Roussillon: Domaine de la Serre, Maury

Domaine de la Serre
Jean Louis Vera's promising estate is comprised of several plots spread around the Maury area and is run by his winemaking son Arnaud. I sampled the wines below at the Fenouillèdes wine show in April 2007; and I did visit their winery once a couple of years before that, although then it was a building site with new vats and barrels positioned here and there wherever there was space. Meaning the domaine name and cellar have only been around in recent times, but the family were co-op growers for many years before going down their own vinous path (that's enough of the literary drivel, ed.).
2004 Cailloux blanc (Grenache blanc Macabeu Muscat) – still quite fresh and mineral with a weighty mouth-feel (14.5% certainly helps), but it's surprisingly drinkable actually. 87
2005 Cailloux rouge (Grenache) – lively juicy cherry style, easy and tasty. 83-85
2003 Serre Longue Côtes du Roussillon Villages (Grenache Carignan Syrah) – fair splash of oak but it's rich and lively, grippy dry texture v sweet fruit and oak; quite well balanced despite its punch (14.5%). 88-90
2002 Hypogée Côtes du Roussillon Villages (Syrah Grenache Carignan) – again toasty vanilla is up-front (50% new barrels used) but it has lovely savoury v liquorice flavours, structured chunky tannins and power (15%) v 'sweet' roundness. 89-91
2002 Serre Longue – attractive savoury leather edges, a touch oxidised although still quite lush v firm backdrop, potent and long. 89
2003 Pierres Levées – rather coconutty with dense black fruits underneath, dry yet rounded tannins; that oak lingers somewhat, will the fruit outlive it? 89

10 Rue du Docteur Pougault, 66460 Maury. Tel: 04 68 59 18 36.

Roussillon: Domaine Gardiès, Espira-de-l'Agly

UPDATED 2012 - see below.

Jean Gardiès has come a long way since his first vintage in 1993. The newly built (I called by in April 2007), elegant wooden winery looks stunning lost in the beautiful wild vine-lands above Espira de l'Agly. In common with several leading estates, Gardiès' attention has turned more recently towards planting white varieties, as he believes there's a promising future for high quality Roussillon white wines (I tend to agree by and large). Having said that, most of the estate's 30-35 ha (75 acres) are planted with all the region's usual red suspects (see notes below); and Jean has had particular success with Mourvèdre in this neck of the woods, as well as Syrah, Carignan, Grenache from here and his other vineyards in Vingrau.
He's also mastered how to make really nice dry Muscat - not necessarily a given unless you grow it differently and vinify carefully - and still produces a fair bit of Rivesaltes VDN styles. "These sweet wines are a difficult sell outside of France, which is a pity as it's a unique tradition to the Roussillon." Jean's focus is export, although is happy to meet wine enthusiasts at the winery by appointment, increasingly finding "a knock-on effect: the more Roussillon wines there are out there, the greater the demand. But it's still hard persuading distributors to take on our wines." The domaine is in the process of organic certification, but Jean isn't especially interested in using this as the main thrust. "The wine still has to be good... just like whether it's appellation or vin de pays, you shouldn't need it on the bottle to sell it." Indeed, the proof is in the pudding as that quaintly bizarre English expression has it.

2006 Mas Las Cabes Muscat sec - nice Muscat freshness and grapey style, zingy mineral notes v creamier mouth-feel (he leaves it on its yeast-lees for 5 months); light elegant length v fatter fruit. 87

2005 Les Vieilles Vignes Côtes du Roussillon blanc (60% 70+ year old Grenache Blanc 35% Grenache Gris 5% Macabeu) - lovely apricot and white peach fruit with toasty edges, creamy v fruity; oak well done as it has freshness too. 88
2005 Les Millères Côtes du Roussillon Villages (40 Grenache 35 Syrah 20 Carignan 5 young Mourvèdre) - attractive ripe black cherry and liquorice fruit with herbal edges, soft and round v fresh dry bite. 87-89
2005 Vieilles Vignes Côtes du Roussillon Villages Tautavel (70% 60-80 year old Grenache and Carignan, 20 Syrah 10 Mourvèdre) - a bit more oak but not much, firmer with more bite v sweetness of fruit, closes up a bit on the finish; elegant, again subtle oak. 89-91
2005 La Torre Côtes du Roussillon Villages (70% Mourvèdre 20 Grenache 10 Carignan) - youthful fruit with quite spicy coco oak up-front, concentrated and powerful; firm and less open on the finish with underlying ripe rounded texture. 90
2005 Les Falaises Côtes du Roussillon Villages Tautavel (45% Syrah 40 Grenache 15 Carignan) - more perfumed and floral, quite a bit of chocolate oak but very concentrated sweet fruit underneath; powerful with coating of solid tannins, big finish. Needs 6-12 months to harmonize. 90-92
2005 Flor Muscat de Rivesaltes - still lively with floral honey, apricot notes and orange peel tang; nice bite v sweetness, the alcohol is well integrated. 87-89
1995 Rivesaltes Ambré (95% 70+ year old Grenache Blanc 5% Muscat) - gorgeous toasted hazelnut and toffee nose, concentrated and complex coffee and pecan flavours; the sweetness melts into its tangy aged fruit, lovely length and style. 90-92

2011 update here featuring Jean's 2009 Clos des Vignes white Cotes du Roussillon, now sold in the UK by H2Vin Ltd. for about £17.

2012 UPDATE - I finally caught up with Jean again and tasted his whole impressive range at this year's Millésime Bio organic wine show in Montpellier. I'm glad I did too, as this just confirmed that Gardiès really is up there among the top five to ten estates in the Roussillon. Jean seems to have a real knack of combining understanding and optimizing the terroir he has, as that old French cliché would have it, with first-rate winemaking skills. Result: some brilliant complex wines. He's now also fully certified organic across all 52 ha (130 acres) in the Espira and Vingrau areas (the latter vineyards are classified as Tautavel, confusingly, but there's no CdRV Vingrau. Nor Espira...)

2011 Las Cabès white (Espira) - quite exotic with peach / pineapple, moves on to a tighter fresher palate with zingy lees-y undercurrent. Good+
2011 Les Glaciaires white (Vingrau: Roussanne, Grenache blanc/gris, Macabeu) - toastier nose with rich exotic fruit, fairly powerful vs tight and elegant mouth-feel; very nice well-made wine.
2011 Malvoisie (= Tourbat) - delicious wild flower and honey aromas, creamier on the palate with lightly toasted edges, rich and concentrated vs lovely mineral bite, very long finish. Wow, serious white wine. Very good+
2010 Les Millères red (Vingrau: Grenache, Syrah, Carignan, Mourvèdre) - ripe dark cherry fruit, lovely warm spicy notes, fairly easy on the palate with a touch of grip and tasty 'sweet'/spicy fruit. Good+
2009 Clos des Vignes Côtes du Roussillon Villages Tautavel (Vingrau: a bit more Grenache, Syrah, Carignan and a bit more Mourvèdre) - peppery with coconut oak overtones, again it's concentrated and lush vs firmer fuller and punchier too, yet still has balance and class. Needs a few years to develop. Very good.
2009 Les Falaises (Côtes du Roussillon Villages Tautavel (Vingrau: a bit more Syrah, same of Grenache, Carignan) - minty herbal tones vs dark cherry and ripe cassis, intense lively and concentrated with punchy solid tight finish layered with tasty maturing fruit. Superb.
2009 La Torre Côtes du Roussillon Villages (Espira: mostly Mourvèdre with Grenache and Carignan) - wilder mintier nose vs delicious dark lush fruit edged with peppery savoury black olive aromas/flavours; very concentrated with firm grainy texture and stylish finish. Very good to excellent.


Chemin de Montpins, 66600 Espira-de-l'Agly.

Tel: 04 68 64 61 16, gardies.jean@wanadoo.fr, www.domaine-gardies.fr.

Tempranillos al Mundo

This international competition is organised by the Spanish Winemakers Federation (FEAE), which this year will be held in Shanghai, China from June 28th-30th. What's so interesting about that, you may well ask? Well, focusing on the Tempranillo grape variety makes a refreshing change from more familiar territory; especially as it can be at the heart of some great red wines in Spain, Argentina and who knows where else: Australia, USA etc? I guess we'll see when the results are released in a few months time.
Another original aspect to the show is the selection of a different host city each year in an "emerging market," as the blurb puts it. "The main goal of Tempranillos al Mundo is to showcase high quality Tempranillo wines to professionals and consumers in the country hosting the event," it concludes. Have fun then, Shanghai wine folk.
Source: Global Wine & Spirits, one of the event's sponsors. More info from the competition website: click on the logo above left.

Hôtel du Vieux Moulin, Chablis

This flash mini-hotel is the latest venture from the ever expanding Laroche empire, although this time it's on 'home turf' in Chablis, so to speak. The opening sentence of their press release made me smile: "Within the wine trade, the Laroche name has a well-earned reputation for hospitality – whether it is in Chablis, Béziers, Casablanca or now Stellenbosch." Bit like London, Skegness, Paris and New York perhaps...
Putting my silly sense of humour aside, the Vieux Moulin does sound and look the part: "a beautiful 11th century mill that straddles the river Serein and overlooks the picturesque Grand Cru vineyards," as their blurb continues. The five air-conditioned (you wouldn't want that on too often in Chablis) double rooms and two suites cost from 150 to 250 €uros. The personal styling even extends to the furniture, designed  by Michel and Gwenael Laroche themselves. And on the ground floor, you'll find the Laroche Wine Bar where you can try chef Julien Lasserre's culinary creations along with, not surprisingly, Laroche wines from around the world. Hotel du Vieux Moulin, 18 rue des Moulins, 89800 Chablis. Tel +33 3 86 42 47 30 / Fax +33 3 86 42 84 44, vieuxmoulin@larochewines.com / winebar@larochewines.com. Posted 20/4/07

Le Bistrot des Crus, Perpignan

If you find yourself in the French Catalonian capital on a Friday evening, why not check out this new wine bar & bistrot (63 Avenue du Général Leclerc, 66000 Perpignan, tel. +33 04 68 73 96 83) found alongside, and owned by, the well-stocked wine merchant Le Comptoir des Crus. Their Friday evening tasting events are called 'Les Vendredis du Bistrot' and each one is led by a local winegrower presenting their own wines. Starting tonight at 7pm with Guy Prédal, here's the program running into the summer:

20/04/2007 Domaine Marcevol - Guy Prédal
Vertical tasting of 4 vintages of his cuvée Prestige.
27/04/2007 Domaine Clot de l’Oum - Éric Monné
Vertical tasting of 3 vintages of his cuvée Compagnie des Papillons and 2005 white wine.
04/05/2007 Domaine Vaquer - Frédérique Vaquer
Vertical tasting of 4 vintages of her cuvée Expression.
11/05/2007 Domaine La Casenove - Etienne Montès
Vertical tasting of 4 vintages of his cuvée Commandant Jaubert.
25/05/2007 Domaine Singla - Laurent de Besombes
Vertical tasting of 4 vintages of his cuvée Moli.
08/06/2007 Domaine Lafage - Jean-Marc Lafage
Tasting of their whole range. Special promo at the Comptoir des Crus: 10% off Lafage's range between 6-10pm.
15/06/2007 La Cave de Castelmaure - Xavier Peyrot des Gachons
Vertical tasting of 4 vintages of his cuvée N°3.
22/06/2007 Summer rosés - Jean-Pierre Rudelle
Special promo at the Comptoir des Crus: 10% off all rosés between 6-10pm.
29/06/2007 Château Saint Roch - Emma and Marc Bournazeau
Vertical tasting of 4 vintages of their cuvée Kerbuccio.

Roussillon: Domaine de la Fou, Saint-Paul-de-Fenouillet

Hélène and Christian Meunier are the third generation to farm their 11 ha / 28 acre wine estate lying at 260m (850 feet) altitude on the slopes around St-Paul, in the wilder-still northwestern corner of Roussillon Villages country. These four wines were tasted at the Fenouillèdes wine show in April 2007:

2006 L'Impossible Muscat sec, vin de pays des Côtes Catalanes – fresh and crisp with grape aromas and flavours, fuller creamier palate; nice style. €7 87
2006 white barrique-fermented (barrel sample: Grenache Gris Macabeu Chardonnay) – lightly toasty with milky mouth-feel, exotic apricot fruit, full and rounded. 87
2004 La Clue, vin de pays des Côtes Catalanes (Carignan Grenache Syrah Mourvèdre) – tobacco and violet tones on top of black cherry and smoky liquorice, nice fruit v grip and fresh finish. €7 87-89
2004 Ricochet, Côtes du Roussillon Villages (Carignan Grenache Syrah Mourvèdre) – similar profile to above although lusher, tobacco edges on a sweet v savoury palate, attractive weight and power. €9 89

Chemin de Bayra (cellar), tasting/shop: 28 Avenue du 16 Août 1944, 66220 Saint-Paul-de-Fenouillet. Tel/fax: 04 68 59 11 62, mobile: 06 12 54 94 07, domainedelafou@wanadoo.fr

Roussillon: Domaine Terre Rousse, Maury

Domaine Terre RousseTasters had the opportunity to try all four vintages (so far) of Serge Rousse's Côtes du Roussillon Villages reds side by side, at the 2007 edition of the Fenouillèdes wine show held in Tautavel. All 4 wines are made from approximately 40% Grenache, 30% Carignan, 20% Syrah and 10% Mourvèdre; a vineyard blend "that matches my cuverie perfectly... each vintage I've been aiming for more fruit and less wood." Nice to hear that coming from a Bordelais, and judging by my notes below, I agree wholeheartedly this is the way to go. There are already too many Roussillon reds swamped in flashy new oak with the same flavour and texture!
2006 (cask sample) – lovely juicy black cherry fruit, pretty firm tannins yet rounded with fresh length. Will be good... as long as he doesn't leave it too long in barrel! 89
2005 – again delicious fruit and style, liquorice with very light leather tones; attractive bite and balance with 'sweet' v dry texture and subtle lingering flavour. 90-92
2004 – lightly toasted and a little baked, richer and firmer palate than expected with chocolate notes; prefer the 2005 and 2006. 85-87
2003 – more restrained and 'Bordeaux' in style, nicely maturing fruit v oak backdrop, more structured although has background ripe v savoury fruit. 85-87

Update: Serge has actually now sold up to a Swiss investor/winegrower/maker, whose estate is called Domaine des Enfants...

Route de Cucugnan, 66460 Maury. sergerousse@wanadoo.fr

Roussillon: Domaine Depeyre, Cases-de-Pène

Brigitte Bile and Serge Depeyre set up shop in 2002 (I first went there in April 07) and now command 12 ha/30 acres in two main blocks overlooking Cases de Pène and Espira, and Vingrau. Some of their Mourvèdre is 90 years old and there is still the odd Carignan vine here that they believe to be “about 200!” That's what I call old vines. All the plots that used to churn out fruit for VDN wines have been, or are being, replanted with red varieties. Brigitte told me: “we aren't interested in making sweet wines but have added some Muscat to make dry white.”

You'll (have) notice(d) various points of view in this guide on the 'tyrant' Syrah versus Grenache, Carignan etc. and its place in the Roussillon. While the region should arguably focus on the latter grapes to distinguish itself from, say, the Languedoc; there is some damn good Syrah produced in certain sites. Brigitte certainly believes “Syrah is better suited than Grenache here, and we've also planted more Mourvèdre.” Serge and Brigitte are concentrating on exporting their wines – and most of it to our red wine obsessed Belgian friends – but you can buy the wines below in good local wine merchants in e.g. Perpignan, Prades or Argeles. However, they have plans to do up her father's old cellar into an on-site shop...

2005 Cuvée Depeyre Côtes du Roussillon Villages (50% Syrah plus Grenache Carignan) - light chocolate and spice tones, floral black cherry fruit on top; elegant tight palate, quite closed (this was only bottled 2 months before I tasted it, so it should have opened up a bit now) and fresh, chunky fruit and tannins yet finely textured. Could be good. €8.50 87-89
2004 Cuvée Ste-Colombe Côtes du Roussillon Villages (Grenache Syrah Carignan Mourvèdre) - displaying more oak but has lovely juicy black fruits as well, elegant v concentrated with the 14.5% alcohol well integrated; lusher fruit than above v light choc oak on a tight, lively and solid framework. Sainte Colombe is sourced from a 2 ha/5 acre parcel at higher altitude (200-300 metres/800 feet). €13.50 89-911 rue Pasteur, 66600 Cases de Pène. Tel: 04 68 28 32 19, brigitte.bile@orange.fr.

Roussillon: Domaine Rancy, Latour-de-France

Brigitte and Jean-Hubert Verdaguer are real specialists in aged Rivesaltes ambré VDN wines (70% of production), although started making tasty Côtes du Roussillon reds six years ago; 11 out of 17 hectares are old vine Macabeu destined for this purpose. I was lucky enough to try their 1969? Rivesaltes, I think (from memory, I didn't note the vintage down) when visiting La Coume Majou (his personal stock!), which was quite extraordinary. Brigitte and Jean-Hubert have plans to refit part of the cellar into a dining room to do lunches with wine & food matched menus. Despite the fact they sell 80% of their production at the cellar door, very little of this comes from tourists as they are a bit off the beaten track. So hopefully this kind of meal thing will entice people out into the countryside. Believe me, good wines aside, it's definitely worth the trip: the Latour area offers a beautiful backdrop for driving or better still walking. I sampled these wines at the Fenouillèdes wine show in April 2007:

2005 Côtes du Roussillon red – nice juicy black cherry notes set the scene for a quite soft and forward palate v light grip and weight. 85

2005 Latour-de-France Côtes du Roussillon Villages (Carignan Grenache Mourvèdre) – lightly volatile nose (vat sample) gives way to lovely rich blackberry fruit, lively fresh mouth-feel v power, dry grip and delicious length.90-92

2003 Côtes du Roussillon Villages – attractive lush wild fruit cocktail with maturing leather tones, firm palate showing further developing savoury and rustic fruit with underlying 'sweetness' too. 88-90

2003 Latour-de-France Côtes du Roussillon Villages (50% Mourvèdre plus Carignan Grenache) – similar profile to above although more intense, savoury black olive notes and less rustic; more grip and muscle on the finish. 89-91

2001 Côtes du Roussillon Villages (Carignan Syrah Grenache) – their first non-fortified red: complex herbal wild fruit with maturing meaty edges, lush rustic yet still perfumed palate with dry bite and a bit of oomph; those tannins finish up a tad firm, however this is good and quite elegant actually. 89-91

11 Rue Jean Jaurès, 66720 Latour-de-France. Tel: 04 68 29 03 47 / 06 87 11 15 18, info@domaine-rancy.com, www.domaine-rancy.com

Roussillon: Clos des Fées, Vingrau

Updated February 2013 (goes to 'World Grenache Competition' part two featuring Hervé's delicious Grenache blanc vieilles vignes 2011).

The philosophy behind Hervé Bizeul's cult estate and wines is refreshingly simple, upheld by a quiet-spoken man who claims to have been “surprised by the world fame.” You'll find more notes on three of his wines here, plus the wines below tasted in his cellar in April 2007 during the Fenouillèdes wine show. Hervé “didn't want to have a stand and hog the limelight,” believing there are other exciting discoveries in the Roussillon. Hervé, a restaurateur and wine writer in previous lives (his blog is an interesting read) said: “I'm very attached to the idea of a vigneron working their terrain. AOC doesn't need to develop, we just need to aim to make hand-crafted wines at a very high level.” He tries to “search for and retain the fruit to make rich, Mediterranean, flavoursome wines traditional to this area.” First and foremost, Hervé thinks he “makes wine for myself, then I work out how to manage the different plots and varieties” according to that principle. The ideal is making wines that can be drunk from “5 to 12 years old, except la Petite Sibérie.” He sells about 40% of production in France and spends a lot of time promoting Clos des Fées around the world, where his wines have become very sought-after. Hence those prices: easy to criticise although it's a whole different argument, and who can knock someone who's earned such a reputation?

2005 white (old vine Grenache Blanc) – pretty toasty nose gives way to a honeyed v mineral personality, lightly oxidised creamy and nutty style finishing with subtle freshness v weight too. 87
2005 Les Sorcières, Côtes du Roussillon (Grenache Carignan Syrah) – sort of reduced on the nose showing pungent or herbal black cherry fruit, a touch of chocolatey oak on the palate backed up by ripe fruit, fresh bite and light tannins. It loses that smell after a few minutes (Hervé adds CO2 for some reason). €10 87
2004 Vieilles Vignes, Côtes du Roussillon Villages (Grenache Carignan Syrah) – quite savoury with liquorice notes, rich and aromatic; fairly firm and tight framework offering power and concentration, yet lively too on its good length. €25 90-92
2004 Le Clos des Fées de Hervé Bizeul, Côtes du Roussillon Villages – rather a lot of coco oak otherwise it's closed up; power and almost chalky texture, it is long and firm v sweet fruit but just too oaky at the moment... €50
2004 La Petite Sibérie, Côtes du Roussillon Villages (100% Grenache, technically not allowed for AOC but who cares) – the best fruit sourced from a “mono-parcel,” as our man calls it, presumably a 'cool' site. Again, it has plenty of smoky oak but it's much richer with liquorice Grenache purity and very ripe black cherry fruit; weighty 15%+ alcohol which doesn't really shout out, surprisingly, with a lovely coating of sweet fruit and coconut to finish. By the way, this wine would cost up to a breathtakingly expensive €200 a bottle, if you can find any. 92-94
2005 red blend vat sample – obviously oaky but has lovely lush fruit too, quite fine actually while commanding and with attractive texture.
2005 Clos des Fées vat sample – similarly, there's lots of coco oak although shows attractive burst of fruit and the trademark power; finishes with fine fresh tannins. Needs a few months at least to round out and let that oak melt in more, which it carries better than the 2004.
1999 Clos des Fées – developing leather and spice tones, red pepper notes too plus roasted coffee, complex aromas; still quite firm with leather and nice meaty side, long finish. 92-94

69 Rue Maréchal Joffre, 66600 (ominous postcode!) Vingrau. Tel: 04 68 29 40 00, info@closdesfees.com, www.closdesfees.com.

Roussillon: Mas Crémat, Espira de l'Agly

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-enclosed 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.