Stars of the Languedoc-Roussillon

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.

Definitive Italian Wine Tasting

Written for www.therestaurantgame.com

The Chelsea Village Galleria at Stamford Bridge provided a powerfully green backdrop to the now annual ‘Definitive Italian Wine Tasting’ on 11th July. But all the action took place on white-clothed tables laden with bottles and thankfully in more than 90 minutes, as there were plenty of new wines and vintages to try. Producers and importers could only show mid-priced wines and upwards, meaning lower quality volume wines were excluded.

Having previously focused on the up-and-coming south of Italy, a separate area was dedicated to Chianti Classico with a cross-section of vintages and styles. Generally speaking, the just released 1999s and ‘97s looked the best, ‘98s a bit lacking in substance (although some drinking nicely now) but surprisingly few of the ‘96s and ‘95s impressed. Particularly striking were: 1997 Castello di Brolio (Enotria Winecellars 020 8963 4820), ‘99 Poggio de’ Sassiduri from Cantina Leonardo (Liberty Wines 020 7720 5350), ‘99 ‘Paris’ Monte Bernardi (Richards Walford 01780 460451), ‘98 Le Massi di Greve (H&H Bancroft 0780 444 1700) and ‘97 Riserva Villa la Pagliaia (Meridian Wines 0161 908 1350).

Italy’s exciting and endearing trademark is its myriad obscure yet characterful local grapes. Amongst whites we discovered the rich, complex and herby 1999 Fiano di Avellino ‘Terre di Dora’ (Winetraders 01865 251851) from the hills inland and east of Naples; good value, peachy and mineral 2000 ‘Terre in Fiore’ made from 100% Garganega from the Veneto (Liberty Wines 020 7720 5350); superior ’99 Orvieto produced from no less than 5 grapes – Procanico, Verdello, Grechetto, Malvasia and Drupeggio – by Palazzone (The Winery 020 7286 6475); and zesty, dry and aromatic ‘00 Prosecco di Valdobbidene ‘Sassi Bianchi’, which is usually sparkling (Sommelier’s Choice 020 8689 9643).

The strength and breadth of Italy’s reds is even more beguiling and extraordinary: Anna Maria Abbona’s 1999 Dolcetto from the Langhe in Piemonte (Mille Gusti 020 8997 3932) demonstrated the lovely, pure cherry fruit this grape can offer when made oak-free. Sicily is happily fulfilling its potential, as the rich ripe ’98 Passomaggio Rosso (Nero d’Avola and Merlot) from Santa Anastasia showed with its ‘tar and tobacco’ finish (John Armit 020 7908 0600)! Also from the south – Puglia region – Masseria Pepe had a delicious, intense and liquoricey ’99 Primitivo (very hip variety) called Dunico (Meridian Wines 0161 908 1350).

Champagne trip

"The Eurostar cuts a pastel-painted blur through the spacious rural canvass like an Impressionist on speed; it’s only really when you get to Paris that it sinks in you’ve arrived in northern France, without the more customary touchdown. At about an hour and a half’s drive from the reluctant-to-leave capital, Champagne is the nearest and easiest French wine region for us to visit. And it’s pretty, green, warm in the summer, suffused with rolling hills; and they make Champagne there, so lots of good reasons..."

Read the works at the bottom of this special Champagne page here.

Swiss wines

Written for www.therestaurantgame.com

Hidden elegance

The Swiss have kept a bit hush-hush about their wines until quite recently – a tasting in London last year organised by the Exporters’ Association proved to be an eye-opener, and they exhibited at this year’s Restaurant Show. Images of mountains, snow and great lakes don’t perhaps automatically conjure up vineyards, but wine is made in similar environments elsewhere in the world, not to mention just across the borders in France and Italy. Overall production is very small with only 15000 hectares of vines planted, and yields are quite low; in addition, a mere 1% of this is exported at the moment.

Although the different regions vary in climate, terrain and soil, the wine styles – just over half being aromatic whites – are generally elegant and lighter but also diverse. Elegance isn’t exactly fashionable in the UK right now, but the wines offer some variety in the face of full-bodied and richly fruity southern hemisphere styles, and maybe more obvious food compatibility. Annie Schwab, owner with her Swiss husband chef at 2 Star Michelin restaurant Winteringham Fields in Lincolnshire, agrees: “we serve delicate food here - and of course Rösti and dishes using Swiss cheeses - which suits Swiss wines.”

Unusual grapes

So which grape varieties are planted and where and what are the wines like? The main wine cantons are: Neuchâtel, Vaud and Geneva in the west; Valais in the south-west; Ticino in the south bordering Italy, Zürich and the small area of Schaffhausen in the north-east touching Germany. White grapes include familiar names such as Chardonnay, Pinot Blanc, Sauvignon and Pinot Gris; and new discoveries like Chasselas (also known as Fendant) and Petite Arvine. Reds include Pinot Noir and Merlot but also Gamay, Cornalin and Humagne rouge.

The Valais is the largest wine region and at least one third of total Swiss production is sourced here from the steep slopes of the upper Rhône valley; the split is 45 - 55 white to red. Fendant/Chasselas is abundant and can be a bit dull – Charles Bonvin Fils makes a decent example at Domaine Brûlefer called ‘Fendant de Sion’ 1998, which is zesty, ‘lees-y’ and crisp.

Petite Arvine

This is a modest-yielding, ancient variety (probably originating in Italy) and can naturally attain 12 to 13% alcohol giving full-bodied wines. One of the most interesting comes from René Favre, a rich barrel aged wine with honeyed spice and long acidity called ‘St. Pierre Grande Année’, and the 1997 is listed at Ransom’s Dock in London’s Battersea for £28.00. Proprietor Martin Lam comments: “All three (Swiss wines) sell well - bought by lovers of good wine, Swiss and otherwise!” Other producers of quality Petite Arvine in Valais include Robert Gilliard and Caves Imesch; the latter’s 1997 is £35 on Winteringham Fields’ list. Obscure grapes may add quirky interest to a country and a wine list, but will people buy something they don’t recognise? Annie Schwab adds: “We list sixteen Swiss wines and you’ve got to sell them; provided the sommelier knows something about them, they can recommend with certain dishes.”

On the Dôle

The red speciality of Valais is Dôle, which can be made from 100% Pinot Noir or (more usually) blended with a smaller proportion of Gamay (the Beaujolais grape) and even a tad of other varieties such as Syrah. The style depends on the winemaker - Caves Imesch produces an attractively fruity and spicy one called ‘Soleil de Sierre’; Frédéric Varone’s ‘Valeria’ is more serious and closer to Burgundy.

Pinot Noir also makes some attractive dry rosés – Ransom’s Dock sells ’99 ‘Oeil-de-Perdrix’ made by Les Perrières (Geneva) for £16.50 and by the glass too – and is the staple grape in German Switzerland. Red wines dominate too in the Italian speaking province of Ticino, where Merlot has virtually replaced all local varieties. Tamborini Vini craft some lovely, full-flavoured and earthy (although rather expensive) Merlots such as the 1994 San Zeno Riserva listed at Winteringham Fields for £41.

Value?

Switzerland’s biggest hurdle will be to convince people that their wines are worth the money. Robert Steel from specialist importer For the Love of Wine, who represents Favre, Tamborini, les Perrières and Imesch amongst others, is aware of this but upbeat. “Price is an issue but these are quality wines in an equivalent price bracket to others at the quality end of the market. Restaurants tend to be more at the top end.” Further stockists include Pont de la Tour, Hotels du Vin and Babbington House. Of course Swiss restaurants are natural outlets for the wines and should find it easier to sell them; St. Moritz in Soho imports its own from Caves Orsat and has red and white house wines for a relatively reasonable £12.95.

Awareness

Brian Walling of Beck Marketing, who’s involved in the generic promotion of Swiss wine, expands on the issues. “It’s started to take off in the on-trade but has been hampered by the fact that Swiss wines don’t have entry level price points, like for example wines in supermarkets written about by journalists which help to raise awareness with the public and restaurateurs.” This is obviously key to success – Juniper restaurant in Altrincham just south of Manchester, who list a Swiss dessert wine, agree: “we’re trying to educate people and get them to be more adventurous.” Walling continues: “It’s been a long hard slog but there are now about 30 different distributors serving the on-trade nationally or locally.”

These include For the Love of Wine (tel. 01280 822500), Harrison Vintners in the City (020 7236 7716) and St. Martin Vintners in Brighton (01273 777788). For further information contact the Swiss Wine Exporters’ Association (020 7287 6117) or Beck Marketing (020 7582 8811).

Bordeaux travel, in brief...

"I feel like a Château-tourist celebrity-spotting as the grand and famous village names stroll serenely by through the coach window: Margaux, Saint-Julien, Pauillac, Saint-Estèphe... If you’re into wine and in particular Bordeaux red wine, a drive up the D2 road northwest of the city along the Gironde estuary offers a taste of the style, elegance and opulence..."

Read it HERE.