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 Château
les Miaudoux - Bergerac
Gérard and Nathalie Cuisset have been busy
growing grapes in Saussignac since 1986, and plums too: the vines
organically since 2003 and plum trees since 2007. This pretty gently
rolling spot is also a sub-appellation within "greater" Bergerac country
for botrytis sweet wines, so Gérard and Nathalie make a full-monty range
of colours and styles.
I tasted these quite good examples at Millésime Bio organic wine show,
Montpellier Jan 2010:
2008 Bergerac rosé (Cabernets Sauvignon
/ Franc & Merlot) - still nice and creamy strawberry-ish
vs crisp and refreshing. 5.50€ 83-85
2009 Bergerac rouge (Merlot &
Cabernet
Franc 14%) - attractive and easy-going, juicy fruity style with
soft tannins and a bit of weight too. 5.50€ 80-83
2004 L'Inspiration (Merlot &
Cabernet
Franc) - quite oaky but there's nice underlying
herbal vs darker fruit; firm dry texture vs some spicy and lush fruit to
finish. €13 85-87
2005 "oak-aged" Bergerac (Merlot &
Cabernet
Franc 14%) - dusting of vanilla on the nose, moving on to a grippy
structured palate; turning savoury vs dark fruit, touch of power (14%) but
quite subtle. €8 87
2005 Saussignac (Sémillon &
Muscadelle) - apricots with spicy/mushroom botrytis notes and
light oak; lush marmalade fruit vs light cedar texture, fair weight
despite its 11.5% thanks to that glycerine/sugar (220g/l residual!); but there's nice
balancing acidity on its still tight finish. Needs 2-3 years to open up.
50cl 15€
88+
www.chateaulesmiaudoux.com
Domaine Cosse Maisonneuve - Cahors
Matthieu Cosse has 16 ha (40 acres) of nothing but glorious Malbec, all
currently in the second year of conversion over to full-monty organic
farming. So, vintage 2011 will be their first to proudly display that, erm,
all-important (is it for you, just out of interest?) AB logo ("Agriculture
biologique"). I couldn't find a website but the estate is located
in the village of Lacapelle-Cabanac to the west of Cahors itself (a nice
old town, by the way, worth the trip to this area, apart from all those
masters of Malbec of course!). His email is
matthieu.cosse@gmail.com if
you wanted to visit (he'll be cursing me now for upping his spam count). I
tasted these three star reds at Millésime Bio organic wine show,
Montpellier Jan 2010:
2008 sans chichi Malbec vin de pays -
lively, aromatic and quite intense inky/crunchy fruit; turning smokier and
juicier on the palate with a touch of grip too, odd but nice.
85
2007 La Fage Cahors (100% Malbec
13.5%) - smoky cassis and aromatic red/black fruits; concentrated and
lively with grippy/tart texture vs nice "sweet/savoury" fruit finish.
88+
2006 Les Laquets Cahors (100% Malbec)
- a tad of spicy chocolate oak vs lusher and grippier mouthfeel; again has
that dark vs crunchy fruit thing then big, firm and tight finish; needs 2+
years to mellow. 90+
 Château Le
Raz - Bergerac/Montravel
Curiously named Le Raz isn't too
difficult to spot, with its typical handsome old chateau, round tower
and pointy turret features; once you actually find the place, that is. Lost among
rolling slopes and woodland to the north of Ste-Foy-la-Grande, the
'biggest town' around here, to find it you need to follow signs for Vignobles Barde from the village of Saint-Méard. The Barde family have
been landowners in this western corner of the Bergerac region for
a long time; the vineyards and winemaking are now looked after by Patrick, under the
watchful eye of uncle Gil, while his cousin takes care of their cereal
crops planted on flatter, more fertile, "cold" soils as Patrick put it.
While a sub-appellation called Côtes
de Bergerac had already been established - for red and sweet white wines
mostly genuinely from hillside vineyards - growers in this particular area
also lobbied for the creation of a sub-sub-appellation
called Montravel, carved out of the landscape less than ten years ago (reds, dry and sweet whites). If
you go any further west from here, you're in 'Côtes
de Bordeaux' and "Right Bank" country: Saint-Emilion is about the same
distance away as the town of Bergerac.
Anyway, that's enough geography and obscure AOC talk. Patrick is an
enthusiastic talker too and, in true vigneron style, prefers
telling you about what they do in the vineyard (he does spend a lot of
time there) above what they do in the cellar. As for red varieties, Merlot
takes the lead followed by the two Cabernets and Malbec. All the white
styles are built around differing proportions of Sauvignon blanc, Sémillon
and Muscadelle. I first tasted Le Raz wines over 15 years ago, when I was
rather wowed as they were probably the best wines I'd come across from the
region at that time; and finally had the opportunity to try them in situ
in May 2009. Was I still as impressed? Read on... By the way, they export
quite a few of their wines including to the UK, US and now the Far East
(email them via their website for more info, see below). Cellar-door
prices are between approx €5 - €12 from memory.
2008 Montravel sec (mostly Sauvignon &
Muscadelle) - aromatic citrus vs
yeast-lees richness and tangy notes; crisp dry mouthfeel v fatter yeasty
texture, elegant acidity adds nice freshness with subtle intensity /
length vs very lightly creamy too. 87
2008 Bergerac rosé (mostly
Cabernet Sauvignon) - plenty of lively red
fruits vs creamier notes and rounded mouthfeel, crisp and zingy vs a bit
of weight too. 85
2006 Cuvée Grand Chêne Montravel sec (mostly Sauvignon
& Sémillon) - quite oaky at the moment with
rounded powerful palate; coconut and vanilla dominate but it has
attractive creamy texture vs underlying acidity and citrus fruit, waxy yet
spicy finish. 87+
2003 Cuvée Grand Chêne Côtes
de Bergerac (mostly Merlot +
Cabernet Franc) - seductive smoky nose with
resiny liquorice fruit vs herbal edges; nice dry yet soft tannins,
maturing leather tones with rich lively mouthfeel then lightly bitter
twist. 87-89
2003 Montravel "Les Filles" (mostly
Merlot + Cabernet
Sauvignon & Malbec) - similar
character although less smoky and developed on the nose; enticing dark
fruit and toasty spicy notes, background oak-grain texture layered with
more liquorice fruit, maturing vs firm structured finish.
90+
2005 Montravel "Les Filles" - spicy aromas with a tad
more coconut oak showing vs darker liquorice fruit and slight leafy /
cedary notes; more structured and closed up, pretty firm, tight and
powerful at the moment. Needs at least a couple of years to come out.
90-92
2004 Montravel "Les Filles" - smoky leather notes
with ripe berry and cassis vs again those hallmark leaf / cedar tinges;
firm vs lush mouthfeel, well balanced despite its 14% oomph, big coating
of tannins enhanced by dark damson fruit with liquorice edges; lightly
herby too and turning savoury, quite fine and still fairly youthful on the
finish despite its maturing fruit. Smoother and rounder with dinner
although still quite big vs tight dry finish. Probably better than some
leading Bordeaux / St-Emilion 2004s. Next day - lightly toasty with leafy
/ cedar / spice notes vs liquorice, cassis and plum; lush yet dry texture,
subtle balance and length. (Oddly enough, the musty-smelling cork had now
infiltrated the wine a little although it wasn't actually "corked." I did
notice a bit of a musty smell in their tasting cellar and dry goods'
store...) 92+
2005 Cuvée Grand Chêne Montravel blanc sec - again the cork was a
touch musty but not the wine?! Attractive maturing vegetal notes with
lightly green and vibrant fruit vs a hint of coconut 'sweetness' (and also
some background yeast-lees / gunpowder / sulphite notes but not badly so);
quite 'sweet' textured and rounded buttery vs lees, spice and aniseed
undertones; maturing and vegetal yet fresher greener side and bite too,
nice weight and length. That struck match character goes away after it was
open for a while, turning creamier and nuttier with airing vs still juicy
fruity underneath. 87+
Vignobles Barde, 24610 Saint-Méard de Gurçon. Tel: 05 53 82 48 41,
www.le-raz.com.
 Domaine
Ilarria - Irouléguy
You what, where? Indeed, I had to ask for a map too. Irouléguy
is a place and an appellation in French Basque country, taking in some 15
villages and a mere 250 hectares (ha, about 600 acres) of vineyards
perched up on the lower slopes of the Pyrenees (Atlantic-side) and a
vine's throw from the border with Spain (the
Navarra region isn't that far away). So, you can't get much
more 'Southwest' than that. I came across these wines and owner Peio Espil at Millésime Bio wine fair in
January 2009 (in Montpellier this year), meaning Ilarria is a certified
organic estate: at 10 ha (out of the whole property of 30) he must be one
of the 'big guys'! Like in almost-neighbour Madiran,
Tannat
(click for "SW France vs Uruguay" tasting) takes the lead for red grapes supplemented by
Bordeaux varieties and whites have more in common with Gascony (see
tasting notes below). For US distribution, contact
Charles Neal Selections in San Francisco; and Yapp Brothers
in Wiltshire for UK stockists. Discovery of the show really:
2007 blanc (Petit Manseng,
Petit Courbu 12.5%) - floral and citrus v
oily mineral aromas, almost Riesling-like nose; steely and crisp
mouth-feel v lightly creamy/leesy texture, 'chalky' too on its quite long
finish; unusual. 87+
2007 rosé (Tannat,
Cabernet Franc,
Cabernet Sauvignon) - creamy and oily, quite rich strawberry fruit
too; again finishing with crisp steely bite. 85+
2006 rouge (Tannat,
Cabernet Franc,
Cabernet Sauvignon) - smoky and rich with tangier blackcurrant
edges; pretty concentrated and firmly structured but has nice
rustic v vibrant fruit. 87-89
2004 cuvée Bixintxo (mostly Tannat +
Cabernet Franc,
Cabernet Sauvignon) - wild and smoky v 'inky' lightly herbal notes;
pretty dense and extracted yet there's attractive lush dark fruits in
there too, with solid powerful and fresh finish. Wow, still
youthful really. 90
Domaine Ilarria, 64220 Irouléguy. Tel: 05 59 37 23 38,
ilarria@wanadoo.fr.
 Château
La Colline - Bergerac
Founded by Charles Martin (pictured) in 1994, who gained wide
wine-growing and -making experience in the US, Australia, New Zealand
and South Africa before setting up shop in Bergerac, southwest France.
So he uses a lot of so-called 'New World' techniques, but not to the
point where it shows excessively in the wines I tasted (below, in
December 2008), although it's not really possible anymore (or wise) to
categorically divide wines up into black and white 'Old' v 'New' camps.
Sensible producers understand the merits and drawbacks of both total
technology and gut-feel natural approaches. As Charles says on his
website: "Here (the vineyard) is by far the best place to invest time
soul and money." Obviously he likes to spend as much time as poss out in
his 18 hectares of vines. La Colline wines appear to be widely
distributed around the English-speaking world: Dublin and Enniskillen in
Ireland; Cambridge Wine Merchants, Imbibros (Godalming) and Andrew
Wilson wines (Tittensor) in England; Monmouth in Wales and Edinburgh,
Scotland; in the USA: Patrick Baugier in New York, Charles Neal in San
Francisco and somebody else in Maryland. More details from
www.la-colline.com.
Hopefully I'll make it there one day to see for myself, although the
wines are certainly quite impressive (there are also a couple of top of
the range cuvées):
2007 Pink Bergerac rosé (100%
Cabernet Sauvignon) - deep-coloured with
aromatic 'leafy' blackcurrant and redcurrant notes; pretty chunky
mouth-feel (14% + a tad of tannin) turning creamy, fruity and oily v
quite crisp to finish. Lost some of its freshness perhaps but this is an
attractive foodie rosé. €6 85
2007
Sémillon (plus 14%
Sauvignon Blanc, 13% alc.) - nice mix of
aromatic zesty fruit v light creamy yeast-lees edges v more exotic white
peach and greengage v waxy honeyed flavours and textures; rounded
'sweetness' v crisp and long finish. €6 87+
2006 Merlot (plus 10%
Cabernet Sauvignon) - dark chocolate,
damson and black cherry/currant with lightly 'earthy' / spicy
undertones; quite serious and chunky palate with dry firm texture,
subtle oak coating and some lush 'sweet' fruit. Still rather structured
and powerful v bitter twist v good depth of fruit, should open up a bit
over the next year. Good with civet de cerf (venison stew). €9
89-91
2003 Confit de la Colline,
Côtes
de Bergerac moelleux (Sémillon Muscadelle)
- golden orangey brown colour, very rich nose showing exotic spicy
botrytis notes, honey and dried apricots all wrapped up in background
vanilla oak; luscious mouth-filling sweetness, again vanilla oak texture
underneath (I wonder if not a bit too much new oak?), complex maturing
sweet nutty fruit and a hint of acidity reining things in a little (this
vintage probably lacks the ideal freshness needed for a wine like
this?). Nice with chocy profiteroles, fruit desserts and why not mature
or tangy cheeses too. €7 half-bottle. 89
 Domaine
du Tariquet - Gascony
The Grassa family,
with almost century-old roots in
Armagnac country, has been making white wines for over 25 years. The
decision was obviously a good one, as I've tried their dry and sweet
whites on and off over the years (although not 25 I hasten to add!) and
always found them very consistent and highly drinkable. The following
2007s, all sampled Oct-Nov 2008, are no exception; and nicely highlight
that the Gascony climate and environment suit these varieties well.
Tariquet is now one of the largest wine and Armagnac estates in this
region, set in pretty countryside around Eauze (west of Auch, between
Toulouse and Bordeaux) among undulating green hills and farmland. These
wines are available from London based e-tailer
advintage-wines.co.uk
and other UK merchants such as the Wine Society, priced between approx.
£5-£8 except their Vin de Liqueur
(see below).
More info including US and worldwide distributors from
tariquet.com.
2007 Colombard Ugni
Blanc Vin de Pays des Côtes
de Gascogne (10.5%) - difficult to dislike, slightly exotic fruit with
pear drop aromatics; zingy, light and fresh. Keep it cold though.
80
2007 Chardonnay
Famille Grassa,
Vin de Pays des Côtes
de Gascogne (12.5%) - textbook mixture of zesty, juicy, aromatic
flavours and texture with milky edges and sunny peachy fruit; greener
crisp bite v very light toasty oak v ripe fruit. Nice.
87
2007 Sauvignon Blanc
Famille Grassa,
Vin de Pays des Côtes
de Gascogne (12%) - fragrant zesty citrus with light green pepper tones;
attractively soft chalky and juicy mouth-feel, elegant and refreshing
style. 85
Tariquet L'Apéritif Vin de Liqueur (17%) - mix of grape juice and unaged, white
Armagnac spirit: French people would probably drink this as an apero but I prefer it as a
dessert wine. Quite charismatic floral honeyed grapey grappa notes; refreshing
v luscious, pretty sweet yet with nice cut from the alcohol, something
nutty and straw-like too v grape juice sweetness. £12.99
85+
2007 Côté Chardonnay &
Sauvignon
Famille Grassa,
Vin de Pays des Côtes
de Gascogne (11.5%) - towards Kiwi Sauvignon in style, although lighter with piercing citrus, green
pepper and honey notes; rounded off-dry mouth-feel v crisp and lively, quite
intense considering it's relatively light. 87-89
2006 Les 4 Réserve
Famille Grassa,
Vin de Pays des Côtes
de Gascogne (Gros Manseng Chardy Sauvignon
Sémillon 12%) - light toasted coconut notes v aromatic & honeyed
pink grapefruit; nice roundness and a touch of weight, lightly oaked
texture v juicy fruit and fresh acidity. Good with e.g. prawn risotto,
less attractive on its own. 87
2007 Les Dernières Grives,
Vin de Pays des Côtes
de Gascogne (Petit Manseng 11%) - my
initial thoughts were: this is a delicious late harvest sweet wine,
exotic rich and honeyed yet with very refreshing acidity and lightness
too; so why smother it in vanilla oak? However, for some reason I kept
it in the fridge for weeks, and it actually got miles better, i.e. the
oak lifted off but the rest of its charm stayed in place; probably
indicating what might happen if you left it to age in bottle (I doubt
much of it will last that long). So, hats off at the end of the day,
although I still think they should reduce the wood so we can enjoy it
young!
More Tariquet wines
and Armagnac here.
 Château
de la Ligne - Bordeaux
The intro blurb on their website is a nice piece of emotionally charged,
Gallic-leaning prose: "Château de la Ligne is a revived vineyard
immersed in a fascinating history of Nobility, Knights, Hospitallers
(sic: what's that?), Crusades and renowned wine families. Take the time
to discover this wonderfully engaging story and let the delicate nectar
of our vines embrace your palate." Reading a bit further, it does sound a fascinating,
cobwebbed-in-history place
and certainly looks the part. The owner, Irish businessman Terry Cross
has obviously spent a lot of money having the classically proportioned chateau
lovingly restored, along with surrounding
vineyards and cosy-looking holiday gite. Anyway, they kindly sent me a
sample of their wine to try (tasted August 2008). I'll add more words
here if/when I visit...
2005 Cuvée Prestige Bordeaux Supérieur (Merlot Cabernets 12.5%) - attractive cassis and plum with light red
pepper edged with smoky, chocolatey & cedary oak; quite dense and
concentrated with dry textured tannins, medium weight, nice bite &
length. Quite oaky at first but the wine has good depth of fruit and
that oak lifts off a little with air,
revealing some tangier fruit, coated tannins and underlying fresh acidity. After
one day open, it gets fruitier and more interesting; a good match for boudin noir (black pudding)! €7 ex-cellar
89.
More info at
chateaudelaligne.com.
More Bordeaux: 2005 vintage
Pomerol St-Emilion
Pessac-Léognan
 Domaine
de Lauroux - Gascony
It's one of those 'realised a dream moving to France for good' stories. Even
more so in British couple
Nicolas and Karen Kitchener's
case, as they took the unenviable plunge of buying a vineyard near Manciet,
Gascony, in 2004. Romantic yet brave idea, as vineyards and wineries can eat
money for some time before seeing the light at the end of the tunnel, if at all
even. So I wish them well.
Enough of the grim business talk. Nick and Karen are making a range of Côtes de
Gascogne wines - red, white, rosé and sweet - as well as distilling and ageing
several styles of
Armagnac, with stocks of old ones
available too. They kindly sampled me with their rather delicious 1986 (vintage
dated 'brandies' are more the norm here compared to Cognac - apologies for
mentioning the C word): tasting note and info below. Domaine de Lauroux has a
self-catering gîte, and Nick and Karen also do B&B: check out their website
www.lauroux.com.
1986 Bas Armagnac (bottled in March 2007, 42%) - comes across as quite
powerful and fiery at first, but its 'sweet' aged fruit and vanilla oak
undertones quickly mellow it out in the mouth; delicious pruney caramel fruit
lingers on its punchy lively finish. A small measure works nicely after an
overindulgent meal, soothing the palate and stomach. But remember it has 42%
alcohol! Cellar door prices: 50cl bottle €30.40, 70cl €42.50 or magnum
(!) €91.20. UK retail price £39-£45. Tasted May 2007.
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Quick A to Z
La
Colline
Cosse
Ilarria
Lauroux
La
Ligne
Miaudoux
Le Raz
Tariquet
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