A few notes written in August 2001 as mock-ups for a wine book publisher...
1999 ‘Les Hauts de Força Réal’ rouge, Côtes du Roussillon Villages (£10-15)
Producer: J-P Henriquès
Grape varieties: Mostly Syrah with Grenache and Mourvèdre.
Jean-Paul Henriquès’ beautiful 4-hectare property Força Réal is located at Millas perched high up in the Roussillon hills above Perpignan and offers staggering views towards the Mediterranean and, in the other direction, the Pyrenees and Spain beyond. ‘Les Hauts’ is Jean-Paul’s top red wine made in small quantities and much sought after in France. It has deep ruby colour, heady aromas of vanilla and toasty wood, but this is then backed up by gutsy yet vibrant wild fruits, rich and concentrated followed by fair tannic grip at the moment; nevertheless, it shows finesse and great promise.
The grapes come from old vines planted on slopes with schist and alluvium soils and are strictly selected by hand. This results in very low yields of 25 hectolitres per hectare, structure and concentrated flavour.
Winemaking: Long traditional maceration on the skins to extract plenty of colour, fruit and tannins; aged in new oak barrels for 18 – 20 months.
Food recommendations: The locals would probably drink it with a rich Catalan lamb stew or perhaps a wild mushroom and cheese risotto.
Força Réal also produces an unusual dry white from Malvoisie and Grenache blanc grapes, a delicious fortified Muscat de Rivesaltes and multifaceted Rivesaltes Hors d'Age, which is matured for a minimum 12 years in oak and where the wines in the blend average 50 years of age.
Michel Laroche ‘South of France’
Producer: Mas la Chevalière/Michel Laroche.
Owned by the eponymous Chablis king, who’s invested plenty of money and time into singling out and replanting the best vineyard sites around Béziers and the hills inland. He bought the estate Mas la Chevalière in 1995, renovated its idyllic Mediterranean villa and built a shiny modern winery next door. Since then viticulturalist Richard Lavanoux and winemaker Yves Barry have been experimenting with different varieties from their own vineyards and those sourced from local growers demonstrating the right potential, suitable soils and terroirs and willingness to focus on quality by reducing yields. The backbone of the range is Chardonnay, Merlot and Syrah, which they say are giving the best results.
1998 ‘La Croix Chevalière’, Vin de Pays d’Oc (£10-15)
Grape varieties: Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah.
Top of the Michel Laroche ‘France-Sud’ hierarchy, this red is made only in great vintages and in limited quantity. The best fruit is picked out from stony, hillside sites around Béziers and from the Cévennes foothills. Dense in colour with cedary oak and chocolatey black fruit style, this complex wine has dry yet silky tannins and lots of supple fruit on the finish, suggesting a ripe year Bordeaux/Rhone cross.
Winemaking: Punching down of the ‘cap’ and pumping over with 3 weeks’ maceration on the skins to extract rich colour, body and tannins; aged in French and American oak barrels (one third new) for 18 months, no filtration.
Food recommendations: roast game poultry, smoked bacon and spinach.
Next come the terroir wines sourced from selected parcels of vines and bearing a vineyard name – Labech Merlot, Peyroli Chardonnay and Roqua Blanca Syrah (£7.50-10) – followed by fruit-focused varietals (£5-7.50).
1999 Mas Champart ‘Clos de la Simonette’, Saint-Chinian (£10-15)
Producer: Isabelle & Matthew Champart.
Grape varieties: Mourvèdre, Syrah and Carignan.
One of the stars of St-Chinian (northeast of Narbonne and an area we’ll definitely be seeing more of), which boasts an impressive range of traditional reds culminating in this densely structured, tannic and smoky blockbuster.
1999 Château de Pennautier Collection Privée rouge, Cabardès (£5-7.50)
Producer: Vignobles Lorgeril.
Grape varieties: Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec, Merlot, Cabernet Franc.
Recently promoted to Appellation Contrôlée status, the Cabardès region north of the medieval city of Carcassonne shows great promise. Rustic and smoky with aromas of blackcurrant and mulberry mixed with hints of spice and cocoa; full-bodied with rich, chewy and spicy blackberry; some oak and firm tannins but plenty of earthy ripe fruit. They also produce a barrel-fermented, tropical fruity, New World-style Chardonnay.
2000 Viognier Collection Gérard Bertrand, Vin de Pays d’Oc
Producer: Gérard Bertrand.
Located in northern Corbières, Gérard is also making high quality varietals such as this intensely apricoty, rich and spicy dry white. Don’t miss his 1999 Carignan Vieilles Vignes, which shows concentration and liquorice fruit on the length, or rustic but mellow 1998 Cigalus Rouge, a Cabernet/Merlot blend.
1997 Domaine du Mas Blanc ‘les Cosprons Levants’, Collioure (£15-20)
Producer: Jean-Michel Parcé.
Grape varieties: Mourvèdre, Syrah and Counoise.
Classic full-flavoured red from this picturesque coastal village almost bordering Spain, it delivers an amazing fragrance of wildflowers and herbs, earthy ‘resin’ fruit and ‘sweet’ ripe length. Takes a bit of getting used to!
1999 Picpoul de Pinet ‘les Flacons’, Coteaux du Languedoc (£10-15)
Grape variety: Picpoul.
This is a fine example of the speciality dry whites unique to the area around the town of Pinet to the west and inland of Sète. It’s initially characterised by the oak treatment showing opulent yeast lees and malolactic fermentation traits (makes the wine softer and creamy), but the excellent length of flavour and concentration conclude with tighter mineral and ‘stony’ fruit undertones. Thrillingly unusual.
1999 Ermitage du Pic Saint-Loup, Coteaux du Languedoc (£5-7.50)
Producer: Ravaille Estate.
Grape varieties: 60% Syrah, 30% Grenache and 10% Mourvèdre.
Quite firm, meaty, savoury and food-demanding red from this respected property in Pic Saint-Loup, which nestles (relatively) undiscovered at an altitude of 300m in the northern reaches of the region. Made by traditional winemaking and bottled unfiltered; again super value for money.
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