere... I
also can't find a website either), so here are a few comments on his eclectic
wines at least, tasted at the
Fenouillèdes wine show held
in April 2007 in Tautavel:
2004 Singularis blanc (Carignan Blanc) -
unusual spicy celery notes v light cream, still has some freshness v fat fruit.
85-87
2006 Rosé de Presse - a bit strange, goes into barriques: surprisingly has lots
of lively strawberry and raspberry fruit v rounded coconut palate; kinda works.
87
2006 Roc Petit (Carignan Lledoner Pelut Syrah) - nice crunchy fruit with light vanilla undertones, grippier
finish than you think it's going to be. By the way,
Lledoner Pelut is a natural mutation of black Grenache: there's a bit
here and there in the Roussillon. 87
2005 Vinum Patris, Côtes du Roussillon (Carignan
Lledoner Pelut Cinsault) - quite a bit of oak but nice fruit
too and freshness underneath, textured dry tannins v ripeness; not sure about
that oak though. 87
2005 Erant Olim (100 year old Tempranillo) - a bit
baked on the nose, leads on to quite rich fruit with an oaky backdrop; has a
'modern' Catalunya/Navarra edge, nice texture but too much oak.
2005 La Frontera (Syrah) - lots of spicy oak, nice ripe fruit and texture, firm
but fine grained. We'll see.
6 rue du Barry, 66130 Montalba-Le-Château.
Tel: 04.68.35.22.54,
phbotet@wanadoo.fr.
 Château La Casenove
I tasted most of Etienne Montès' Catalan delights
on a fact (and wine) finding mission in May 2007 (and re-tasted the leftovers
over the following few days), as you'll see below. Catalan
indeed: Etienne now chooses to label all of his wines as vin de pays des Côtes Catalanes
in stoical protest, as he fell out with the Roussillon AOC authorities (part
philosophical, political and financial: it's a long-ish story...). Casenove
is an enchanting serene backwater found down a dirt track signposted off the
main road between Trouillas and the N9 (Perpignan-Le Boulou); even if it is
located not far from the motorway and the new high-speed train line to Barcelona
that's being frantically built, although you wouldn't know it once you're there.
Out stepped a laid-back colourfully cardigan-ed Etienne Montès, who takes great
pleasure in showing around, talking and tasting with someone "interested in what
we're doing." We discussed many things, although his views on Carignan and
Les Aspres Côtes du Roussillon zone are especially worthy of note. The oldest
Carignan among Casenove's 50 ha/125 acres dates from 1934, which is "still
good... I'd like more old vines in general," while summarising his father's and
his re/planting programme over the years. The oldest Syrah is a relative baby at
32 years old with more planted in 1994.
"It's too hot for Syrah in certain areas, and the Grenache we have here isn't so
well adapted to the Aspres; you have to be selective. I think we should use more
Carignan because of hotter vintages, yet we're told we should decrease the
amount of Carignan so they can do a Languedoc in the Roussillon. I'm against
this commercial rather than philosophical policy." The Aspres sub-appellation
rules limit the amount of Carignan growers are permitted to put in their blend
and also extends into the Albères (the hills bordering Spain). "We talked about
it for 10 years, they should have chosen Albères for the name. I've never
labelled as Aspres as it was wrong from the start by dictating the varieties,"
Etienne concluded. His wines are well distributed in Switzerland, Germany,
Denmark, Canada and the US.
2004 Masia M 'Roussillon red wine' (from the most productive
Grenache & Carignan
13.5%) - he hopes to build this label into a kind-of mini-brand. Light red
pepper and cherry fruit, dry grip and a little weight v easy fruit. Re-tasted:
less leafy and more open, cherry with liquorice edges. €6
85
2005 Masia M - more generous and rustic than the 04 with richer fruit and chunkier tannins;
bigger with rounded mouth-feel, power and grip. Re-tasted: more seductive with
earthy black fruits, quite powerful and firm v lush. €6
87
2004 La Garrigue, Domaine La Casenove (Carignan Grenache Syrah
14.5%) - a bit closed on the nose (had just been bottled), black cherry
elderberry and 'inky' liquorice fruit on the palate; quite powerful yet elegant
too, subtle fruit v coating of tannins, balanced length closing up a little on
the finish. Re-tasted: denser brambly elderberry fruit; quite rich, extracted,
powerful and firm v fine fresh intensity and finish.
89-91
2004 Torrespeyres, Domaine La Casenove (Carignan Syrah
14.5%) - fragrant black cherry / blueberry with background coconut oak, fairly
intense fruit with dark chocolate nuances; this has bite, grip and power on its
tight long finish. Re-tasted: dense and powerful palate with peppery blueberry /
blackberry and lusher liquorice; firm and commanding with floral v dark choc v
savoury veneer. 90-92
2004 cuvée Francois Jaubert (Syrah) - spicy
vanilla oak v chunky fruit and tannins; more 'international' in style but still
shows that hallmark fine grip, bite and balanced power. Re-tasted: still quite
vanilla oaky but has depth, class and savoury development; robust firm palate v
fruit/oak sweetness. 88-90
2001 Rivesaltes rouge - open for a week: quite oxidised black plum and
dark roast coffee tones give way to a savoury v sweet palate with bitter choc
and blackberry tinges; firm tannins v rounded sweet & sour fruit, powerful but
not fiery. 89-91
1998 Rivesaltes ambré (Grenache Macabeu) -
the casks spent 2-3 years outside, bottled in 2006: roasted coconut and maple
notes, pecan pie richness v tangy coating; oxidised sweetness v fine freshness
from the alcohol and acidity. 90-92
Pedro Montès (2003 vintage Grenache Blanc,
sun-dried leaving 80 grams of natural residual sugar and 9% alc) - super raisin
aromas with complex Madeira type volatility, very
lush yet has nice freshness too. Different: apparently popular with a few
Copenhagen restaurants. Etienne commented: "VDN
wines need this kind of character otherwise they're just sugar and alcohol."
Consumed (in moderation) August 2007:
2000 Pla del Rei, Domaine St-Luc, Côtes du Roussillon (14.5%) - quite
rustic and smoky nose, complex fruit development with savoury v liquorice v
leather tones; rich dense palate, quite big alcohol but off-set by nice maturity
v solid structure, multi-layered; quite sexy although a bit (too) rustic /
bretty? 90?
Casenove
update 2009: I caught up with Etienne Montès on a suitably sunny
spring day and tried some of his promising 2005s, as well as a couple of sublime eight
year-old VDNs. He also told me he has a new importer in London and will be doing
"a little bit of Côtes du Roussillon again" with the 2008 vintage, purely
because "Fabrice Rieu (the new president of the CIVR, the region's trade body) is a friend
of mine."
2005 La Colomina vin de pays des Côtes Catalanes (Carignan Grenache Mourvèdre
14.5%) - slightly volatile and complex maturing leather tones vs attractive
herbal berry, baked apple and liquorice edges; rounded 'sweet' palate with a
touch of dry grip, freshness and subtle finish. Drink now to 3 years. €6
87
2005
La Garrigue vin de pays des Côtes Catalanes (Syrah Carignan Grenache
14.5%) - richer and smokier with very light chocolate spicy oak tones; more
textured, firm and powerful layered with raspberry and black cherry fruit; quite
concentrated with tauter tannins on the finish, although still rounded and
attractive needing a year or two to open up. €?? 89+
2004 Torrespeyres (Carignan Syrah
14.5%) - more perfumed and spicier with wild herb and ripe blueberry tones;
meaty savoury palate, quite complex and big mouthful showing greater depth with
subtle chocolate oak texture; still pretty solid on the finish with plenty of
life in it vs nicely maturing and concentrated fruit, structured and long.
90-92
2004
cuvée Jaubert (Syrah 14.5%) - attractive
maturing "gravy" aromas with shades of background chocy oak; rich vs firm
mouthfeel, vibrant and concentrated with underlying powerful tannins; nice
"sweet vs savoury" profile too, quite a mouthful with touches of quite fine
northern Rhone actually. Yum.
92+?
2001
Rivesaltes Ambré (Grenache Macabeu) - this
VDN spent 2-3 years in barriques outside with no topping up (losing almost a
third of its volume in evaporation); final blend and bottling in January 2009.
Enticing pecan / walnut tones and caramelised raspberries, Madeira-like style
and complexity; big sweet palate vs intricate and endless aromas / flavours,
wild volatile edges to its delicious voluptuous mouthfeel finishing with orange
peel freshness. A one-off. 93-95
La Casenove, 66300 Trouillas. Tel: 04 68 21 66 33,
chateau.la.casenove@wanadoo.fr,
rhone.vignobles.free.fr/pagesgb/montes.htm.
 Mas
Castello aka Domaine Cachau-Dubournais
David Dubournais ("passionnément vigneron" as it says on his card,
zealously so!) and Jean-Pierre Cachau have been at Castello for about three
years (2006 was their first vintage as far as I can tell: more info to follow
when I go and visit them in situ); a rather sizeable 30-ha "block" (75 acres) up on the
Crest in the Espira area (north of the airport between Rivesaltes and
Cases-de-Pene), which is more unusual to find quite a large estate like that all in
one place (rather than a few parcels in different spots). They make the full range
of Roussillons from the usual suspects in the vineyard, reasonably priced from €5 to €14 a bottle,
including four Rivesaltes VDN styles (Muscat, Ambré, Tuilé and Grenat), which I
didn't try at the Fenouillèdes wine fair in late April 2009 but did these, if
you see what I mean:
2007 Folie white (Grenache blanc/Macabeu)
- aromatic and lively mineral style, appley with white peach flavours too; zingy
fresh finish. Left and stirred on the fine lees for a few months.
85+
2008 white (Grenache blanc/gris/Macabeu)
- juicy yeast-leesy notes and texture, attractive tasty style showing a bit of weight
and oiliness on the palate vs crisp and gummy. 87
2007 Folie rosé (Grenache Syrah)
- pretty intense nose and crisp mouthfeel, turning creamier and weightier on the finish
vs nice bite. 85+
2008 rosé (mostly Syrah
in barriques) - rounded and powerful vs gummy and intense palate with quite rich
red fruit cocktail; a bit of a wow rosé actually. 88
2006 vin de pays red (Grenache Syrah) -
appetizing
menthol, black cherry and liquorice tones/flavours; a bit of grip too on its nice finish.
87
2007 Côtes du Roussillon red (Grenache Syrah Carignan)
- more liquorice and black pepper on the nose; attractive "sweetness" and depth,
tasty mouthful with light grip and fresh twist vs smoky leather notes.
89
2006 Côtes du Roussillon Villages (Grenache Syrah Carignan Mourvèdre)
- less aromatic, more savoury and "serious"; concentrated dark fruit with more
structured and powerful palate / texture. 89+
2006 La Folie red (Carignan Syrah Mourvèdre
Grenache) - a tad musty? Some old wood adding texture, although it's much
grippier and a touch dried out and extracted; the corky/musty character has
perhaps exaggerated this?
2007 La Folie (cask sample, more Syrah than
the 06 otherwise blend is
similar) - spicy wood upfront on the nose, followed by lush concentrated mouthfeel with black fruits/olives; spicy and lively with big tannins, but it's ripe and rounded too
and that
chocolate oak should melt into it well. 90
Mas Castello, Route de Vingrau, 66600 Espira-de-l'Agly.
Tel: 04 68 64 33 38, domainecachau@orange.fr,
domainecachau.creation-website.com.
Vignerons Catalans en
Roussillon
We tried a number of wines from their broad portfolio over dinner at the posh Villa Duflot restaurant in Perpignan (many thanks, couldn't afford to eat there
myself!), where the Catalans' export manager François Trouquet talked about
their hopes and dreams. The funky Fruité Catalan trio, launched in summer
2005 (click here
for more info), has apparently sold over 1 million bottles so far (Sept. 06) and they'd like to
exceed 10 million by 2010. Ambitious indeed: François described it as "a mission
for the Roussillon" in true Blues Brothers style, even if it wasn't dark and he
wasn't wearing sunglasses... To get there, they've ploughed in €4 million in the
first year with at least another €5 mill to come.
FC is a "regional project" (forgive the marketing speak) to "help growers here
in the Roussillon." There are 60 estates and 4 co-ops involved, who submit
samples of the specified wines and then obviously bulk wine for the final blends
if selected. As for the wines themselves, I found the 2005s better than the
2004s launched originally: the rosé is nice enough,
fresh and crisp with light raspberry fruit; the white
has benefited from more Muscat in it and red tastes
a bit gutsier. VC are talking to UK supermarket buyers with a view to getting
wide distribution at £4.99 or £3.99 on promotion. So we'll see. Those cunning Catalans also recently introduced two
flowery butterfly,
2006 Primeur wines into French supermarkets (€2.95): see
wines of
the moment and for reviews of others from the stable. Here's my pick of the
ones we tasted on 4/9/06 in the restaurant in addition to Fruité Catalan:
1995 Rivesaltes Ambré (16%) - strange choice to start with perhaps
(strong and sweet), but this was good with the foie gras (right-off but
irresistible)! Toffee and walnut
flavours with smoky complex aromas and finish.
2003 Château Cuchous Côtes du Roussillon Villages (13.5%) - mint
and spice notes mix with black cherry and earthy liquorice, soft yet powerful
palate with rounded fruit and tannins; drinking now.
87+
2001 Caramany Haute Coutume 'Gneiss des Capitelles,' Côtes du Roussillon
Villages (Syrah Carignan Grenache 13%) - smoky mint
with light red pepper tones, 'cheesy' and intricate; soft and mature yet still
has nice dry grip too, making it good with the lamb dish.
90
2000 Caramany 'Schistes de Trémoine' Côtes du Roussillon Villages
- a little richer and more rustic than above, more developed with soft shorter
finish. 87
The 'brand extension' (to use the marketing babble) continues -
tasted summer 2007:
2006 Terroir Catalan rosé, Côtes du Roussillon
(Grenache Syrah Mourvèdre 13%) - nice lively red
fruits with light grip even, quite full and satisfying. Good but dear at €4.99.
85
Tasted April 2008:
2007 Rasiguères Côtes du Roussillon Villages (14%) - full-on chunky black
fruit and tannins, lively and fruity modern-styled red with liquorice edges,
quite serious backbone and dry grip even so. €3.95 87
1870 avenue Julien Panchot, BP 29000, 66962 Perpignan
Cedex 9. Tel: 04 68 85 04 51,
www.vigneronscatalans.com.
 Domaine
Cazes
A quick visit, chat and tasting (mid Sept 2006) in their shop at the winery in Rivesaltes, just north of Perpignan, revealed the wines below. You'll also find
a couple more in my Millésime Bio
2006
report, meaning Cazes is organically farmed with a view to gradually integrating
biodynamic methods across the whole
estate.
It's pretty big (170 hectares/420 acres), so it must be
back-breaking to apply all those 'alternative medicines' to that many vines.
Maybe the sheer size and resultant range form part of a slight
criticism I have: too large perhaps, as some of the wines aren't that
exciting considering their reputation and higher than average prices. However, some are.
2005 Muscat-Viognier, vin de pays d'Oc - the
Viognier adds weight, spice and exotic fruit without overpowering the
Muscat, which lends a mineral slightly bitter
finish; falls a little short after promising start.
2000 Credo Cabernet Sauvignon/Merlot, vin de
pays d'Oc - a bit oxidised (been open too long probably) and oaky, developing
leather and cassis notes on the palate, mature fruit v light bite of tannins; the
oak's also a bit dominant on the finish.
Libre Expression, Rancio Sec (Macabeu, 16%)
- you'll think it's going to be sweet thanks to the rich ripe honeyed
characters, but it's off dry with a tangy mineral finish. Different.
1976 Rivesaltes cuvée Aimé Cazes (80% Grenache Blanc
20% Grenache)
- complex developed pecan nut and 'cheesy' Madeira notes, mouth-coating richness
v oxidised fruit, nice fresh finish considering its age and sweetness (110g/l).
90-92
Update March 2007. I met the
energetic Lionel Lavail, who heads up an expanding family empire backed by big
Languedoc house Jeanjean. The group now takes in the Cazes brand,
Mas de Lavail near Maury (Lionel's uncle, aunt and
cousin), Domaine des Hospices (his parents' estate near Canet) and Cazes' project
with co-ops in the Latour de France appellation (see below). Business talk
aside, from the visitor's point of view, summer 07 saw a refit for the tasting
room and shop and plans for an organic café-deli are well under way...
2006 Canon
Muscat-Viognier, vin de pays Côtes Catalanes
- nice aromatic mix of grape and apricot, crisp yet quite fat, dry v fruity;
good commercial style. 80+
2006 Canon Syrah/Merlot/Grenache
rosé, vin de pays Côtes Catalanes - zingy
floral red fruit cocktail, crisp and clean. 83+
2005 Canon Syrah/Merlot, vin de pays Côtes Catalanes
- light and creamy with tangy currant fruit and spice.
80+
2005 Château de Triniac, Latour de France Côtes
du Roussillon Villages - attractive black cherry and liquorice notes, successful
mix of medium-bodied ripe fruit v nice dry grip, needs a few months to round out
a little. France €4 US $9 UK £5 87
2000 Credo Cabernet Sauvignon/Merlot
- tasted rather cold, but showing perfumed sweet oak with nice gamey edges
coming through, concentrated v quite elegant; the oak's still a bit dominant
over nevertheless good underlying fruit and length.
89+?
Tasted summer 2007:
2006 Syrah rosé, Domaine des Hospices, vin de pays Côtes Catalanes
(12%) - vibrantly coloured and fruity dry rosé with crunchy red fruits, light
creaminess and crisp bite. 85
2006 Muscat sec, les Hospices de Canet, vin de pays Côtes Catalanes
(12.5%) - nice, well-made style with plenty of aromatic grape and citrus fruit;
crisp, dry and fresh v a little rounded too. 85
Some news here (about their
wine bar, summer 2008).
2009 update, from Millésime Bio wine fair in Montpellier
(late January):
I tasted a few new vintages and chatted with Emmanuel Cazes, who updated me on
latest goings-on chez the family empire; including building work in the pipeline for a
fully-fledged organic tapas bar-restaurant next to their offices and cellars in Rivesaltes (and the difficulties!). I have to say, though, I thought the wines
were a bit of a mixed bag; the ones below were my favourites:
2008 Muscat-Viognier
vin de pays - bubbly fresh grapey nose with orange peel edges, slightly exotic
and juicy palate. Overpriced though at €6.60. 83-85
2008 Syrah-Merlot
Vin de pays - nice youthful vibrant fruit, a bit of grip in the mouth v fruity
finish. Overpriced though at €6.60. 83-85
2007 Ego Côtes du Roussillon Villages (Syrah Grenache Mourvèdre)
- better than the 2006 with its lively blackberry/cherry fruit and rustic edges;
chunky and firm texture and good length. €9.50 87
2005 Alter Côtes du Roussillon Villages (Syrah Grenache Mourvèdre)
- mature ripe nose, herbal v liquorice fruit profile with power and spice on its
attractive finish. €13 87-89
2005 Rivesaltes Grenat VDN (Grenache) -
expressive blackberry and spice on the nose; youthful fruit and not so
sweet-tasting thanks to good grip and underlying freshness. €11.50
88
Update March 2010
Emmanuel, who's in charge of technical matters re vineyards (although his father
and uncle are still very hands-on here) and winemaking, laid on a tasting at
their offices/wine shop; and we ate in their new (mostly) organic restaurant
next door afterwards (recommended if you're in the area: see website below). I
asked him how difficult is it to apply biodynamic farming methods to an estate
the size of Cazes (nearly 200 ha/500 acres)? "We went biodynamic via good old
farmer's common sense and now just do it on a much bigger scale. For example, we
have three large dynamisers and each one can do 50 litres of herbal teas, which
will treat 20 to 30 ha when we can or want to, while respecting the right days.
This helps us avoid doing stupid things and keep the balance between soil, plant
life etc. At the start, the vines were "stressed" for a few years, but after
that we noticed softer soil with better colour and (ultimately) more
concentrated fruit." Emmanuel also explained that "we're focusing more on
Syrah and Mourvèdre as the Grenache we have isn't great clones... we're
replanting Grenache and have changed the way we're working with Mourvèdre, so
it's producing well."
Le Canon du Maréchal vin de pays range (300,000 bottles a year!):
2009 Muscat/Viognier (13%) - elegant grapey aromas with light apricot and orange
tones; fairly crisp and mineral vs slight bitter twist, quite nice style.
80+
2009 Syrah/Merlot
rosé (12.5%) - attractive juicy style with subtle creamy red
fruits, also just bottled when I tried it but good elegant vs fuller finish.
83+
2008 Syrah/Merlot - nice fruity red with a bit of grip and crisp mouthfeel even;
cherry and plum fruit, a tad light but it's OK. 80+
2008 Marie-Gabrielle Côtes du Roussillon (Syrah Grenache Mourvèdre
13.5%) - a bit closed up at first, quite tight and grippy vs juicy black
fruits; fair structure actually with gentle cherry and liquorice flavours,
"chalky" tannins on the finish. 85+
2007 Ego Côtes du Roussillon Villages (13.5%) - smokier and more
developed, ripe nose with leather edges and a tad volatile but it works; quite
concentrated and fleshy showing nice fruit turning savoury, fairly solid yet
attractive tannins adding dry bite vs "sweetness" and a touch of dark chocolate.
87+
2007 Alter Côtes du Roussillon Villages (14.5%) - touches of spicy
coconut oak but not overdone, it adds a little bit of attractive grainy texture
and sweetness vs dry chunky framework; punchier yet well-balanced with a bitter
twist to finish. 87-89
2008 Collioure "Notre Dame des Anges" (Grenache Mourvèdre
Carignan Syrah 14%) - Cazes is working with a handful of co-ops and
estates here to make this wine, €1 of its hefty €14 price-tag being donated to a
charity working on the upkeep of the countryside and terraced vineyards in the area.
Appealing spicy liquorice notes, quite elegant and soft with sweet berry fruit
and a bit of bite; nice although fairly simple perhaps.
85+
1996 Rivesaltes Ambré - beginning to turn quite oxidised with toasted walnut and
mature cheese edges; enticing oily palate with nutty tangy bite vs rich and
mouth-filling, good balance of sugar and alcohol (15%).
88-90
2005 Grenat - fruity chunky style with nice black cherry and liquorice,
beginning to turn meaty too; sweet "cough mixture" vs firm dry tannins, fair oomph
still (15.5%) although should integrate nicely over the next couple of years.
87-89
1990 Tuilé - complex Madeira nose and tangy vs sweet pecan nuts; concentrated
and intricate vs 16.5% power, still delicious with its long sweet/savoury
finish. 92(+)
2006 Muscat de Rivesaltes (mostly Alexandria, 15%) - developing very orange
peel edges vs honey and dried apricot; lush mouthfeel yet has attractive bite
and style still. 87+
1991 Muscat de Rivesaltes (yes, all bottle
age! 15%) - much less Muscat-y and much richer with cooked marmalade; oily and sweet vs still tangy and lively
surprisingly. 89+
1978 Aimé Cazes (15%) - Madeira overtones, stewed sultanas and intense pecan/walnuts; oily
and rich vs tangy and intense, delicious coating with sweet/sour twist, complex
volatile lingering flavours and huge length. 93-95
More Cazes
here (2009 Saint-Bacchus awards).
4 rue Francisco Ferrer, 66600
Rivesaltes. Tel: 04 68 64 08 26,
www.cazes-rivesaltes.com.
Domaine des Chênes
When we called in on Alain Razungles just outside the village of Vingrau on the
hot sunny morning of 5th September 2006, they
were picking the first bunches of Carignan - some of the vines at least 90 years old
-
at his 30 ha (75 acre) domaine. It sits serenely in one of the most
breathtaking spots where you'd ever imagine finding vines (despite a ten year struggle to stop some indifferent multinational from turning
the area into a dirty great mine: more details on
this site and
this one, in French).
The 'cirque de Vingrau' is edged by steep, rough limestone cliffs and hills,
actually an outer limb of the Corbières, located about
30 km northwest of Perpignan. It's a haunting place where you feel isolated yet surrounded and like you're being watched; and not surprisingly popular with rock climbers. Alain has planted
"quite a bit of Syrah," the youngest of which "is too productive at the moment for
my best wines." Relatively speaking: yields in this wild terrain aren't large. Plantings rise from 130 to 400 metres (400-1250 feet) altitude,
which could explain why he has 50% white grapes, very unusual here, as they
retain nice fresh acidity. Varieties include old Grenache gris & blanc and Roussanne
introduced from the northern Rhone.
2005 Les Olivettes, vin de pays d'Oc (Muscat Macabeu
Grenache Blanc) - lightly aromatic with clean mineral palate, refreshing
acidity and intensity v weightier yet elegant length.
87+
2003 Les Sorbiers Côtes du Roussillon (Grenache
Blanc Macabeu, 14%) - aged 6 months in oak: light toast and cream with
spicy celery notes v fat milky mouth-feel and apricot fruit, yet fresh acidity on
the finish. 90
2004 Les Magdaléniens (Grenache Blanc Roussanne,
13%) - richer and more buttery with honeysuckle fruit, again fresh mineral
acidity; aromatic qualities help balance the toastiness.
88
2005 Festa Major rosé Côtes du Roussillon
(mostly Syrah, 13%) - lovely creamy raspberry fruit
v white pepper tones set against crisp mineral texture; delicious.
87-89
2004 Les Grands-Mères vieilles vignes Côtes du Roussillon Villages
(mostly Carignan, 13%) - a bit
reductive/sulphide on the nose? Cassis and plum
fruit comes through with a spicy chocolate layer, seems to lack generosity but
it's rather closed up on the finish; not sure...
2004 Le Mascarou, Côtes du Roussillon Villages Tautavel (Carignan Syrah Grenache,
14.5%) - smokier and meatier, spicy cassis fruit leads to a firm tight and fresh
finish; needs time, very promising. 89-91
2003 La Carissa, Côtes du Roussillon Villages Tautavel (Syrah Grenache Carignan Mourvèdre,
14.5%) - sumptuous aromatic spice with light cedar tones, nice black fruit
concentration v fresh bite and elegant intensity. 90-92
2004 Muscat de Rivesaltes - richer very
grapey style yet retains that hallmark freshness and mineral character,
attractively full and sweet v lively cut on the finish.
90
2001 Rivesaltes Ambré - aromatic baked walnut with
volatile complexity, very intense and long, good
balance of sugar and alcohol. 92-94
2001 Rivesaltes Tuilé - attractive leather notes and black plum,
rich mouth coating v fresh bite, powerful yet sweet and tannic. Woof.
90
L'Oublié Rancio sec (Macabeu 13.5%) -
literally one barrel forgotten about for 4 years (actually 95 vintage): dry
Amontillado style, old & oxidised yet fresh tangy and very long.
90
Domaine des Chênes is stocked by Lea & Sandeman in London.
7 rue du Maréchal Joffre, 66600 Vingrau.
Tel: 04 68 38 92 01.
 Mas dels Clots
Michel Piquemal took over this off the beaten
track estate in 1982, which is lost in the middle of nowhere almost into the Corbières
(you need to take the Opoul road out of Salses under the motorway, keep going
and follow the sign to the right until you run out of 'road'). Michel works all
his 30 ha/75 acres himself and organically as well, which he says "is good for
export but in France most people don't care!" The predominant varieties planted
are Grenache and Mourvèdre, and he makes about 60% red wines, 30%
VDN and 10 rosé/white.
Like many growers in the region, he despairs at the Roussillon's (unjustifiably) wanting image
especially outside France, with the Languedoc usually hogging the limelight: "don't talk
to me about the Languedoc, we're Catalan here!" There was some underlying irony there,
especially as the Mas is a stone's throw from the 'border' with the Aude region
and hence Languedoc. However, he thinks the 'South of France' labelling-idea
could be good for some producers, whereas "I'm small small small." Meaning it's
better for growers like him to focus on terroir
and "micro-cuvées" to keep a point of difference and sharper identity,
even if it makes this kind of wines more complicated to understand: "it's also their very charm," as Michel
put it. On the entertainment front, he occasionally organises tastings with
vineyard
barbeque in conjunction with other organic growers. The MDC wines are
reasonably priced too: from €4.50 to €6.50 for the reds and €8 to €11.30 for
VDNs. I tasted these two vat/barrel samples in March 2007:
2006 blend of mostly Grenache and
Syrah - lovely fruit and spice v grip and power, fresh bite too on
its long finish. 87-89
2005 Côtes du Roussillon Villages (after 18 months in oak) - nice spicy
coconut backdrop to a tight firm palate; good depth of black fruits, length and
again freshness. 87-89
2009 Update: the
opera-themed wines below were
tasted with Michel at this year's Millésime Bio wine show (Montpellier Jan.
2009). By the way, his prices haven't changed much: €5 to €6.50 for white, rosé
and reds; and €7.50 to €11.30 for quite a variety of VDN styles, as you'll see:
2007 cuvée Aïda Côtes du Roussillon Villages (Syrah Grenache
Carignan) - nice juicy spicy fruit, soft-ish tannins v punchy finish.
83-85
2005 cuvée Casta Diva Côtes du Roussillon Villages (Grenache Syrah Mourvèdre)
- touch of vanilla oak v juicy black cherry and liquorice, firm v rounded
finish. 85+
2006 cuvée Tosca Côtes du Roussillon Villages (50/50 Grenache Syrah)
- vibrant black cherry and liquorice notes; gripping dry texture v fruity
flavours, quite powerful too (14.5%) but not out of kilter.
87+
Rivesaltes ambré Hors d'Age (Grenache Gris & Macabeu: base wine is 2003 + some much older
giving an average age of about 10 years) -
beginning to turn toffeed and pecan nutty with shades of very sweet raspberries;
nutty caramelised flavours v spicy and lively, complex and long.
89+
1995 Rancio (Grenache Gris & Macabeu:
aged using a solera system) - wow, more raisiny and oxidised with rich walnut notes; tastes
drier but it isn't, very long and intricate v punchy finish.
92+
2003 Muscat de Rivesaltes (barrique-aged style) - cooked orange peel aromas,
vanilla and marmalade on the palate, rounded and sweet v refreshing bite;
unusual and very nice. 89+
Mas dels Clots, 66600
Salses le Château. Tel: 04 68 64 20 13,
mobile 06 61 20 99 40;
michel.piquemal@masdesclots.com,
www.masdesclots.com.
 Domaine Comelade
Founded by Lionel Comelade (pictured) back in 1986, this sweeping estate spreads
out majestically between Estagel and Latour de France and comes to a fairly sizeable 40
ha (100 acres). These wines were tasted at the Fenouillèdes wine show in
Tautavel, April 2009:
2008 "MS" Muscat sec, vin de pays des Côtes Catalanes - lively and "chalky" with
grapey citrus fruit, nice style. 85
2008 Le Casot Côtes du Roussillon rosé (Grenache/Syrah)
- rounded, fairly full-bodied, "winey" style; very dry and crisp vs oily fruit and
texture. 85+
2008 Notre Vent vin de pays des Côtes Catalanes (Merlot/Grenache)
- quite successful red blend actually showing inky vs plummy then spicy fruit; quite
extracted and firm on the finish. 85
2006 Le Casot Côtes du Roussillon Villages (Syrah/Carignan/Grenache)
- enticing nose mixing liquorice with menthol and spice, resiny maturing notes
too; dark fruit and toffee apple even with leather undertones, gripping tannins vs
attractive savoury flavours underneath. 86-88
2003 Les Jassettes Côtes du Roussillon Villages (Syrah/Carignan/Grenache)
- herbal floral "garrigue" aromas turning spicier
and smokier on the palate vs dark fruit underneath; stonky tannins still but also has
very nice maturing "sweet & savoury" fruit style.
89
And I rated one of Lionel's red Vins Doux Naturels as follows back in 2005 (on a
previous trip to the area):
2003 L'Oursoulette Grenat
- lots of raspberry jam on the nose then turning tobacco and spice, elegant
palate with nice dry coating of tannins v sweetness. 90
Rue Docteur Cartade, Route de
Latour de France, 66310 Estagel. Tel: 04 68 29 16 40,
domaine.comelade@wanadoo.fr,
www.domainecomelade.com.
 Domaine de la Coume Majou
Belgian Luc Charlier has a cosy garage cellar next to his house in sleepy Corneilla,
but his 10 ha (25 acres) of vineyards are scattered around the villages of
Maury, Estagel and Tautavel. He bought the former in 2005 and
latter in 2004 thereby joining the growing band of new wave, take a chance on a
dream winegrowers. "I originally wanted to buy in
Bandol but the prices are much too
high," he told me. "The Roussillon is the least expensive, and I discovered and liked
the area's wines thanks to the great
Gérard Gauby." Luc also firmly believes,
like his fellow Maury growers, that "we have the best Grenache in the world
along with Chateauneuf, Rasteau etc."
Luc also said he's aiming for "perhaps" three red cuvées - one from Syrah + press
wine, the Majou main label based on Grenache/Carignan and cuvée Casot,
mostly Grenache from his best Maury sites. His unusual rosé is made from Syrah,
white Macabeu, Grenache Gris plus free-run (red) Grenache juice. However, Luc
doesn't really believe in Syrah in this region "unless it's high up or in good chalk/clay
soils, such as Vingrau, Tautavel or Rasiguères." Another striking and
original feature of Coume
Majou is the absence of barrels in the cellar: for the moment, the wines are
kept in vat before bottling (good call, I'm getting very bored of oaky wines
anyway!). Posted February 2007 when I tasted these:
2006 rosé tank sample (12%, 8 grams/litre
residual sugar) - rounded full and creamy with crisp vegetal edge and a touch of
dry tannin too, off dry with fresh acidity.
2006 Casot tank sample (15%) - lovely ripe cherry and liquorice fruit v
firm bitter twist and freshness, elegant concentration and depth of fruit,
powerful but not too.
2005 Cuvée Miquelette - wild black and red fruits, ripe and rich v lively
freshness, grip and alcohol; powerful but very fruity.
87
2005 Cuvée Majou (15%) - darker and richer black cherry/currant with
pepper and liquorice notes, delicious depth of fruit v power and firm tight
length, lively yet quite soft finish. 90
Coume Majou wines are currently only available direct, or in selected wine shops
in Belgium at a somewhat bold €15-€25. Update September 07: Luc is going to make a small
amount of Maury VDN from the 2007 vintage; and the French Guide Hachette 2008
has been saying nice things about his wines. More info to follow...
Coume Majou update
autumn/winter
2008
 Okay, so it took over a year: here are a few notes and thoughts following a
re-visit chez Luc (who speaks very good English by the way, with an occasional
"wee" thrown in even thanks to a former Scots girlfriend). It was good to taste a few Coume Majou
reds from all three vintages bottled to date - 2005/06/07 - as well as 08 tank
samples, which gave me a nice overview of how the wines are developing and which
ones look particularly promising. On the vineyard front, Luc said he's very
happy with the state and health of his vines, having done a lot of work on
the ground (see picture above). And the relationship with his consultant winemaker seems to work
well in terms of pushing the boat out a bit without taking any major risks (chemical
or bacterial I mean). By the way, Luc uses up to 10% press wine in some of these
blends, which he finds surprisingly smooth while adding extra structure. Wines
sampled October 08, notes posted belatedly Dec. 08:
2007 rosé Vin de pays des Côtes Catalanes
(mostly early-picked Syrah + a smidgen of old-vine Macabeu,
11.5%) - attractive elegant v creamy style, plenty of red fruits with mineral
edges, crisp fresh finish. 87
2008 rosé (mostly
Syrah + the 3 Grenaches) - fragrant rose petal and red fruits, very crisp
mouth-feel (it will undergo malo-lactic fermentation to make it rounder) v
appealing yeast-lees texture. Should be very nice.
2006 L'Eglise de Coume Majou (blend across all sites of
Syrah Carignan Grenache, 13.5%) - herbal black
cherry notes, getting some smoky development and liquorice on the palate too
with a spicy cassis finish. €10: special blend for his Belgian importer.
85+
2006 Cuvée Majou Côtes du Roussillon Villages (Grenache
from Estagel and Maury + his best Carignan +
Syrah, 15%) - spicy liquorice v turning savoury and
meaty, punchy palate but balanced with nice dry texture v lush
beginning-to-mature fruit. 87-89
2005 Cuvée Majou - more savoury with tobacco tones; still lively
and powerful v firm tannins and tasty dried fruits, Italianesque style.
89
2007 Cuvée Majou - more cherry and plum fruit on the nose; peppery
and liquoricey on a quite firm backdrop v underlying lushness, nice balance of
power and panache. 89+
2005 Cuvée Miquelette (Maury Grenache +
Carignan + press wine, 14.5%) - fairly firm still
yet has intriguing spicy herbal fruit v chunky palate v underlying 'sweetness'.
87
2007 La Loute de Coume Majou Vin de pays des Côtes Catalanes (100% 1922
Carignan 14.5%) - peppery and 'earthy' v rich and
fruity; firm 'chalky' and fresh structure with lovely, well-balanced, weight and
length. €20 90+
2006 Cuvée du Casot Côtes du Roussillon Villages (Grenache
+ 1922 Carignan, 15%) - perfumed liquoricey and
peppery; concentrated, very solid mouth-feel although with attractive rounded
tannins, closes up a little leaving a dark chocolate coating. A foodie: black
pudding or fillet steak with a pepper sauce perhaps!
90-92
2007 Maury cuvée Jolo (Grenache + a little
Lladoner Pelut, no oxidation, 16% and 113 gr/lt
residual sugar) - juicy dark cherries and chocolate with lightly meaty edges,
surprisingly savoury thanks to those tannins cutting through the sweetness, nice
fruity punchy finish. 88-90
2005 Cuvée du Casot (15%) - maturing savoury notes v peppery lush
liquorice and blackberry/cherry/currants; tasty and rich v firm textured +
leather undertones, big fruity blast v lively structured finish. Better still
after one day open. 90+
Update March 2010
2008 Le Rosé (mostly
Syrah planted in 2002 from Coume de la Majou itself, near La Dona between
Corneilla and Estagel) - light and clean style with refreshing edges and gently
oily red fruits; drink up now.
2009 Le Rosé (mostly
Syrah + 1/4 white grapes: most of the latter where eaten by wild boar in
08, hence the slightly different blend! 11.5%) - floral and fresh with
mouth-watering palate, subtle ripe red fruits vs crisp elegant and dry finish;
nice light quaffable rosé. 80-85
2009 Casot (tank sample so probably: 75% Grenache & Carignan from Estagel
planted in 1922 + 1982 Lladoner Pelut) - lots of pure aromatic dark cherry and
liquorice, rich vs juicy with dry yet attractive tannins; powerful and
concentrated layered with delicious black fruits, nice "chalky" tannins and
fresh acidity too; the 15% blends in well, very promising.
90+
By the way, the "powers that be" have finally adapted the rules for Côtes du
Roussillon Villages reds from the 09 vintage onwards: you only have to have two
varieties in the blend with Syrah no longer mandatory, although there's still a
maximum percentage of Carignan stipulated at 40% with the other grape being up
to 70%. So, some progress then!
2007
L'Eglise (45% Syrah +
Grenache Carignan, 13% alc.) - leafy cassis and herby aromas (light
reduction even?); quite rounded mouthfeel vs some crunchy towards green notes,
needs more time to round out?
2008 La Loute old Carignan (14.5%) - still
quite closed up, although shows some nice crunchy vs sweet blueberry flavours;
beginning to turn tobacco-y with firm, tight and crisp finish even; has
concentration vs almost tart mouthfeel, although I like that crunchy vs ripe and
peppery fruit and elegant length. A foodie wine needing 6+ months to calm down a
bit! Sells for €25 in Belgium. 87+
2005
Miquelette - hints of complex sulphide notes, mint and eucalyptus too;
darker liquorice palate vs again has that refreshing bite, power and depth of
fruit vs "chalky" finish and savoury notes as well. 85+
2007 Majou - again a tad reductive/herbal/minty on the nose; moves on to
concentrated dark cherry fruit with peppery tones, firm and crisp finish. Still
a bit young but I like that grip, sweet fruit and oomph combo. €15 Belgium.
87-89
2007 Casot - more closed yet punchier with herby tobacco edges; riper
black fruits with coffee tones, very dense and firm/fresh vs rounded and rich,
powerful tight finish. With aeration, I got sweeter liquorice flavours; and it
was more accessible still with duck fillet! 90+
2008 Jolo Maury VDN (98 y-o Grenache 17%
alc.) - lovely dark fruits, damson and blackberry, beginning to turn tobacco-y;
attractive bite and solid tannins, not very sweet actually with lively mouthfeel;
a bit fiery at the moment but it's a delicious concentrated "vintage" style
Maury. 87-90
Luc also had these two wonderful, other-country wines open (thanks again!):
1995
Fritz Haag Riesling Auslese - see "wines of the
moment" here.
1990 Grahams Malvedos Port - complex oxidising notes vs still lush with
dark damson and liquorice fruit; nice tannins, the alcohol's a touch glowing but
a very attractive Port indeed.
11 rue de l'Eglise, 66550 Corneilla de la Rivière.
Tel: 04 68 51 84 83,
charlier.luc@wanadoo.fr.
 Coume del Mas
Underneath this blurb you'll find my notes on some of Philippe Gard's excellent range of
Collioure and Banyuls wines, tasted in his winery in May 2007. His - and
similarly enlightened growers', e.g. the Parcé brothers at
La Rectorie - Banyuls winemaking illustrates why there's a
minor renaissance for these delicious Port-like red wines (think chocolate
desserts or why not with a strong curry even). Perhaps the richer, fruitier, more
tannic, less oxidised and livelier styles seem to appeal more to younger people
turned off by sometimes tired, thin and brown-coloured wines. Having said that, the best cask-aged Banyuls 'Grand Cru' type
bottles can be sublimely complex. For the CDM Quintessence,
Philippe is "not looking for oxidation" and the fruit just shines
through; and the sweeter Galateo style was "created in
2003 for a Belgian chocolate maker," he told me.
Perhaps the real stars though are his Collioure reds and white and rosé
(actually 80% of production): the
appellation area and terroir are essentially the
same as for Banyuls, although certain sites or varieties are favoured or
mandatory for fortified wines. Grenache is the central grape for both at CDM -
Philippe has 11 ha/27 acres of old bush vine red Grenache, which he considers
the maximum as "vineyard work is too manual here" - with new plantings (about
10
years ago) of Syrah, Mourvèdre and Grenache Gris (for the increasingly
sought-after white) being phased in to the Collioure blends. Philippe is one of
several who believe that appellation should be "based on crus (or quality
of vineyard sites) rather than varieties," and that part of AOC Collioure's
success is due to its "greater flexibility from the start" (as opposed to Côtes du Roussillon Villages
where Syrah or Mourvèdre are required, however good your Grenache and Carignan
are). "There are less growers here and the co-ops have less power to influence
regulations." Anyway, enough of the politics; what about the wines...
2006 Folio Collioure blanc (Grenache Gris) - lightly
toasty notes on top of attractively juicy and exotic apricot and honeysuckle; spicy v fat
mouth-feel, nice length and freshness v ripe and toasty.
89
2006 Farniente Collioure rosé (Grenache
Grenache Gris)
- lovely strawberry and raspberry fruit, rich v fresh bite with a touch of dry
tannin even, fleshy fruit and 14% alcohol weight v crisp length. Yum.
87-89
2005 Schistes Collioure rouge (mostly old vine
Grenache 14.5%)
- deliciously pure aromatic black cherry, liquorice and sweet herbs; juicy and
ripe v firm and fresh structure; great balance of power, tension, lush natural
fruit and spicy length. More yum. 92-94
2005 Quintessence Banyuls (Grenache
17.5% 80 grams/litre residual sugar)
- piquant black fruits with light coconut tones, quite extracted tannins v rich
sweet fruit with engaging purity; grippier and drier than many Banyuls, and all
the better for it. 92-94
2006 Galateo Banyuls (Grenache
16% 100 grams/litre residual sugar)
- attractive luscious fruit, sweeter and less extracted than the above but still
vibrant and fresh too. 88-90
Spring 2009 update: I
called in on Philippe to catch up and tasted all his latest vintages as well as
some new wines. He's taken on the lease for Mas Christine, a vineyard on the
hills behind Argeles, in partnership with English winemaker Andy Cook: they've
launched a range of (especially) whites and reds called "Consolation," pitched
at "just under €10." Philippe thinks 2008 "isn't very good for Banyuls
as ripening was too slow, but was for Collioure wines." The CdM label wines sell
for €10 to €15 and €24 for the top ones. Distributed by Lance Foyster MW in the
UK and Eric Solomon in the US (I think...). If you want to visit when in the
area, Philippe's winery lies on a cutting into the hillside just before and
slightly below the tiny village of Cosprons (signposted off the main road before
Banyuls-sur-mer): take an unmarked left plunging down an earth track and keep
going until you see the open cellar door. A peaceful spot with a great sea view
over waves of schisty vineyards in all directions.
2008 Mas Christine white (Marsanne,
Roussanne,
Grenache blanc,
Grenache gris,
Vermentino)
- attractively aromatic and perfumed showing floral citrus and background spice
tones; zesty and juicy palate vs very light toast and spice, yeast-lees fatness vs
fresh acidity. 87
2008 Consolation white (Roussanne)
- richer and toastier, more honeyed too with dark chocolate undertones; quite powerful and creamy
with fair punch and toasted edges countered by fresh long finish.
88+
2008 CdM Folio white Collioure (Grenache gris) -
milky yeast-lees aromas & flavours, attractive fat & exotic fruit vs nice bite
of acidity and "salty" tang; full buttery finish with lively citrus peel
undertones. Very good. 90+
2008 CdM
Farniente Collioure rosé (Grenache
noir
Grenache Gris
14%) - yeasty tinges to a
delicious creamy ripe red fruit nose and palate; full-on and creamy mouthfeel vs
attractive tangy twist and fresh acidity. 88+
2008 Mas Christine rosé (Mourvèdre,
barrel-fermented) - less fruity / creamy than above, more rounded yet mineral
too; enticing Bandol rosé style with juicy texture, full-body and elegant long
dry bite. 89
2007
Mas Christine red (Grenache
Syrah) - gorgeous
ripe berry, cherry and spicy fruit cocktail on the nose; tangy vs 'sweet' palate
with juicy texture, a touch of tannin and nice weight.
87+
2007 CdM
Schistes Collioure (mostly
Grenache
from coastal vineyards with no barrique-ageing, 14.5%)
- similar fruit style to above but richer and darker with blackberry tones; very
spicy vs lush liquorice vs firmer structure too, tasty juicy fruit with lively
and ripe finish. Yum. 90-92
2008
Schistes (vat sample) - similar lush style with juicy fruit although more
floral and cherry-ish; firmer and bigger perhaps with lovely liquorice and spice
textures and flavours, very promising.
2007 Qua Dra Tur (Grenache
Mourvèdre
Carignan) - hint of
toasted chocolate wood on the nose but again has tons of lush spicy fruit;
pretty firm, solid and big mouthfeel layered with delicious juicy fruit.
92+
2007 Abysses (Syrah
Grenache east facing
the sea, not bottled when I
tried it) - spicy nose with dark cherries and floral minty notes too; juicy
fruit and texture, gorgeous fruit and chalky mineral tannins build a thick
structure and finale. Wow. 92-94
2008 Abysses - toasty aromas (new barrique) but shows similar
fruit, spicier perhaps; lovely juicy vs firm vs fresh texture and length. Should
be very good.
2007 Syrah Vin Naturellement Doux
passerillé (late-picked shrivelled berries, 16% and 50-60 grams residual
sugar) - Black Forest Gateau nose, floral and spicy too with ripe black olive
tones; lush and weighty vs dry bite, different for sure like a young Amarone.
90+?
2007 Galateo Banyuls (Grenache,
15.5% &
100g RS) - lovely black fruits with meaty edges; attractive fruity "winey"
flavours and texture, still firm and powerful softened by cherry liqueur notes
and sweetness. Now available in 6cl or 10cl flasks. 87+
2007
Quintessence Banyuls (Grenache,
80g RS) - richer, more complex and a touch oakier with more savoury / oxidised
edges; more oomph and extracted lush fruit vs big tannins adding dry bite,
closes up on the finish. 92+
2008
Mas Christine Muscat de Rivesaltes -
enticing floral orange peel notes vs fat lush palate, quite fresh and zingy
although is pretty sweet. 85-87
Les Cosprons, 66650
Banyuls-sur-Mer. By appointment only
preferably in the afternoon: best to try his mobile 06 86 81 71 32. Home tel: 04 68 88 37 03
or email coumedelmas@aliceadsl.fr.
La Coume du Roy
The
de Volontat-Bachelet family
has a
shop down on the main road coming into Maury, but the real fun goes on
in the cellar up the hill. At least, fun to watch Jean-Francois ("a bit crazy") clamber around behind and on
top of huge old casks drawing off samples of different ages and styles of Maury
wines, and tasting them just as they come - the vintage dates below are correct by
the way. He
amusingly described himself as "only the husband and winemaker, my wife's (Agnès) the
owner," who is in fact the sixth generation owner of these cramped cellars
(built in 1932) and 25 ha (62 acres) that provide the grapes.
 There
are essentially two styles of Maury (on a basic level: in reality, there are as
many as any producer wishes to make!) both using mainly the same variety:
Grenache noir (and
Macabeu, Grenache
blanc
& gris
for the rarer white). The more oxidised, aged one where (for red) the grapes
undergo a 4-5 day maceration on skins and short fermentation to obtain colour
and desired sugar level, then are pressed and the juice fortified with spirit.
The other style is said to date from around 1990: "muté sur grains," meaning the entire must
with the berries still in it is
fortified stopping the fermentation at around 80-85 grams/litre residual sugar;
followed by about 4 weeks maceration with the skins before pressing (avoiding
oxidation), which gives
richer colour and tannins. This wine is bottled relatively quickly and aged in bottle before
release (closer to Vintage Port in style); whereas the traditional approach is
to mature it in vats and/or old casks or even
glass demijohns outside to promote oxidation (more like Banyuls Grand Cru or
Tawny styles).
Coume du Roy also make Muscat de Rivesaltes and a little Côtes du Roussillon Villages red. As for Maury,
there's often a story behind each of the great vintages kept back and when
they're transferred from cask. There's still a tiny bit left of the original
1880 (see note below); the 1939 was replaced by the 2000,
their daughter's birth date; the 01 with the 98, the year they took over the
property etc. Apparently up to 10% of the wine is lost per year in evaporation.
Apart from doing 35 wine shows in France every year,
Jean-Francois is active
in the US, Japan, Belgium and Denmark. They also "sell a lot to British tourists
but very little in the UK," he said, proving that people do like unfamiliar
wines once they've tried them. Tasted 4th Sept 2006:
2004 Maury from vat ('muté sur grain') - lovely spicy blackberry fruit,
aromatic and rich with light leather notes; power v sweetness v nice bite. €10
87+
2004 Maury from vat (traditional)
- more subdued with more chocolate and leather, lighter palate with alcohol and
sugar less integrated at this stage.
1998 ('muté
sur grain') - browning colour, nice pecan and caramel notes turning into richer
pruney fruit tinged with Madeira-type complexity; wild mint edges mix with lush
sweetness v tannin dryness, plus oily pure fruit finish. €12.40 50cl
90-92
1932 - orangey brown, very interesting volatile
Madeira-type nose with toffee and orange peel edges; the 16.6% alcohol seems
more obvious here, but this is delicious with its savoury v sweet, old yet
youthful class. €190 50cl 95+
1880 - wow: liquid treacle, dark and thick; very volatile with coconut
notes, incredibly rich molasses and caramelised raisins with dense lush finish;
extraordinary stuff, seems pathetically futile to give it a score!
Tasted Feb 2007:
2003 Maury (17%) - enticing developing savoury leather notes on top of
spicy liquorice and prune, rich earthy chocolate palate with nice bite of
tannins and alcohol keeping check on the sweetness. Drinking now but plenty of
life in it yet. 90+
13 Route de Cucugnan, 66460
Maury.
Tel: 04 68 59 67 58, mobile 06 86 49 39 52, 04 68 59 02 11 (shop);
www.lacoumeduroy.com
Mas Crémat
Originally from Burgundy, Catherine Jeannin's beautiful
hillside Mas was established (and replanted) 17 years ago, complete with
charming old Catalan farmhouse buildings; and is found down a signposted,
vine-en closed
track between the
villages of Espira and Cases-de-Pène. You catch a glimpse of it while driving
along the main road; but you have to carry on towards Espira, turn left at the
roundabout up a hill and then left off this road. Now that her son and daughters
have returned after various studies and work experience to help run the estate,
Catherine wants to develop the wine tourism side by offering accommodation and
lunches to small groups of wine lovers, as well as regular events such as their
'open day' in June. Watch this space...
In addition to all the usual red suspects, they have 10 ha/25 acres of white
varieties including the less common Vermentino and Carignan blanc, plus both
Muscats. "I'd like to increase plantings of red," she explained, implying
she'll remove some of these white grape vines. "But it's important to have a
good mix of vins de pays and dearer wines. We find people buy either the
cheapest or the dearest, not so much the mid-price ones." Their 'entry level'
red is indeed
great value (see below) and
sensibly Catherine believes that "we don't want to
price our top wines too high." Tried and tested back in March 2007:
2005 Grenache
vieilles vignes,
vin de pays Côtes Catalanes white (70+
year-old Grenache blanc
& gris
14%) - subtle toasty notes mingle with
apricot, peach and floral tones; elegant soft mouth-feel, attractive but lacks a
bit of zing perhaps. €12
85+
2006 Tamarius red,
vin de pays Côtes Catalanes (Syrah Grenache Carignan)
- delicious vibrant black cherry/currant fruit with light cedar tones, fresh and
easy palate with a touch of grip to finish. €4.30
85-87
2005
Côtes du Roussillon red (Grenache Syrah Carignan Mourvèdre)
- still quite fruity although savoury too
with rustic edges; more structured and firmer with nice backdrop of fruit, quite
elegant and long.
87-89
2003 Cuvée Bastien,
Côtes du Roussillon Villages (Syrah
Grenache
Mourvèdre 14%)
- smoky and peppery showing lovely fruit with liquorice notes; concentrated and
firm v spicy and lush with very light chocolate oak coating, again good balance
grip and length.
90-92
Mas Crémat, 66600
Espira de l'Agly. Tel: 04 68 38 92 06,
www.mascremat.com,
mascremat@mascremat.com. |
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Other Roussillon
/ Catalan stuff:
Wine words
Millésime Bio
Roussillon:
Maury
Saint-Bacchus
Top reds over €10
Wines of
the moment
Fenouillèdes
wine fair
Finding
Fenouillèdes
country
Vinisud
Millésime Bio
Mini-profiles
2005:
Castillo Perelada
Ch.
Planères
Dom
Hylari
Dom
Mas Blanc
Cave
Terrats
Fruité Catalan
The Roussillon
Present & future
A mini-thesis...
Cava guide
Also worth a look:
Winery snapshots
(7
pages)
Winery
snapshots:
Languedoc
(6
pages)
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