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