"Order my book on the Roussillon wine region (colour paperback) DIRECT FROM ME SAVING £4/€4 (UK & EU only), or Kindle eBook on Amazon UK. Available in the USA from Barnes & Noble in hardcover, paperback or eBook; or Amazon.com. For other countries, tap here." Richard Mark James

27 September 2006

Rioja rocks

The Rioja wine people have been heartened by the findings of a recent survey conducted in three of its top export markets - the UK, Germany and USA - carried out by AC Nielsen. The study, which targeted 35 to 50 year old men and women, focused on "regular wine drinkers" in London, Manchester and Nottingham, i.e. those who consume at least one bottle of wine per week (average spend per bottle £5.27). In the UK, where shipments came to more than 2½ million cases last year, 'brand Rioja' has one of the highest recall rates amongst all wine producing regions, coming in 7th after Australia, California and Bordeaux. Among those questioned, 54% who “know Rioja” consume it, and of this group, 29% are regular drinkers. The reasons why included: they like the taste more than other options such as “full bodied, affordability and consistent quality.”
Hence the launch of their 'Rethink Rioja' campaign featuring lots of promotions and tastings. 'Dine with Rioja for £10' will run in The Daily Telegraph from 8th October into November; from 23 - 29 October independent wine shops will be participating in a Rioja week; tastings and daily seminars in the wine theatre from 22 – 26 November at the BBC Good Food Show, NEC Birmingham (www.bbcgoodfoodshow.com) stand number J51. And on 30th November, there's Decanter Magazine's Rioja tasting at Lloyd’s of London; tickets priced at £20, see their website: www.decanter.com. Rioja producers have also launched a 'lifestyle' website for UK: www.winesfromrioja.co.uk, which has full details of these events, where to buy Rioja and tips for travelling in the region. Further information from the Rioja Wine Information Centre, 58 Grosvenor Street, London WIK 3JB; tel 020 7409 0494 or rioja@spearcommunications.co.uk
Tasting report on some new Rioja releases and vintages coming soon... By the way,
the "exceptional" 2005 vintage has been awarded an “Excellent” rating by the Rioja Regulatory Council, the 13th vintage to be called this in the history of the region. Of course they're obviously totally unbiased! Posted 27/9/06.

21 September 2006

Languedoc: Domaine Lerys, Fitou

Domaine Lerys

A serene daytrip back in late September 2006, taking in 
the wine villages of western Fitou country, set the scene ruggedly for discovering three wineries, one big (Cave de Mont Tauch) and two (Bertrand-Bergé and this one, obviously) small... Maguy and Alain Izard farm 45 "low-yielding" hectares (110 acres) around the pretty lost village of Villeneuve; they also do chambres d'hôte with two rooms above their nice shop, one double and one family with a terrace.


2003 Fitou tradition (Carignan Grenache, 13.5%) - perfumed and pure, liquorice and pepper fruit with light rustic notes; firm tannins v ripeness, elegant bite and length. €6.20 87-89
2003 Fitou Prestige (Carignan Grenache Syrah) - more floral and herby followed by nice black fruit, firmer and more austere with lightly bitter bite; structured finish with coating of tannins. €7.30 88-90
2001 Fitou Fût de Chêne (Carignan Syrah) - coconut spice with nice fruit underneath, layered tannins with long bite; attractive but would be better with less oak. €7.70
Rivesaltes (
Grenache blanc & gris) - appealingly oxidised walnut and toffee notes, quite subtle freshness v sweetness. €6.20 87+



Latest HERE - 2012 Fitou report featuring their 2008 vintage.


11360 Villeneuve-les-Corbières

05 September 2006

Roussillon: Domaine Fontanel, Tautavel/Estagel

Laid-back Pierre and Marie-Claude Fontaneil (not a spelling mistake) have 25 ha (62 acres) around Tautavel, where their small yet soon-to-expand winery is found, and 10 ha (25 acres) in the village commune of Maury. I like those traditional village cellars found on a narrow residential street like any other, where you just walk in as if you were going into a large garage. The domaine was set up in 1989, before that the two families were cooperative growers. Their focus is red, mostly Roussillon AOC wines, producing around 10,000 cases in total per year, 80% of which is exported particularly to Asia and the Far East. In the UK, the wines are listed by Stone, Vine & Sun and Indigo Wine.

Tasted 5th Sept 2006:
2004 Côtes du Roussillon rouge (Grenache Syrah Carignan, 14%) - smoky black cherry with minty notes, elegant fruit despite fair concentration and weight, tight fresh finish v dry coating of tannins. 87
2003 Tradition Côtes du Roussillon Villages (Grenache Syrah Carignan, 13.5%) - firm and a bit closed up, subtle ripe fruit underneath; attractive tannin texture, needs 6-12 months to express itself as it's concentrated and structured. 89+
2004 Prieuré Côtes du Roussillon Villages Tautavel (Syrah Mourvèdre Grenache) - elegant perfumed nose and black cherry fruit, good grip and length. 89-91
1997 Rivesaltes Ambré (Grenache blanc & gris, 16.5%) - appealing mix of aged toffee notes and mature cheese complexity, finishing with fresh long bite. 88-90
2002 Maury (Grenache, 16%) - deliciously concentrated spicy blackberry and liquorice fruit, nice grip bite and power on the finish; not so sweet.
90-92


25 Avenue Jean Jaurès, 66720 Tautavel (cellar address, from April to October) or 37-39 Avenue du Docteur Torreilles, Estagel (shop open all year round 10am to 7pm). Tel: 04 68 29 04 71, 04 68 29 45 21; http://www.domainefontanel.com/.

24 August 2006

Médoc Marathon

This annual charity run hits the road on 9th September 2006 passing through the famous villages and Châteaux on Bordeaux's Right Bank. As usual, a team of Masters of Wine will be taking part (no doubt fuelled by samples of Margaux, Pauillac and Foie Gras...) including Caroline Gilby MW, pictured. In her own words, Caroline has "chosen to raise money for the breast cancer team at Bedford hospital, a cause very close to my heart.  I am keen to raise as much money as possible to give something back after all the support I've had through my own treatment. The best way to sponsor me is through http://www.justgiving.com/carolinegilby. Thanks very much for any support, or even your good wishes." More info on the marathon here (in French).

02 August 2006

Mediterranean Jazz 3-6 August

Château l'Hospitalet, part of the energetic Gérard Bertrand empire located in the unfortunately named La Clape wine area near Narbonne, is hosting wine tasting jazz concerts over the next few days. Artists include Nicole Croisille on Thursday 3rd, on Friday 4th the Louis Martinez Quintet  with Charlie & Sourisse, Sat 5th: Guy Marchand with 'Amor y Perfidia' and a homage to Frank Sinatra with the Big Brass Band on Sunday 6th August.
The 'Jazz in l'Hospitalet' shows start at 10pm (it'll be nice and cool by then) with tickets priced at 25 €uros (hopefully including some wine!). Ring (+33) 04 68 45 36 00 for more info and booking, or the town hall on 04 68 90 30 30 or check out their site www.gerard-bertrand.com. Château l'Hospitalet also has 22 rooms in its on-site Hôtel Mona Lisa plus two restaurants: l'Olivet and La Grange; phone + 33 (0)4 68 45 28 50 or fax : + 33 (0)4 68 45 28 78.

01 August 2006

Understanding Mourvèdre: Wine Business Monthly

'Comparing Mourvèdre's European growing characteristics and winemaking styles provides an understanding of its US potential...' by Richard Mark James.
An edited version of this feature was published in the August 2006 issue of Wine Business Monthly and on their website winebusiness.com (goes to article on their site):

"Dial M for Mourvèdre…Monastrell…or indeed Mataro: The very fact that it has (at least) three names says a great deal about this migrant, mystifying and misunderstood variety..."

22 July 2006

World Wine Challenge™ quiz for wine geeks

Created by American wine educator Barry Wiss, as part of his Vine To Dine culinary and wine education programme designed for the Trinchero Family Estates winery, an Advanced Level of the game has just been launched in the UK on CD Rom. Complete with sound effects, it takes the form of a virtual wine wheel on screen which spins when you click the mouse.  An arrow lands  on a wine region and points to a question - such as ‘Sangiovese Grosso is also known as?’ or ‘The Walla Walla AVA is located in?’ - giving a choice of answers. World Wine Challenge™ is available from winegiftcentre.com at £12.95. I'd recommend playing with a glass or two of something appropriate to make it even more fun...

06 July 2006

Languedoc: Château de Sérame, Corbières/Minervois

Château de Sérame

"...Delving deeper into the Corbières, this huge region has been witnessing an impressive transformation with several very serious investors on the scene. Château de Sérame is an extensive property straddling both Corbières and Minervois, who went into partnership with Bordeaux magnate Dourthe four years ago. With 120 hectares in production and 10 being replanted every year, “our aim is benchmark wines” commented winemaker Vincent Bernard..." Read the rest of this article for more info (scroll down to OLN 2006).

Tasted July 2006:
2003 Minervois (Syrah Grenache Carignan Mourvèdre) - warm blackberry and liquorice fruit with light toasty oak, slightly 'reductive' tang and complexity; nice soft-ish texture v depth of fruit, weight (13.5%) and chocolate coating; quite big yet the fruit wins the day. 87-89
2004 Minervois (Syrah Grenache Carignan Mourvèdre) - touch more vanilla but also lively floral spice notes; attractive juicy v fresh and tight mouthfeel, enough black cherry fruit to absorb the choco oak; more elegant and perfumed than the 2003. 89+
2004 Corbières (variation of same grapes) - tighter more blackcurranty fruit, again very light oak and reductive notes; nice concentration v firm tannins, elegant and long; needs a little time to express itself. 87-89
2003 L’Icone Corbières - powerful barrel-fermented, limited series red: pretty rich, spicy and toasty nose leads to very concentrated choco palate, sweet fruit v solid rounded mouthfeel, actually 15% but not so obvious. Quite wow Parker-esque style (sorry Robert for that sweeping comment), not sure I'd want to drink more than a glass. 90 (purely as a 'show' wine)


Domaine de Sérame
2005 Merlot Réserve, Vin de pays d'Oc - appealing plum and cherry aromas with very background oak, good varietal character; aromatic v chunky, attractive style. 87-89
2005 Cabernet Sauvignon Réserve, Vin de pays d'Oc - quite tangy and tight, perhaps bottle-shocked needing a few months; it does say Cab with less charm than the Merlot, maybe an awkward adolescence...
2005 Viognier Réserve, Vin de pays d'Oc - delicious floral apricot notes, gummy and fresh v fatter 'sweet' fruit, clean long finish. 87-89
2005 Muscat sec Réserve, Vin de pays d'Oc - sexy pure piercing orange peel and grape aromas build to a very zesty palate, 13.5% adds weight yet it's long and fine. 90

Latest vintages tasted here (Corbières report May 2011).


North of Lézignanwww.chateaudeserame.com

'RED'

'Red is for wine, blood, revolution, colour... Time-warped slices of mystery, history, fantasy, crime, art, cinema and love...' Buy the e-book or paperback novel on Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com. Click here to view the RED blog!

Send an email

Name

Email *

Message *

Header image: Château de Flandry, Limoux, Languedoc. Background: Vineyard near Terrats in Les Aspres, Roussillon.