Languedoc 2008 vintage 'en primeur' tasting report

Jumping the gun on the Bordeaux lot, Languedoc winemakers had the bright idea of showcasing their 2008 vintage wines (or 'representative samples' of) en primeur in March 2009 to, well, make a point really. The world's wine media has become so obsessed with everything Bordeaux, and maybe Burgundy too, that the whole vintage in France seems to be judged, and either written off or glorified, depending on the weather etc. in Bordeaux alone.
It was the case in 2007, a good vintage around the Med having tried lots of very nice wines (and all styles), some of them available now. And 2008, perhaps a touch better in certain regions across the south than elsewhere in France, according to a broad diversity of palates, growers and opinions, yet mediocre in Bordeaux - although reports coming through after the recent en primeur tastings there have confirmed the wines are better than expected, much in certain cases - therefore all of France tarred with the same brush.

So, this year the Languedoc gang decided to shout a bit louder about it and held an entire week of tastings area by area. I could only go for one day - covering reds from the Languedoc appellation as a whole: Sommières (nice fruit and style), between Montpellier and Nimes; Pic Saint-Loup (very consistent with some high scores); Grès de Montpellier (more subdued but a few very good ones here); Pézénas (well-balanced with a touch of class); Terrasses du Larzac (also pretty consistent, superior quality); La Clape (several impressive wines although some too marked by toasted wood) and Picpoul de Pinet whites (generally high standard, very enjoyable).
I've also already tasted quite a few 2008 vat and barrel samples from e.g. Corbières, Saint-Chinian and the Roussillon with their winemakers, let alone some rosés and whites now on sale. All showing 08 is worth talking about - although less immediately charming than 07 - let alone drinking. Many of the reds have the lively attractive fruit of the 2007s, yet with the structure and bite of a more "classic" vintage such as 2006 (beginning to look rather good too actually). Anyway, these were my favourites - all tasted blind then cross-referred to a crib sheet - although I didn't try the entire daunting line-up! Some might have been overlooked as, being unfinished samples, weren't showing well; or quite simply as there wasn't time to taste everything...
ED with crystal ball (2015): changed my mind a bit about 2008, having retried many of them since I wrote this (as you'll see from all my Languedoc reports since then). Only the best ones are still showing really well, otherwise a drink up quick vintage.

Languedoc AOC rouge
 
Domaine de la Reynardière - perfumed, juicy and spicy black cherry fruit; quite rich v dry texture, nice elegant style. 87
Abbotts "Boreas" - spicy lively raspberry and cassis fruit; has a bit of a kick then firmer finish, closing up but quite long. 87+
 
Languedoc Sommières
 
Domaine des Sauvaire - quite rich and perfumed on the nose; concentrated / extracted mouth-feel showing fair grip but has nice fruit and weight too. 87
Château Langlade "Prestige" - more structured with an attractive mouthful of spicy v ripe fruit, promising finish. 88(+)
Mas Granier - peppery perfumed aromas, chunky concentrated palate with good depth of vibrant fruit. 89+

Pic Saint-Loup
 
Les Domaines Bru "Le Loup du Pic" - seductive Syrah fruit (?) with classic spicy black cherry notes/ flavours; nice intensity v subtle tannins. 87+
Domaine Haut Lirou - again has that sexy "Syrah" perfume and spice combined with delicious depth of fruit and big structure. 90+
Mas Thélème "Carpe Diem" - offers real depth and intense fruit; firm and powerful with peppery lush mouth-feel then tight finish. 88+
Château de Lancyre "Vieilles Vignes" - commanding very concentrated wine with seductive spicy black fruits; very firm and long finish. 92+
Le Chemin des Reves "Gueule de Loup" - solid and extracted but also shows very nice spicy v 'sweet' fruit. 87+
Domaine Zumbaum Tomasi "Clos Maginiai" - straight and clean, subtle peppery v ripe fruit; tight closed finish, could be good. 87+
Clos des Augustins "Sourire d'Odile" - enticing and classy, 'sweet' fruit with a tad of oak, chunky and structured then rich v tight finish. 90-92
Château Laroque "Cupa Numisae" - lovely fruit and aromas; taut and textured palate / length, promising. 90 More La Roque here
Château de Lascaux "Tradition" - lively spicy black cherry nose; quite lush v firm and long, delicious actually. 92

Terrasses du Larzac
 
Le Clos du Serres "Le Clos" - spicy minty aromas with black forest gateau notes; fresh bite and grip, very attractive style. 89
Domaine L'Aiguelière "Cote Dorée" - rich v tangy cassis with wild herb edges; tight refreshing finish. 87+
La Bastide aux Oliviers - crunchy and tense palate showing wild fruits, liquorice and tobacco; fiery and firm on the finish. 88+
Renée Marie Giner "Vallongue" - ripe and liquoricey, delicious 'sweet' v savoury flavours v subtle dry texture. 90+ More here
Mas du Pountil "Le Mas" - concentrated and chunky with meaty edges yet 'sweet' fruit, powerful and solid. 90+
Mas de la Séranne "Les Immortelles" - not displaying much on the nose but has big meaty fruit and tannins; quite high alcohol but finished with complex tobacco notes. 89+
Domaine du Causse d'Arboras "Les Grazes" - structured, fleshy and also quite punchy; attractive oily v tobacco fruit and texture though. 87+
Mas des Brousses - spicy and focused, 'sweet' v savoury fruit with floral cherry undertones; well-balanced finish. 87+
Domaine Alain Chabanon "L'Esprit de Font Caude" - a bit closed and unrevealing although it has fair depth of spicy floral v riper fruit then firm texture. 87+ More here.
Château St-Jean d'Aumières "A" - enticing ripe blueberry aromas and flavours; chunky v peppery palate with rounded tannins. 89

Pézenas
 
Domaine de Fabregous "Le Coeur" - seductive and lush with spicy black fruit cocktail; solid mouth-feel but not hard, nice 'sweetness' and oomph on the finish. 88+
Domaines Paul Mas "Les Faisses" - oaky although lush v firm textured, powerful tight length; promising. 89+ More Mas.
Prieuré de St-Jean de Bébian - similar style showing perhaps richer & spicier fruit, firm v chocolate mouth-feel; nice texture in the end. 90

La Clape
 
Domaine Ferri-Arnaud "Tradition" - lush 'tar' aroma and texture, spicy and chunky mouth-feel finishing more 'sweet' & savoury. 90
Mas du Soleilla "Les Chailles" - aromatic floral plummy nose; oily v firm palate showing attractive ripe wild fruits and spices, then big finish. 90
Château Pech Redon "L'Epervier" - concentrated and extracted 'tar' fruit v black pepper and fresh counterbalance; wow. 90-92
Château Ricardelle "Clos Sablières" - again has that wilder spicy side v 'tar' and tobacco; very ripe with chocolate texture, in line with others stylistically and nicely done. 88-90

Grès de Montpellier
 
Saint Jean du Noviciat "Novi" - delicious ripe 'tar' v wild herbs on the nose, perfumed yet 'fat' fruit then soft-ish tannins. 87+
Château de l'Engarran "Grenache Majeur" - spicy liquorice "Grenache" style, punchy and powerful with quite firm tannins yet 'sweet' fruit lingering on the finish. 89
Clos des Nines "L'Orée" - ripe v peppery nose; very firm and solid with underlying 'sweet' fruit and pepper notes, tight long finish. 90
Château de Flaugergues "Colbert" - "vinous" 'sweet' nose; chewy tannins v vibrant lush fruit, solid finish. 88+
Abbaye de Valmagne "Turenne" - lively "Syrah" style (?) with floral spicy aromas; nice dry v 'sweet' finish. 87+

Picpoul de Pinet
 
La Croix Gratiot - pretty classic lively gummy style; oily v crisp and mineral palate, nice length. 87
Domaine des Lauriers "Prestige" - peachier and richer v subtle lemon and sherbet zest in the mouth, wow finish. 89+
Domaine de Belle Mare - pretty intense and gummy nose; elegant palate showing waxy texture v very fresh acidity, long clean finish. 88
Domaine Félines Jourdan - oilier and more honeyed "Riesling" style; "chalky" and incisive mouth-feel v exotic apricot flavours. 90+
La Grangette Ste-Rose "L'Enfant Terrible" - closed up on the nose; zippy v honeyed, subtle intensity and less seductive now, although should round out nicely in a few months. 87+

Over dinner at Le Bar à Vin in Pézenas (20 Cours Jean Jaurès, tel: 04 67 31 71 98) with lots of porky produce, the focus of their menu. The relaxed yet lively atmosphere led to me dropping those tiresome scores for a change:
2004 "Les Myrthes" Mas Mouries (Syrah Grenache Cinsault) - nice smoky development, rich cassis and liquorice v fresher herbier side; good balance and style, with tighter structured mouth-feel v underlying lushness.
More Mouries wines and profile.
2001 Château Paul Mas - smoky maturing fruit and texture, turning savoury but still has plenty of life. Quietly, a bit of a Languedoc classic: the wine and the vintage. More Mas vintages.
"L'Hospitalitas" La Clape Gérard Bertrand - tried four vintages:
2003 - delicious smoky 'tar' and fig with herbal cassis intricacy and lots of other stuff too; complex, rich and firm although quite mature now, not too powerful for a 2003; good foodie.
2002 - meatier and more savoury with enticing light tobacco / leather tones; elegant and mature, very nice now.
2004 - smoky leather aromas but still more structured and firm-textured; subtle finish, closes up but very promising.
2005 - attractive ripe spicy wild fruits / herbs v dried fruit edges; solid tight mouth-feel, not very revealing although some nice savoury fruit underneath its concentrated core. Needs 2 to 3 years. More GB wines and report.
2006 "Polaris" Pézenas Stella-Nova - stonky ripe dried fruit style with roast parsnip edges; very tight although slightly extracted framework, attractive but already turning old despite those gripping tannins. More Stella Nova.
2000 Pic St-Loup Château de Lascours - lovely complex mature nose continuing onto the palate, although it quickly got "very mature" in the glass so drink up now!

All rights Richard Mark James, posted June 2009.

Roussillon: Domaine Pouderoux, Maury

Catherine and Robert Pouderoux (pictured) coax a pretty impeccable range of Côtes du Roussillon Villages and Maury (all styles) from their 18 ha (45 acres), it has to be said. The vineyards are split between the latter village and Latour-de-France, about 10 km southeast, planted mostly with red grapes - Grenache for AOC Maury, the latter plus Syrah, Carignan and Mourvèdre for CdRV - and one parcel of white Grenache. Robert took us out for a drive up above Maury (taking the Cucugnan road), where you get a great view of the whole appellation and very much beyond: buttressed between the Corbières hills and a loosely parallel coupled ridge that form the valley here. This particular spot is "too exposed" (it hit 35°C = 95+F that 4th Sept. 2006 day by the way) according to Robert; his vineyard is over the other side, where there's some 100+ year-old Grenache. Very dry looking, handsomely gnarled bush vines, difficult to believe they're still alive.
In the cellar, there are several different sizes and materials of vat to enable them to "vinify all parcels separately, even the same varieties." Hence the names on the labels reflect specific plots. The good news for readers of my vinous drivel is that Pouderoux is very export-orientated - 70% and increasing - and their Maury 'mise tardive' (late bottled) is now listed in 100 Waitrose stores (£9.49, see note below); for other wines available in the UK contact Thorman Hunt, London SE11. Read on for 2009 and 2012 updates.

2004 Roc de Plane, white vin de pays (it has to be by law, as if anyone outside of France cares: AOC requires 3 grapes and this is 100% lovely Grenache blanc. Bureaucrats you know where you can stick your paperwork!) - barrel fermented and aged (12 months total) giving nice fatness set against floral peach and aniseed notes, celery and mineral freshness on the finish too. 87-89
2003 Latour de Grés Côtes du Roussillon Villages (50% Carignan plus old Mourvèdre and Syrah, 13.5%) - complex and delicious nose, liquorice & spicy garrigue notes turning into leather & chocolate; concentrated and weighty with very light spicy choco oak tones, firm and fresh length. 90-92
2003 Terre Brune Côtes du Roussillon Villages (50% Grenache plus old Mourvèdre and Syrah, 14%) - more perfumed than above showing black cherry & olive with earthy undertones, ripe juicy black fruit palate with depth and style, light coating of choco oak and textured tannins, 'sweet' v savoury profile; more powerful than above yet still has finesse and freshness. 92-94
2003 La Mouriane (Grenache Syrah, 14.5%) - barrel fermented with hand plunging (they take the top off): toasty dark fruit, quite oaky yet perfumed and fresh too, 'sweet' choco coating v very rich, tangy black olive savoury fruit; powerful finish, out of kilter at the moment and difficult to read, should be good though (only 200 cases made, €30 a bottle)!
2004 Maury - lovely cassis and black cherry aromas, concentrated rich mouth-feel v dry bite and freshness, very lively fruit v firm tannins and dark choco finish. 90-92
2002 Maury 'late bottled' (2 years in barrel) - perfumed cinnamon and jam notes developing intricate coffee edges, black cherry fruit seems sweeter and lighter than above, but this also has attractive coating and bite of tannins v alcohol; very nice now. 90+
Maury Hors d'Age (15 years' average age) - developing leather and dried fruit notes, soft sweet raspberry palate, seems fierier and more Port like; lingering coating of fruit and tannins. 90
Maury Grande Réserve (part aged in demijohns outside) - more developed still in an old tawny fashion, bitter choco v dried fruits, fatter and sweeter mouth-feel; attractive although less interesting style perhaps (in my opinion anyway).
2004 Muscat de Rivesaltes - all the 05 is already sold out, so this was an indicative sample: still retains charming freshness and citrus edges, sweet & concentrated yet nice cut adds elegance. 88

Update spring/summer 2009: a long overdue visit had me tasting all around Robert Pouderoux's cellar and most of his 2008s from vat or barrel, as well as more or less all the latest vintages of their range.
2008 Grenache gris & Grenache blanc (40 years old at 300m altitude) - exotic apricot, peach and spices; quite rich and concentrated vs mineral / salty twist, subtle coconut oak spice and texture with nice lively finish. 88+
2008 Grenache blanc & Macabeu (50 years old, same spot) - more citrus and floral notes with gummy lees too, intense and fresh vs delicious juicy texture. 88+
Robert will blend both of these into one white wine.
2008 Grenache - gorgeous vibrant "sweet" and spicy black fruits; dry yet attractively textured with juicy vs firm finish. He's going to do a 100% Grenache cuvée this vintage.
2008 Mourvèdre - peppery and powerful with gripping although fine tannins, punchy and structured vs ripe and rounded.
2008 Carignan - violets, blueberries and black cherries; refreshing and intense wine, very promising.
2008 Syrah - more closed up and has taken up more wood at this stage, very firm framework vs spicy and "sweet" fruit.
2007 Roc de Plane vin de pays des Côtes Catalanes white (13.5%) - lively citrus and orange peel vs exotic fruit and yeast-lees bite; a touch of dry salty mineral texture vs oily weight and exotic fruit, nice balance and style. 87+
2006 Terre Brune Côtes du Roussillon Villages (mostly Grenache plus Mourvèdre Syrah 14.5%) - not very revealing at that moment: "sweet & savoury" in style with rich and chunky vs tight dry mouthfeel, a bit of grainy wood lingers on its structured finish. Not showing brilliantly although the building blocks are in place...
2005 Latour de Grés Côtes du Roussillon Villages (50% Carignan plus Mourvèdre Syrah 14.5%) - a bit baked/oxidised (already open); quite big liquorice vs savoury flavours, solid long finish with leather and ripe "tar" notes.
2004 La Mouriane Côtes du Roussillon Villages (Grenache Syrah from north-facing "colder" soils) - more savoury still with very firm framework, attractive leather tones vs lush and peppery fruit vs mouth-coating tannins. Wow. 90+
2007 Maury vendange ("sur grains," early bottled "vintage" style) - aromatic dark cherries and cassis with leather and tobacco edges; sweet vs firm mouthfeel showing attractive balance of fruit, tannin, alcohol and residual sugar. 88+
2004 Maury mise tardive ("late bottled" with 2 years in barrel then 2 in bottle before release) - more baked and "oxidative" in style showing cooked fruit, more complex and peppery too; dry vs sweet vs meaty palate, touch more powerful on the finish. 89
Maury Hors d'Age (longer cask ageing, blend of 12 to 15 year-old wines) - browner colour and more liqueur like in style, much more toffee and pecan nut nose / flavours; spicy, firm and sweet in the mouth, complex and long. 92+
Maury Grande Réserve (less cask ageing than above but some left in demijohns outside) - more oxidised on the nose with lots of toffee and cooked raspberry; again firm and punchy mouthfeel with leather tones, grippy vs sweet texture. Interesting style for sure although I prefer the previous one. 89

2012 UPDATE HERE: Pouderoux launches new organic Roussillon range called Domaine Lavista...

2 Rue Emile Zola, 66460 Maury. Tel: 04 68 57 22 02, domainepouderoux@orange.fr / www.domainepouderoux.fr.

Roussillon: Domaine Calvet-Thunevin, Maury

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; and 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.

Roussillon: 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.

Roussillon: Domaine Arcadie, Tautavel

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 and a couple more at the Fenouillèdes wine fair in April 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

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

Roussillon: Domaine Deveza, Estagel

Run by Chantal Deveza, who also has an on-site holiday gite by the way, this was yet another new estate showing their first vintage (2008) at the Fenouillèdes wine fair in late April 2009 (Tautavel). And yet another one making tasty white wine, convincing me further that the Roussillon is very much more than a one, or two, trick pony (not that I needed that much convincing). Deveza's website was still being built in the summer, when I posted my tasting notes below, so I'll add more detail as and when I have it (Estagel here we come...)

2008 Harmonie white vin de pays des Côtes Catalanes (mostly Grenache gris) - with 6 months in cask: subtle coconut notes & texture vs perfumed apricot fruit, juicy yet rounded mouthfeel; attractive well-made style. 87+
2008 Mélodie rosé (Syrah/Grenache) - bright lively and elegant style rather than fruity-fruity, refreshing dry finish. 80-85
2008 Côtes du Roussillon red (Grenache/Carignan/Syrah) - a tad

reduced on the nose, moving on to lively juicy fruit with crunchy berry flavours; finishes with more structured, punchy and spicy mouthfeel. 85-87
2008 Côtes du Roussillon Villages (Syrah/Grenache/Carignan, vat sample) - also a touch reduced (should go away); nice tight framework and bite vs juicy fruit, quite long and subtle. 87-89

Rue Mendes-France, 66310 Estagel.

Tel: 04 68 29 15 60 / 06 09 79 77 23, www.domainedeveza.com.

Roussillon: Domaine des Trois Orris, Tarérach

UPDATED 2013 - see below.

Dutchman Joep Graler's airy organic wines are the product of the remote vine-lands in the central-(wild)western Roussillon outback, around the hamlets of Tarérach and Arboussols. It's also a great spot for walking and meeting no-one else on the way, except the odd lizard, rabbit or pheasant maybe. He has 15 ha/37 acres planted mostly with Carignan (red and white), Syrah, Grenaches, the rare Chenanson and a plot of Chenin blanc; which Joep added as a replacement for Macabeu five years ago, when he established 3 Orris, because "it lacked character." He sells most of his wine in Germany, Asia, the Netherlands, Belgium, England and Switzerland; finding the French market "less and less interesting, people don't have any money!" and too price-driven. Joep has signed up to 'Tourisme de Terroir en Pyrénées Orientales', a joint project between the regional tourist board, wine and food producers and hotels & restaurants; to encourage people to explore beautiful, unknown parts of the Roussillon like this area, and, as in his case no doubt, away from thinking just beaches and ski resorts! Anyway, it must be working as he told me that, out of only 5% direct sales, about three-quarters of this comes from wine trekking tourists.

I tried the following wines at the Fenouillèdes wine show held in April 2007.
2005 blanc (Marsanne Grenache gris Carignan blanc) – attractive appley freshness with a fruity then mineral palate, nice easy-drinker yet something serious about it too. 85-87
2006 blanc "wild ferment" – so called thanks to a bit of Brett (a natural spoilage yeast) adding some funky edges, rich and quite fat mouth-feel; interesting style to say the least!
2004 La Pierre Blanche, Côtes du Roussillon rouge – appealing juicy blackberry style with a touch of tannic grip and substance to finish. 85
2005 La Pierre Blanche, Côtes du Roussillon rouge – lovely lively black fruit cocktail v fresh and zingy even on the palate, light tannins add to its enjoyable length. 87-89
2004 Lhusanes (50% Syrah plus Carignan Grenache) – delicious floral style with black cherry and liquorice notes, more extracted and structured than above although well-handled. 87-89
2005 Lhusanes – showing livelier fruit on the nose and palate, quite rich then tight and firm, lush v fresh and long. 89-91
2004 La Figarasse (Carignan) – rich v fine fruit, slight old wood character intruding but has intensity and refreshing length. 87-89
2005 La Figarasse – cleaner with sexy vibrant fruit layered on its dense structure, dry grip v 'sweet' coating and long bite. 90+
2005 Aife, Vin de Table (Chenanson) – surprising depth considering its made from 5 year-old vines, attractively fruity and spicy with solid tannins. 87-89

2009 update: tasted with Joep at the Fenouillèdes wine fair, late April in Tautavel:
2007 Aife white (Carignan blanc & Grenache gris) - rounded and oily mouthfeel with honeyed and spicy floral notes, nice fresh vs quite weighty finish. 85+
2007 La Graeia white (Marsanne & Carignan blanc) - zestier and gummier with more mineral style, quite lively and attractive although less interesting perhaps. 83-85
2007 Pierre Blanche Côtes du Roussillon red - appealing lively cassis and black cherry fruit, juicy tasty palate with light tannic grip vs spicy fruity finish. 85+
2007 Lhusanes (50% Syrah plus Carignan Grenache, older vines) – similar fruit and spice character but more concentrated and intense, rich vs tangy finish. 87+
2007 La Figarasse (100% old Carignan) – pretty intense crunchy vs "sweet" and peppery fruit / texture, nice fresh acidity and grip to finish. 89
2007 Síríssíme (14.5%) - dollop of vanilla oak is quite overpowering, although it does have attractive intensity and fruit. Not sure, we'll see if the latter conquers the former.

2013 UPDATE - RMJ caught up with Joep earlier this year, these were my favourites:

2011 Aife white (mostly Carignan gris) – honeyed apricot-y notes with nutty rounded texture, a touch of creaminess vs fresher side too, light exotic fruit to finish; quite nice style.

2006 Côtes du Roussillon (Carignan, Grenache, Lladoner Pelut) – mature meaty lightly baked nose, complex though; liquorice fruit vs still a touch of grip and lingering leather vs 'sweet/savoury' flavours. Nice drinking now.

2007 La Figarasse Côtes du Roussillon (including 100 year-old Carignan) – hints of coconut, quite rich and concentrated, tasty and savoury with dark vs crunchy fruit, good structure and length. Good wine.

2009 Síríssíme (Syrah) – smoky ripe and meaty with minty herbal edges, dark cherries with maturing savoury tones, spicy and minty finish with thick yet layered tannins, concentrated and still closed up. Good stuff.

Not so keen on / sure about his 2011 Chenanson though, which is aged in acacia and chestnut barrels, although it was very closed up and clumsy with a glimmer of interest in there somewhere!

Mas Llossannes, 66320 Tarérach. Mobile: 06 75 02 51 00. Looks like someone in the Far East has high-jacked his web domain though, when I last looked (vins-troisorris.com).

Roussillon: Domaine de Vénus, St-Paul de Fenouillet

Vénus is owned by "a dozen wine-loving friends" steered by Nathalie Abet in situ, who gradually bought up and brought together parcel after parcel of old vines spread around the rocky elevated windy terrain near St-Paul; as well as planting some new Syrah and Vermentino. Thus the estate climbed from 7 ha/17 acres in 2003 to 13 ha in 2007. I tried the following wines at the Fenouillèdes wine show held in April of that year. By the way, it's now closer to 15 ha (although those young plantings mentioned above haven't quite yet come on stream) over 40 very different plots, which must be hard to coordinate at picking time!
2005 blanc, Vin de pays des Côtes Catalanes (mostly old vine Grenache gris) – quite toasty and rich yet with attractive honeyed fruit overtones and mineral freshness. €11.55 87
2003 rouge, Vin de pays des Côtes Catalanes (Carignan Syrah Grenache) – quite structured v ripe cherry fruit with tobacco tones, fairly powerful and long finish. €6.60 87-89
2004 Côtes du Roussillon (Grenache Syrah Carignan) – a bit reductive or something on the nose, moves on to a tight herbal v liquorice palate, somewhat firm and tart but has underlying 'sweetness' too; closes up, a touch bitter in the end perhaps. €10.55 87+?
2003 Côtes du Roussillon Villages (Grenache Carignan Syrah) – hints of smoky bacon, pretty extracted tannins with light tobacco and sweet plum notes, turning savoury to finish. €11.80 89?

Update spring 2009 tasted at the Fenouillèdes wine fair, late April in Tautavel:
2004 white vin de pays des Côtes Catalanes (Grenache gris/Macabeu) – oily buttery texture and flavours with a tad of background toastiness, although it's attractively hazelnutty too; interesting "old" style. 85+
2006 white vin de pays des Côtes Catalanes (Grenache gris/Macabeu) – creamier toastier and "sweeter" but again has nice nutty maturing tones and weighty vs lively mouthfeel underneath. 85+
2008 rosé - zesty elegant Provence style with rose petal and red fruit notes, zingy finish too. 85+
2007 red vin de pays des Côtes Catalanes (Carignan/Syrah) – attractive blueberry and cassis fruit with spicy liquorice undertones, nice bit of grip and punch on the palate. 85+
2004 Côtes du Roussillon (Grenache Syrah Carignan) – nice developing savoury fruit with tangy herbal edges, dark chocolate and dry bite to finish. 87+
2004 Côtes du Roussillon Villages (Grenache Carignan Syrah) – a touch more wood on the nose and palate but this also gives it more texture and roundness; maturing "sweet & savoury" fruit vs still firm mouthfeel. 87+
2003 - a bit oxidised, extracted and dried out. Oh, well...

13 Avenue Jean Moulin, 66220 St-Paul de Fenouillet. Tel: 04 68 59 18 81, domainedevenus@aliceadsl.fr, www.domainedevenus.com.