Chile: no way rosé, part 4!

This latest post carries on the spirit of my slightly obsessive rosé-tinted-spectacles theme started in back 2011 (click there), exploring the perhaps contentious argument that Chile is making some of the best rosés coming out of the 'New World' or South and North America even. These two 'serious' food-demanding rosados tasting-noted below came my way recently, one bought from Marks & Spencer and the other a probably widely distributed brand from Torres.

Chile: no way rosé! Part 2...

Without wishing to get too obsessive about rosado from Chile - refer to my previous post Chile: rosé / rosado to follow my drift - here are a few more that seem worth throwing into the pink wine pot. It is still summer after all, even if August has turned out a little variable (sorry for the boring weather talk)... then again, I enjoy rosé all year round as it's usually very food friendly (making sweeping generalizations). Plus there are so many on offer at the moment, like these three all priced about £4 to £5 a bottle. See blurb on 'easy as 1, 2, 3' scores in the right-hand column.

Hungary: Tokay (and Slovakia), Hárslevelű, Furmint, Pinot Noir...

Why not start with Hungary's (and Slovakia) most famous wine creation, sweet Tokay, by launching into a couple of recommended ones tried or bought last late summer while on holiday. I finally opened the Royal Tokaji 'blue label' below recently (apparently called 'red label' in the States, as you would), which was savoured on a Saturday wine workshop event I just ran in Belfast and hence was the prompt for this overdue blog post.

Royal Tokaji Tokaji Aszú 5 Puttonyos 2013 (Furmint, Hárslevelű, Muscat; 11% abv, sugar 156 g/l, total acidity 7.9 g/l) - Delicious alluring classic style with lashings of honey, sultanas, marmalade, dried apricot, quince... Mesmerizing opulence and quirky spice, lush sweet and richly textured with beautiful underlying fresh acidity holding it together effortlessly. Drinking nicely now (try with blue cheese or plain ice cream and nuts say) but will definitely develop over many years in bottle. Full price was €25 at Budapest airport, although it was on offer at the time equating to about £15 for a 50cl bottle. Majestic Wine in the UK sells it for £24/£21.60 depending on quantity; and some Waitrose stores stock a handy 25cl size for £12.99. 

Roussillon: Domaine de la Coume Majou, Corneilla-de-la-Rivière

Belgian Luc Charlier has a cosy garage cellar next to his house in sleepy Corneilla, but his 10 ha (25 acres) of vineyards are scattered around the villages of Maury, Estagel and Tautavel. He bought the former in 2005 and latter in 2004 thereby joining the growing band of new wave, take a chance on a dream winegrowers. "I originally wanted to buy in Bandol but the prices are much too high," he told me. "The Roussillon is the least expensive, and I discovered and liked the area's wines thanks to the great Gérard Gauby." Luc also firmly believes, like his fellow Maury growers, that "we have the best Grenache in the world along with Chateauneuf, Rasteau etc."
Luc also said he's aiming for "perhaps" three red cuvées - one from Syrah + press wine, the Majou main label based on Grenache/Carignan and cuvée Casot, mostly Grenache from his best Maury sites. His unusual rosé is made from Syrah, white Macabeu, Grenache Gris plus free-run (red) Grenache juice. However, Luc doesn't really believe in Syrah in this region "unless it's high up or in good chalk/clay soils, such as Vingrau, Tautavel or Rasiguères." Another striking and original feature of Coume Majou is the absence of barrels in the cellar: for the moment, the wines are kept in vat before bottling (good call, I'm getting very bored of oaky wines anyway!).
Posted February 2007 when I tasted these:

2006 rosé tank sample (12%, 8 grams/litre residual sugar) - rounded full and creamy with crisp vegetal edge and a touch of dry tannin too, off dry with fresh acidity.
2006 Casot tank sample (15%) - lovely ripe cherry and liquorice fruit v firm bitter twist and freshness, elegant concentration and depth of fruit, powerful but not too.
2005 Cuvée Miquelette - wild black and red fruits, ripe and rich v lively freshness, grip and alcohol; powerful but very fruity. 87
2005 Cuvée Majou (15%) - darker and richer black cherry/currant with pepper and liquorice notes, delicious depth of fruit v power and firm tight length, lively yet quite soft finish. 90
Coume Majou wines are currently only available direct, or in selected wine shops in Belgium at a somewhat bold €15-€25. Update September 07: Luc is going to make a small amount of Maury VDN from the 2007 vintage; and the French Guide Hachette 2008 has been saying nice things about his wines. More info to follow...

Coume Majou update autumn/winter 2008
Okay, so it took over a year: here are a few notes and thoughts following a re-visit chez Luc (who speaks very good English by the way, with an occasional "wee" thrown in even thanks to a former Scots girlfriend). It was good to taste a few Coume Majou reds from all three vintages bottled to date - 2005/06/07 - as well as 08 tank samples, which gave me a nice overview of how the wines are developing and which ones look particularly promising. On the vineyard front, Luc said he's very happy with the state and health of his vines, having done a lot of work on the ground (see picture above). And the relationship with his consultant winemaker seems to work well in terms of pushing the boat out a bit without taking any major risks (chemical or bacterial I mean). By the way, Luc uses up to 10% press wine in some of these blends, which he finds surprisingly smooth while adding extra structure. Wines sampled October 08, notes posted belatedly Dec. 08:
2007 rosé Vin de pays des Côtes Catalanes (mostly early-picked Syrah + a smidgen of old-vine Macabeu, 11.5%) - attractive elegant v creamy style, plenty of red fruits with mineral edges, crisp fresh finish. 87
2008 rosé (mostly Syrah + the 3 Grenaches) - fragrant rose petal and red fruits, very crisp mouth-feel (it will undergo malo-lactic fermentation to make it rounder) v appealing yeast-lees texture. Should be very nice.
2006 L'Eglise de Coume Majou (blend across all sites of Syrah Carignan Grenache, 13.5%) - herbal black cherry notes, getting some smoky development and liquorice on the palate too with a spicy cassis finish. €10: special blend for his Belgian importer. 85+
2006 Cuvée Majou Côtes du Roussillon Villages (Grenache from Estagel and Maury + his best Carignan + Syrah, 15%) - spicy liquorice v turning savoury and meaty, punchy palate but balanced with nice dry texture v lush beginning-to-mature fruit. 87-89
2005 Cuvée Majou - more savoury with tobacco tones; still lively and powerful v firm tannins and tasty dried fruits, Italianesque style. 89
2007 Cuvée Majou - more cherry and plum fruit on the nose; peppery and liquoricey on a quite firm backdrop v underlying lushness, nice balance of power and panache. 89+
2005 Cuvée Miquelette (Maury Grenache + Carignan + press wine, 14.5%) - fairly firm still yet has intriguing spicy herbal fruit v chunky palate v underlying 'sweetness'. 87
2007 La Loute de Coume Majou Vin de pays des Côtes Catalanes (100% 1922 Carignan 14.5%) - peppery and 'earthy' v rich and fruity; firm 'chalky' and fresh structure with lovely, well-balanced, weight and length. €20 90+
2006 Cuvée du Casot Côtes du Roussillon Villages (Grenache + 1922 Carignan, 15%) - perfumed liquoricey and peppery; concentrated, very solid mouth-feel although with attractive rounded tannins, closes up a little leaving a dark chocolate coating. A foodie: black pudding or fillet steak with a pepper sauce perhaps! 90-92
2007 Maury cuvée Jolo (Grenache + a little Lladoner Pelut, no oxidation, 16% and 113 gr/lt residual sugar) - juicy dark cherries and chocolate with lightly meaty edges, surprisingly savoury thanks to those tannins cutting through the sweetness, nice fruity punchy finish. 88-90
2005 Cuvée du Casot (15%) - maturing savoury notes v peppery lush liquorice and blackberry/cherry/currants; tasty and rich v firm textured + leather undertones, big fruity blast v lively structured finish. Better still after one day open. 90+


Update March 2010
2008 Le Rosé (mostly Syrah planted in 2002 from Coume de la Majou itself, near La Dona between Corneilla and Estagel) - light and clean style with refreshing edges and gently oily red fruits; drink up now.
2009 Le Rosé (mostly Syrah + 1/4 white grapes: most of the latter where eaten by wild boar in 08, hence the slightly different blend! 11.5%) - floral and fresh with mouth-watering palate, subtle ripe red fruits vs crisp elegant and dry finish; nice light quaffable rosé. 80-85
2009 Casot (tank sample so probably: 75% Grenache & Carignan from Estagel planted in 1922 + 1982 Lladoner Pelut) - lots of pure aromatic dark cherry and liquorice, rich vs juicy with dry yet attractive tannins; powerful and concentrated layered with delicious black fruits, nice "chalky" tannins and fresh acidity too; the 15% blends in well, very promising. 90+
By the way, the "powers that be" have finally adapted the rules for Côtes du Roussillon Villages reds from the 09 vintage onwards: you only have to have two varieties in the blend with Syrah no longer mandatory, although there's still a maximum percentage of Carignan stipulated at 40% with the other grape being up to 70%. So, some progress then!
2007 L'Eglise (45% Syrah + Grenache Carignan, 13% alc.) - leafy cassis and herby aromas (light reduction even?); quite rounded mouthfeel vs some crunchy towards green notes, needs more time to round out?
2008 La Loute old Carignan (14.5%) - still quite closed up, although shows some nice crunchy vs sweet blueberry flavours; beginning to turn tobacco-y with firm, tight and crisp finish even; has concentration vs almost tart mouthfeel, although I like that crunchy vs ripe and peppery fruit and elegant length. A foodie wine needing 6+ months to calm down a bit! Sells for €25 in Belgium. 87+
2005 Miquelette - hints of complex sulphide notes, mint and eucalyptus too; darker liquorice palate vs again has that refreshing bite, power and depth of fruit vs "chalky" finish and savoury notes as well. 85+
2007 Majou - again a tad reductive/herbal/minty on the nose; moves on to concentrated dark cherry fruit with peppery tones, firm and crisp finish. Still a bit young but I like that grip, sweet fruit and oomph combo. €15 Belgium. 87-89
2007 Casot - more closed yet punchier with herby tobacco edges; riper black fruits with coffee tones, very dense and firm/fresh vs rounded and rich, powerful tight finish. With aeration, I got sweeter liquorice flavours; and it was more accessible still with duck fillet! 90+
2008 Jolo Maury VDN (98 y-o Grenache 17% alc.) - lovely dark fruits, damson and blackberry, beginning to turn tobacco-y; attractive bite and solid tannins, not very sweet actually with lively mouthfeel; a bit fiery at the moment but it's a delicious concentrated "vintage" style Maury. 87-90

Luc also had these two wonderful, other-country wines open (thanks again!):
1995 Fritz Haag Riesling Auslese: see "wines of the moment" here (goes to my other blog).
1990 Grahams Malvedos Port - complex oxidising notes vs still lush with dark damson and liquorice fruit; nice tannins, the alcohol's a touch glowing but a very attractive Port indeed.

11 rue de l'Eglise, 66550 Corneilla de la Rivière.

Tel: 04 68 51 84 83, coumemajou.jimdo.com

Signature Bio organic wine competition

Signature Bio organic wine competition June 2006

I was Judge Dredd at this organic wine competition held in rather-hot-June at the AIVBLR's HQ (Languedoc-Roussillon organic growers' association, with the very French 'interprofession' word in it), who also organise Millésime Bio trade show where the medal winners are officially honoured. Apart from my pick of the ones I tasted - blind of course, their identity was revealed afterwards - I've also included notes and scores for all the gold-decorated wines. The competition covers the whole of Mediterranean France, so organic growers from Provence and southern Rhône as well as Languedoc-Roussillon. Two things stand out in particular: many of them are under €10 and are vins de pays, which certain people strangely regard as inferior to appellation wines! As for the judging process and results, I think it's worth adding a few candid comments.

The wines were marked out of twenty - 12 to 13 for a Bronze medal (equivalent to 80-84 on the 100 point scale), 14 to 15 for Silver (85-89) and 16 to 20 for Gold (90-100). This seems a little generous to me, and why such a wide band for gold medal? Compare this to the International Wine Challenge, for example: Gold 95-100, Silver 90-94, Bronze 85-89 and Seal of Approval 80-84 (whatever that means). Each wine category was divided into tasting flights by style and vintage (certain judges weren't comfortable with this, as the appellation wines and vins de pays were mixed together; who cares, I say) with a 'possible number of medals' depending on how many wines in each flight, coming to max 29% of 197 samples in total. Is it a good idea to suggest up-front how many medals could/should be awarded? Surely best to let the juries decide which wines are worth what...

In the end, 23% of the wines were given medals including nearly 7% gold (11 plus 2 'highly rated') and more silvers than bronzes. The IWC "rewarded 64% of entries" including the more modest Seal of Approval but only 3% gold medals. I should also add I was frustrated by some of the judges' inability to spot faults. For example, I tasted the gold medal winning Marselan from Dom. de l'Attilon (see below) three times, blind and uncovered, and found excessive reductive/sulphide notes. Admittedly it was a youthful red perhaps only just bottled; this does happen and the off-smells can disappear, but the level here went beyond potential aromatic complexity! Anyway, enough of the maths and chemistry, let's move on to the wines. The panel I was on tasted Provence, southern Rhône and Côte d'Azur reds by the way.

GOLD

Highly rated: 2001 Cuvée des Cadettes Château la Nerthe, Châteauneuf-du-Pape - ripe smoky and oaky on the nose, rich extracted and concentrated with nice dark fruit and rounded tannins; powerful finish but still too much vanilla oak, which by my reckoning leaves it just short of gold. By far the most expensive wine in the show at €56.50. 15 / 87-89
More La Nerthe here.
Highly rated: 2005 Le Sol Blanc Château Veredus, vin de pays (VDP) d'Oc - peachy fruit v good mineral intensity, crisp long finish. Very attractive but not really competition winning wine, although good value at €4. 14.5 / 87
2005 Cuvée Inès Château la Rèze, Minervois - lively citrus fruit edged with intricate yeast-lees notes, very light toast and fatness v crisp length. €6.80 15.5 / 88-90
2005 Cuvée Tradition rosé Domaine des Aspras, Côtes de Provence - classic delicate style, tight zesty and long. €6.50 15 / 87-89
2005 Merlot Domaine des Soulié, VDP des Monts de la Grage - cherry fruit aromas with meaty notes, a bit oxidised; spicy dark fruit palate, quite inky with menthol undertones. €5.50 14.5 / 87
2005 Côtes du Rhône Château les Quatre Filles - rustic spicy nose leads to tight cherry-fruited palate, firm tannins and good length. €5.20 15 / 87-89

2002 Prestige Château Bousquette, Saint Chinian - smoky black fruit notes edged with nice minty spicy chocolate, quite rich mouth-feel with tight firm finish. €8.95 16 / 89-91
2003 La Lignée Julien Mas de Janiny, Coteaux du Languedoc - leather and pepper tones set the scene for ripe liquorice fruit v solid tannins and impressive finish. €11.50 17 / 90-92
2004 Alix Château Pech-Latt, Corbières - the bottle I tasted was faulty, a bit oxidised and dusty? At Millésime Bio back in January I said this about it: ripe and silky liquorice and herb flavours build to dry grip and elegant length. €18.30 16 / 89-91
2004 Grenache de l'Etoile Domaine de Clairac, VDP de l'Hérault - smoky toasty aromas with very intense cassis fruit, shows good length and balance. €8.50 16 / 89-91
2004 Pioch de l'Oule Domaine Costeplane, VDP d'Oc - quite jammy with oaky background, nice enough but fairly simple. €7.40 14 / 85-87
2005 Marselan Domaine de l'Attilon, VDP des Bouches du Rhône - 1. a bit reductive, spicy cherry fruit but rather over-extracted tannins. 2. similar nose and palate, the fruit's coming through better this time. 3. Sulphide notes still dominate, crisp cassis and cherry fruit, still rather firm yet elegant. €4 13 / 85
2004 Confidentiel Domaine Montirius, Gigondas - blackcurrant & blueberry fruit with savoury backdrop, tight firm palate but elegant too v power. €29 15 / 87-89

SILVER

2004 VDP de Vaucluse Château la Canorgue - shades of meaty complexity, lovely peppery fruit on the palate supported by subtle oak, rich concentrated and powerful. €12 15-16 / 88-90
2003 La Chapelle de Romanin Château Romanin, les Baux-de-Provence - attractive rustic wild herb aromas layered with liquorice, good depth of fruit and balance, ripe v firm; stylish. €9.40 15-16 / 88-90

2005 Cabernet Sauvignon Domaine des Beynes, VDP Bouches du Rhône - ripe and smoky with spicy savoury undertones, quite extracted rustic fruit and firm tannins with background oak, muscular finish. €4 13 / 85
2005 VDP Bouches du Rhône Mas du Petit Azégat - herbal slightly reduced yet interesting nose, spicy wild cassis fruit, elegant and unusual although lacks a bit of ripeness. Still, it only costs €2.50. 13.5 / 85

Other SILVER MEDALS I didn't taste:

Domaine du Jas d’Esclans Côtes de Provence Cru Classé Cuvée du Loup Rosé 2005
Château La Nerthe Châteauneuf-du-Pape Clos de Beauvenir 2003
VDP du Gard Domaine de Tavernel 2005
Domaine de Tavernel VDP du Gard 2005
Minervois Château La Rèze 2004
Clos de Barbéjo VDP d'Oc Elégance 2004
Château La Canorgue VDP de Vaucluse Viognier 2005
Peter Riegel VDP du Gard Le Corbeau Rosé 2005
Château Les Eydins Côtes du Lubéron Cuvée des Consuls 2004
Château Les Eydins Côtes du Lubéron Fontête 2004
Domaine Siméoni VDP d'Oc Mourvèdre 2004 - at Millésime Bio I said this about it: youthful black cherry fruit with earthy peppery notes, nice olive fruit and grip on the finish. 87
Château de Brau Cabardès Le Suc de Brau 2002
Château de Brau VDP Cité de Carcassonne Méditation Syrah 2004
Les Vignerons de Correns Côtes de Provence Croix de Basson Rosé 2005
Domaine Grand Corbière VDP Sables du Golfe du Lion Chardonnay 2005
Domaine Grand Corbière VDP Sables du Golfe du Lion Gris de Gris Rosé 2005
Château de l’Ou Côtes du Roussillon 2005

BRONZE


Château de Bastet Côtes du Rhône Les Acacias 2005
Domaine Bassac VDP Côtes de Thongue Syrah 2005
Château Sainte-Marguerite Côtes de Provence Grande Réserve Rosé 2005
Domaine de la Grande Pallière Côtes de Provence 2005
Domaine de Clairac VDP d'Oc Réserve de Chasse 2004
Domaine Pastouret Costières de Nîmes 2005

Latest wines and profile on Pastouret: go to Languedoc winery A to Z, right hand column.
Château Bousquette St Chinian Cuvée Pruneyrac 2004
Peter Riegel VDP d'Oc Soliano Merlot 2005
Domaine de la Sauveuse Côtes de Provence Cuvée Philippine 2004
Domaine du Revaou Côtes de Provence 2004
Domaine du Revaou Côtes de Provence Rosé 2005
Les Vignerons de Tornac VDP des Cévennes Rosé 2005

For some reason our panel didn't put through any wines for Bronze, which were deemed to miss Silver medal. Anyway, I thought these deserved it:

2003 Mas de Gourgonnier Réserve du Mas, les Baux-de-Provence - complex earthy medicine notes, maturing spicy fruit turning savoury with balanced dry tannins. We tasted this one twice in fact, so what happened? €8.80 15 / 87-89
2005 Marselan Domaine des Beynes, VDP Bouches du Rhône - better than their Cabernet, in my humble opinion: closed nose, some pure blackcurrant fruit; firm and tight yet has reasonable concentration, more savoury finish. €4 14.5 / 85-87

Click here for a post on Signature Bio 2010.

France: Centre-Loire, Pinot rosé and red

sancerre-roblin.com 

The next in this nail-biting mini-series - see my Centre-Loire "silex" tasting - brings about a seasonal change of colour and grape variety, and highlights a handful of lesser-known wines from this part of central-northern France. Rosés from Sancerre, Menetou-Salon et al seem to have made headway in recent years gaining listings in some supermarkets even; but the reds are still fairly rare outside of France or specialist independent wine shops. The main variety behind these wines, that dear old friend Pinot Noir, only comes to about 20% of what's planted in the region; plus there's a tiny bit of Pinot Gris too in Reuilly used for rosé (thanks to the pinkish hue on its skin). I've included a lot less of the reds than I actually tasted (in London a few weeks ago), as disappointingly too many of them were a little lean on flavour and lacked charm or excitement. Which does make you question whether Pinot Noir for reds has a great future here, if it only really produces high-standard wines in particular vintages or sites? Then again, I guess they can always make nice rosé out of it every year! I've added names of UK importers or ex-cellar prices where available.

Rosé

Domaine Claude Lafond 2011 Reuilly - juicy and zesty with light yeast-lees undertones, hints of rose petal aromas although this basically tastes like a good white wine. Charles Sydney.
Domaine Cordaillat 2011 Reuilly - similar pale style, perhaps more intense on the palate with attractive lively finish. Theatre of Wines.
Domaine Cirotte 2011 Sancerre - crisp juicy leesy mouth-feel layered with subtle red fruits, long and zingy with fair extract too. Quite classy rosé. €5.60
Domaine Bernard Reverdy et Fils 2011 Sancerre - a tad redder in colour vs green fruit edges, lively juicy finish. Nice style. Goedhuis & Co.

Red

Domaine de Chatenoy 2010 Menetou-Salon - shows attractive Pinot character, quite delicate and mouth-watering with light grip and freshness vs subtle underlying red fruit. Good. Enotria Cellars.
Domaine Pellé Morogues 2010, Menetou-Salon - a touch 'reduced' on the nose, moving on to a fairly concentrated palate with subtle savoury cherry fruit, refreshing bite on the finish; lacks a little charm maybe but nice enough.
Domaine Teiller 2010, Menetou-Salon - juicy delicate red with light 'sweet/savoury' profile, not bad Pinot style although perhaps too subtle for its own good!? Yapp Brothers.
Gérard Millet 2011, Sancerre - a bit fuller in the mouth vs tangy 'sweet/savoury' flavours, lively finish with elegant fruit too. Good.
Domaine Matthias et Emile Roblin 2010, Sancerre - aromatic floral cherry with truffle notes even, quite concentrated yet refreshing, juicy and elegant length. Easily my favourite in this line-up: very good. €6.70 ex-cellar.
Daniel Chotard 2010, Sancerre - hints of 'sweet/savoury' Pinot character, shows fair concentration vs tight and delicate; finishes a touch lean perhaps although still quite good. Richards Walford.
Domaine André Vatan 2010, Sancerre - understated 'sweet/savoury' vs violet notes, attractive dry texture vs ripe red fruits vs fresh bite too. Pretty good. Yapp Brothers.
Domaine Philippe Raimbault 2009, Sancerre - hints of maturing 'sweet/savoury' style, it's a little over-extracted but has enticing perfumed fruit finish too. MH Wines, Bijou Bottles, Griffinwell.

There's a Sancerre vertical tasting HERE (2005 to 1996)...

The Wine Society: 3 whites, 3 rosés, 3 reds.

These nine varied wines are available from the Wine Society in the UK (and some of them from other wine stores and in other countries), which I became a member of recently, and represent my favourites from a first mixed case purchased (I picked each wine but you can order from several pre-selected options).

Lockdown bubbly of the moment

Prestige Cava Rosado & Prestige Cava Brut

At first, I thought this dynamic duo were the usual Marks & Spencer Cavas with flashy new labels and a price rise, but they are additional to the range and definitely noticeably tastier and toastier quality-wise for the £10 price tag.

Roussillon: Coume del Mas, Banyuls-sur-Mer

UPDATED IN AUG 2013 (click there).

Underneath this blurb you'll find my notes on some of Philippe Gard's excellent range of Collioure and Banyuls wines, tasted in his winery in May 2007 (followed by updates in 2009-2010). His - and similarly enlightened growers', e.g. the Parcé brothers at La Rectorie (see A to Z, right) - Banyuls winemaking illustrates why there's a minor renaissance for these delicious Port-like red wines (think chocolate desserts or why not with a strong curry even). Perhaps the richer, fruitier, more tannic, less oxidised and livelier styles seem to appeal more to younger people turned off by sometimes tired, thin and brown-coloured wines. Having said that, the best cask-aged Banyuls 'Grand Cru' type bottles can be sublimely complex. For the CDM Quintessence, Philippe is "not looking for oxidation" and the fruit just shines through; and the sweeter Galateo style was "created in 2003 for a Belgian chocolate maker," he told me.
Perhaps the real stars though are his Collioure reds and white and rosé (actually 80% of production here): the appellation area and terroir are essentially the same as for Banyuls, although certain sites or varieties are favoured or mandatory for fortified wines. Grenache is the central grape for both at CDM - Philippe has 11 ha/27 acres of old bush vine red Grenache, which he considers the maximum as "vineyard work is too manual here" - with new plantings (about 10 years ago) of Syrah, Mourvèdre and Grenache Gris (for the increasingly sought-after white) being phased in to the Collioure blends. Philippe is one of several who believe that appellation should be "based on crus (or quality of vineyard sites) rather than varieties," and that part of AOC Collioure's success is due to its "greater flexibility from the start" (as opposed to Côtes du Roussillon Villages where Syrah or Mourvèdre are required, however good your Grenache and Carignan are). "There are less growers here and the co-ops have less power to influence regulations." Anyway, enough of the politics; what about the wines...
2006 Folio Collioure blanc (Grenache Gris) - lightly toasty notes on top of attractively juicy and exotic apricot and honeysuckle; spicy v fat mouth-feel, nice length and freshness v ripe and toasty. 89
2006 Farniente Collioure rosé (Grenache Grenache Gris) - lovely strawberry and raspberry fruit, rich v fresh bite with a touch of dry tannin even, fleshy fruit and 14% alcohol weight v crisp length. Yum. 87-89
2005 Schistes Collioure rouge (mostly old vine Grenache 14.5%) - deliciously pure aromatic black cherry, liquorice and sweet herbs; juicy and ripe v firm and fresh structure; great balance of power, tension, lush natural fruit and spicy length. More yum. 92-94
2005 Quintessence Banyuls (Grenache 17.5% 80 grams/litre residual sugar) - piquant black fruits with light coconut tones, quite extracted tannins v rich sweet fruit with engaging purity; grippier and drier than many Banyuls, and all the better for it. 92-94
2006 Galateo Banyuls (Grenache 16% 100 grams/litre residual sugar) - attractive luscious fruit, sweeter and less extracted than the above but still vibrant and fresh too. 88-90

Spring 2009 update: I called in on Philippe to catch up and tasted all his latest vintages as well as some new wines. He's taken on the lease for Mas Christine, a vineyard on the hills between Argelès and Collioure, in partnership with English winemaker Andy Cook (among others): they've launched a range of (especially) whites and reds called Consolation pitched at "around €10." Philippe thinks 2008 "isn't very good for Banyuls as ripening was too slow, but was for Collioure wines." The CdM label wines sell for €15+ and €24+ for the top ones. Distributed by Lance Foyster MW in the UK and Eric Solomon in the US (European Cellars, NC). If you want to visit when in the area, Philippe's winery lies on a cutting into the hillside just before and slightly below the tiny village of Cosprons (signposted off the main road before Banyuls-sur-mer): take an unmarked left plunging down an earth track and keep going until you see the open cellar door. A peaceful spot with a great sea view over waves of schist-y vineyards in all directions.
2008 Mas Christine white (Marsanne, Roussanne, Grenache blanc, Grenache gris, Vermentino) - attractively aromatic and perfumed showing floral citrus and background spice tones; zesty and juicy palate vs very light toast and spice, yeast-lees fatness vs fresh acidity. 87
2008 Consolation white (Roussanne) - richer and toastier, more honeyed too with dark chocolate undertones; quite powerful and creamy with fair punch and toasted edges countered by fresh long finish. 88+
2008 CdM Folio white Collioure (Grenache gris) - milky yeast-lees aromas & flavours, attractive fat & exotic fruit vs nice bite of acidity and "salty" tang; full buttery finish with lively citrus peel undertones. Very good. 90+
2008 CdM Farniente Collioure rosé (Grenache noir Grenache Gris 14%) - yeasty tinges to a delicious creamy ripe red fruit nose and palate; full-on and creamy mouthfeel vs attractive tangy twist and fresh acidity. 88+
2008 Consolation rosé (Mourvèdre barrel-fermented) - less fruity / creamy than above, more rounded yet mineral too; enticing Bandol rosé style with juicy texture, full-body and elegant long dry bite. 89
2007 Mas Christine red (Grenache Syrah) - gorgeous ripe berry, cherry and spicy fruit cocktail on the nose; tangy vs 'sweet' palate with juicy texture, a touch of tannin and nice weight. 87+
2007 CdM Schistes Collioure (mostly Grenache from coastal vineyards with no barrique-ageing, 14.5%) - similar fruit style to above but richer and darker with blackberry tones; very spicy vs lush liquorice vs firmer structure too, tasty juicy fruit with lively and ripe finish. Yum. 90-92
2008 Schistes (vat sample) - similar lush style with juicy fruit although more floral and cherry-ish; firmer and bigger perhaps with lovely liquorice and spice textures and flavours, very promising.
2007 Qua Dra Tur (Grenache Mourvèdre Carignan) - hint of toasted chocolate wood on the nose but again has tons of lush spicy fruit; pretty firm, solid and big mouth-feel layered with delicious juicy fruit. €24 92+
2007 Abysses (Syrah Grenache east facing the sea, not bottled when I tried it) - spicy nose with dark cherries and floral minty notes too; juicy fruit and texture, gorgeous fruit and chalky mineral tannins build a thick structure and finale. Wow. €29 92-94
2008 Abysses - toasty aromas (new barrique) but shows similar fruit, spicier perhaps; lovely juicy vs firm vs fresh texture and length. Should be very good.
2007 Syrah "vin naturellement doux" passerillé (late-picked shrivelled berries, 16% and 50-60 grams residual sugar) - Black Forest Gateau nose, floral and spicy too with ripe black olive tones; lush and weighty vs dry bite, different for sure like a young Amarone. €28? 90+?
2007 Galateo Banyuls (Grenache, 15.5% & 100g RS) - lovely black fruits with meaty edges; attractive fruity "winey" flavours and texture, still firm and powerful softened by cherry liqueur notes and sweetness. Now available in 6cl or 10cl flasks. €15 50cl. 87+
2007 Quintessence Banyuls (Grenache, 80g RS, 16.5%) - richer, more complex and a touch oakier with more savoury / oxidised edges; more oomph and extracted lush fruit vs big tannins adding dry bite, closes up on the finish. €26 50cl. 92+
2008 Mas Christine Muscat de Rivesaltes - enticing floral orange peel notes vs fat lush palate, quite fresh and zingy although is pretty sweet. €10 85-87

Update autumn 2010
Philippe Gard's colleague Andy Cook filled me in on all the latest goings-on at Coume del Mas and Mas Christine (the partnership company is now appropriately called Tramontane Wines, after everybody's "favourite" wind) with vintage 2010 drawing to a satisfactory close. Quality-wise at least, as, like elsewhere in the Roussillon (and parts of Languedoc), quantity was way down thanks to less and smaller, but nicely concentrated, grapes. This was mostly due to the strange and extreme weather we've seen this year (long winter, snow, cool wet spring, then very hot and very dry summer carrying on into September).
A word of explanation about their new red Consolation release: the 2008 is going under the wacky alias of "Dog Strangler" as it's made from 100% Mourvèdre (not the first one I've seen from the 08 vintage: see Dom Vinci), which the locals have traditionally nicknamed this awkward variety, although their superb wine is far from it as you'll see from my glowing review. Andy agreed about the difficulty with Mourvèdre saying: "we have to reduce it down to three bunches per vine to get it ripe," i.e. not a lot. And following on from Philippe's previous comments on 2008 for Banyuls VDNs, we (me and a couple of American visitors) only tasted one of these styles, a red 2009 from cask, as they didn't make many CdM 08s (although did a white Banyuls, for the first time?). Anyway, these recent vintages from both estates were sniffed, sampled, appreciated and spat out (it's called driving) at the beginning of October!
2009 Mas Christine Côtes du Roussillon (Grenache gris, Macabeu, Marsanne, Roussanne, Carignan gris 14%) - "mineral" floral nose with light yeast-lees notes; crisp and steely mouth-feel vs a touch creamier side, nice dry white style. €10 or $12-14. 85+
2009 CdM Folio white Collioure (14%) - oily and exotic profile vs aromatic "mineral" and salty even; quite toasty and wood-spice textured at the moment vs oily juicy lees-tinged and rounded, dry and "mineral" vs concentrated with lots of flavour. Yet another great vintage of this classic (and perhaps now quite expensive, he adds cheekily) Roussillon white wine. Made by wild yeast fermentation with 6+ months in barrel on the lees. €16.50 89-91
2009 Consolation white (Grenache gris from a 0.8 ha (2 acre) single vineyard; cask sample) - buttery and hazelnut nose, rich and sexy with lees/toast notes vs exotic fruit; lush and juicy palate with spicy touches, saltier/tangier finish with subtle acidity. Wow, think pretty fine Burgundy from a ripe vintage! 90-92+
2009 Mas Christine red (Syrah Grenache Carignan 14%) - herby blackcurrant aromas with vibrant cherry underneath; nice juicy mouth-feel, quite rich vs crunchy fruit with lively refreshing finish vs a bit of weight too. €10 or $12-14. 87+
2009 CdM Schistes (mostly Grenache no oak, 14.5%) - liquorice and pepper aromas with dark cherry / chocolate even (would normally associate that with toasted barrels), lush with very light wild herby tones; "sweet" vs structured, peppery punchy and firm vs ripe and rounded with lovely liquorice; power and complex flavours to finish, drinking well now even. €16.50 92+
2008 Consolation "the Dog Strangler" (Mourvèdre 14.5%) - gorgeous wild "animal" notes with black olive and very peppery, smoky and rich; serious mouthful of concentrated ripe and rounded fruit/tannins with firmer peppery edges, superb lush smoky finish. Quite serious price too: €28. 94
2009 Quintessence Banyuls (Grenache low-yielding 70-80 year-old vines, barrel sample) - deep purple/black colour, still showing a bit of toasty chocolate oak vs very rich "Black Forest Gateau" fruit; solid firm mouth-feel, almost "fresh" despite its sweet finish balanced by grippy tannins. Lovely. €26 50cl. 90+

Les Cosprons, 66650 Banyuls-sur-Mer.
By appointment only preferably in the afternoon: best to try his mobile 06 86 81 71 32 or Andy Cook's 06 11 84 16 97. Home no. 04 68 88 37 03; coumedelmas.com, tramontanewines.com.

Languedoc: Saint-Chinian 2010 vintage

This is another in a series of reports and winery profiles from five intensive days spent at the “Languedoc Millésimes” tastings in the region (21-25 March 2011), where I had the chance to taste mostly 2010, 2009 and 2008 vintages. As well as, more importantly and more fun, meet and talk to a couple of St-Chinian winemakers and try (drink/enjoy even; woops, not v. pc) some of their older wines too. I’ve used my ‘new’ scoring system of one, two or three ‘ticks’ (good, very good, fabulous); or just plain 1 to 3 here, if you get my drift. Euro prices are cellar door per bottle inc. taxes, added later so didn’t influence my notes.

Based on a hardly comprehensive/definitive sampling below, 2010 appears to have produced some good but not great white wines and lacklustre to good rosés. Quite a few of the red samples were looking a bit fragile or dumb or ugly-duckling, which is always a risk when raw and unfinished wines are left open to the air. However, certain bottles were already showing very well with similar hallmarks to other Languedoc regions: rich and concentrated with solid fruit and structure yet appealing-textured tannins. Mind you, I said stuff like that last year and the year before about the two previous vintages; and now 2008 is generally looking a bit of a mixed bag (for reds anyway, actually pretty sound for white and rosé) and 2009 can either really impress or rather disappoint.

2010 was a rollercoaster year of weather with a long cold winter, snow in early March in certain places (and not necessarily just on the hills), an awkward hesitant spring with warm weather then rainy and colder again, followed by a very hot and very dry summer, isolated storms in August/September although, generally, very warm right through till early October. Net result: vibrant high-quality reds, as described above, but low on the quantity front thanks to that challenging growing season. Further comments on these three vintages to follow, as I post more blurbs like this on other areas of the Languedoc.

Rugged St-Chinian wine-lands, from www.borielavitarele.fr

Saint-Chinian 2010 vintage

WHITE

Domaine des Soulié - estery fresh pear and grapey vs intricate aniseed/fennel tones, crisp and mineral bite. 1

Domaine La Croix Sainte Eulalie "tradition" (1/3 Roussanne, Grenache blanc, Vermentino) - similar although more perfumed and exotic/flowery, zesty/chalky mouth-feel, nice and zingy with that underlying flowery peach/apricot fruit. Acid/alcohol a bit hard at the moment although shows attractive oily vs crisp profile. 1+ €5.60

Domaine Rimbert (Clairette, Roussanne, Grenache blanc, Vermentino) - flowery and peachy, more intricate and interesting though on the nose; ends up a tad flat/dilute compared with above, although there's fresh acidity and nice bitter twist vs banana fruit. 1 €6.50

Cave de Roquebrun "Col de la Serre" (Grenache blanc, Roussanne) - milky/lightly toasty with quite rich exotic honey and apricot; subtle oak grain, fatter pineapple fruit vs mineral undertones. Touch clunky perhaps but attractive style overall and good value. 1 €4.50

Domaine du Sacré Coeur (Grenache blanc, Roussanne) - juicy fruity pineapple vs grapey floral tones, crisper palate and zesty finish. 1 €5.20

Cave des Vignerons St-Chinian "Secret des Capitelles" (Grenache blanc, Roussanne) - yeast-leesy buttery and full-on vs cut of acidity, fair mouthful although a bit flabby and simple. 0.5 €6.60

Domaine La Linquière "Fleur de Lin" (Grenache blanc, Vermentino) - ripe and honeyed with milky edges, rounded vs zingy with quite intense mineral side vs that quite exotic fruit. 1.5-2 €9

Clos Bagatelle (Roussanne, Grenache blanc, Carignan blanc, Vermentino, Chenin) - milky leesy edges with light toast vs juicy and quite rich mouth-feel, attractive mineral/celery/aniseed tones vs weight on the finish. 2

ROSÉ

Château Cazal Viel "Vieilles Vignes" (Grenache, Cinsault, Syrah) - elegant pink colour, rose petal and light red fruit notes, zingy crisp palate with subtle biter twist; fair class. 1-2 €7.60

Château Creissan "Cort d'Amor" (Syrah, Grenache, Carignan, Mourvèdre) - pale pink, similar style to above although much less intense. OK at €4.

Domaine Moulinier (Syrah, Grenache) - quite delicate and tight, subtle creamy red fruits, lacks bit of zest perhaps but it’s OK. 0.5 €5.80

Domaine des Mathurins "Petite Fantaisie" (Syrah, Cinsault) - fuller orangey colour, oily/fruity style, more "vinous" and chunky, quite nice although lacks bit of class. 0.5 €4.50

Clos Bagatelle Donnadieu "Camille et Juliette" (Syrah, Grenache, Cinsault, Mourvedre 13%) - again a pale "rosé de presse" style (they’ve stopped doing saignée rosé), subtle and crisp with red vs creamy fruit, tight and quite steely finish. 1+ €6.50

Château La Dournie (1/3 Grenache, Cinsault, Syrah) - quite elegant and zesty, nice crunchy redcurrant/cranberry then "sweeter" finish. 1 €5.70

Domaine La Linquière (Grenache, Syrah) - juicy fruity boiled sweetie, has a bit of leesy bite and creamier finish. €5

Domaine Rimbert "Le Rosé réussi" (Cinsault, Syrah) - oilier style with rounder strawberry fruit, bit of zing although ends tad bland maybe. 0.5 €5.80

RED - unfinished vat/cask samples

Château La Dournie "Elise" (Syrah, Grenache) - lovely minty wild spicy black cherry, peppery and punchy vs rich and fruity, quite a kick and nice firm/round tannins. 2 €13.50

Mas Champart "Causse du Bousquet" (Syrah, Mourvèdre, Grenache) - somewhat closed and awkward, a tad malo-lactic on the nose; nice fruit though and again soft-ish tannins. 1+? €11.60

Borie La Vitarele "Terres Blanches" (biodynamic) - again shows lovely fruit, pure vibrant dark cherry and liquorice with peppery edges; juicy vs concentrated, attractive coated tannins vs ripe black fruits vs wild herby touches. 2

Château La Madura "Grand Vin" (Mourvèdre, Syrah, Grenache, Carignan) - bit awkward and firm, not showing well. €17

Domaine de Pech Ménel (Syrah, Grenache, Carignan, Mourvèdre) - malo notes but rich and chunky underneath, again fine tannins and concentrated mouthful. 2 €6-€7

La Croix Sainte Eulalie "Armandelis" (Syrah, Mourvèdre) - minty and wild flowers/herbs, nice fresh cherry fruit then spicier liquorice side, firmer palate vs solid depth. 2.5 €7.70

Domaine du Sacré Coeur - not showing much, taste it again in a few months.

Château Belot "Les Mouleyres" (Syrah, Mourvèdre, Grenache) - oak dominated, obviously, and structured vs rounded, could be promising if they don't keep it much longer in that new? oak. 1
Not sure who made these two, they had just one mysterious word stuck onto the bottle. Will find out and add producer's name:

Chant - lovely lavender and black cherry, nice tannins, darker vs more savoury finish with grip and tight elegant flourish. 2.5

Esprit - lots of new oak, fair substance underneath and very firm, difficult to taste but would like to come back to it.

Saint-Chinian red, other vintages

Le Prieuré des Mourgues Grande Réserve 2007 (Syrah, Grenache, Mourvèdre, 14%) - well balanced with solid tannins vs sweet fruit and developing savoury/animal notes, quite rich and spicy (paprika) vs attractive black cherry and length; maturing vs structured finish with firm vs rounded texture and lively flourish too. 2+ €12

Borie La Vitarèle Les Terres Blanches 2009 - lush black cherry with earthy peppery edges, solid vs appealing rounded palate finishing with sweet fruit and power. 2 €8.50

Mas de Cynanque L’Acutum 2008 (Syrah, Mourvèdre, Grenache, Carignan; estate converting over to organic) - powerful with grainy texture vs rich cherry fruit, has a touch of freshness about it although it’s a bit “hot” too, attractive depth of fruit though. 1 €12 

Profile on Clos Bagatelle. Scan down the Languedoc winery A to Z for more, right hand column or do a search using "Saint Chinian."

Roussillon: Château Lauriga, Thuir

Jacqueline Clar's locally well-established Lauriga comes to 60 hectares (150 acres) of vines spread all around the cute old-Catalan 'Mas' style wine cellar buildings, office and house (part of which is being done up into a tasting / function room), which is pretty sizeable round these parts and where there aren't that many wine estates, except for e.g. their neighbour Domaine Nivet-Galinier. Syrah occupies the lion's share of plantings and hence the make-up of their quite large range, supplemented by the other usual red and white Med / Catalan varieties; plus a good dollop of Merlot too (which actually produces a very attractive easy-drinking wine here - see below). And, as they're lacking a bit of Grenache to make a red Vin Doux Naturel, Jacqueline's recently gone into partnership with a grower in Maury to produce their own young fruity "muté sur grain" style VDN (click here for more info in a feature on Maury & Banyuls). Lauriga currently exports to a few mainland European countries (e.g. Germany, Belgium, Netherlands), but they have plans, with a little help perhaps from new sales manager Maxime Séjourné, to try and crack English speaking wine-quaffing markets! Anyway, if you're in the area, it's well signposted off the Perpignan - Thuir road, heading towards Ponteilla.

I tried these wines in situ in November 2010:
2008 Soleil Blanc de Lauriga vin de pays d'Oc (Grenache blanc & gris 14%) - lightly nutty "oxidative" notes layered with some coconut oak; nice rounded and oily texture vs quite toasty oak, although it's fairly concentrated, juicy and powerful too. A foodie white for sure, a touch too much oak for my taste but it does have attractive texture with it. €10 85+?
2009 Domaine Lauriga Grenache gris rosé vin de pays d'Oc (12.5%) - aromatic and juicy, light crisp profile and finish; attractive "pale" rosé style. €5.90 80+
2009 Château Lauriga Côtes du Roussillon rosé (Syrah, Grenache 13.5%) - very different style with full-on cherry colour, richer red fruit side and "winey" full-bodied mouth-feel; oily vs fruity texture then crisp vs weighty finish. Versatile dinner rosé: e.g. salmon, cured ham, tortilla, vegetable dishes. €5.90 87
2009 Domaine Lauriga Merlot vin de pays (13.5%) - lovely black cherry and ripe plum nose with lightly herby edges; juicy and quite concentrated actually with subtle tannins and chocolate flavours even (there's no oak though), fruity vs more serious finish. 85+ €6
2007 Cadet de Lauriga Côtes du Roussillon (Syrah, Carignan, Grenache 13%) - also no oak: enticing smoky notes with rich cherry fruit; attractive ripe mouth-feel vs light bitter twist of tannins, spicy and fruity vs a bit of weight and grip. €6 85+
2005 Château Lauriga Côtes du Roussillon (Grenache Syrah 13.5%) - very different nose with richer and more Grenache liquorice and spice character, also showing a touch of coconut oak and savoury maturing edges; nice balance and style, turning meaty with subtle oak texture and solid fruit backdrop. 87-89 €12
2008 Cuvée Prestige René Clar Côtes du Roussillon (mostly their oldest Syrah 14%) - 14 months in barriques (2/3 new oak) and it does show at the moment: pretty cedar-y on the nose; nice concentrated "sweet" dark cherry fruit though vs rounded tannins, good bite and freshness almost too; coconut texture and finish, needs a few years to let that oak blend in better, could turn into something quite fine. €22 90?
2008 Muscat de Rivesaltes (Muscat petits grains) - quite subtle orangey Muscat nose vs oily developing side; tasty and aromatic, not too sweet, towards crisp even, vs luscious finish. Bit dear at €12 85
2009 Maury (Grenache) - attractive fruity "new wave" style, plummy nose with leather edges; very fruity and lush palate with liquorice and choco vs nice kick and bit of grip. Attractive style. €14 85+
Château Lauriga Rivesaltes Ambré Hors d'Age (Grenache blanc, Macabeu and a splash of Muscat petits grains; blend of 12 to 14 year-old wines) - hints of coconut and rich oxidised hazelnut, caramel and spicy citrus marmalade too; complex "Madeira" vs Tawny characters, tangier finish cuts through the palate nicely. €18 89-91

Traverse de Ponteilla, 66350 Thuir. Tel: 04 68 53 26 73, www.lauriga.com.

Wines of the mo: Zweigelt, Chardonnay, Fiano & Grecanico, Pinot Noir, Riesling and more.

It's not just that desperate label which grabbed me about this Aussie white - hmm, where's that Chardy from then? Perhaps add a picture of Dame Edna sniffing it on the back-label to be sure. This tasty unoaked Chardonnay is one of Aldi's burgeoning Specially Selected range and is also great value for €7.99 at Aldi Ireland or £5.99 in the UK.

Roussillon: Dom Brial - Château les Pins - Vignerons de Baixas

Church in Baixas

Let me explain: the cooperative cellars in the pretty village of Baixas (west of Perpignan airport, pic.) go under the brand name Dom Brial - some of the wines with bright, sense-of-humour labels (lipstick & fruit) and others more trad - and own Château les Pins, their premium estate a stone's throw away. With this wide grape source "we can adapt to make what sells and what customers want," Claude Sarda told us during an enlightening, late summer visit. He also said there's a surplus of Vins Doux Naturels (sweet fortified whites and reds) but not really dry wines, the production ratio being about one-third to two-thirds. Their preferred solution is to come up with ideas to sell more sweet wines - this used to be a massive market in France - rather than stop making them. Either option is a brave choice...

Grapes from Les Pins are hand-sorted by about half-a-dozen people in the cellar; in general, control and traceability of the grapes' health, quality, sugar levels, provenance etc. are quite strict, as it should be in any big winery. Technical advisers work with the co-op growers (300 of them) in their vineyards, and everything is weighed and analysed on the spot when they deliver the fruit, before they proceed to unload. I'll spare you the chemical analysis but can confirm the little lab has a machine that goes ping. The winery, which takes up half of the village, has been totally refitted over the last ten years; so plenty of stainless steel and other shiny geeky stuff.

2002 Château les Pins Côtes du Roussillon blanc, vinifié en barriques (Grenache Blanc Malvoisie Roussanne) - oily oxidised development, fat-textured quite toasty yet concentrated; not for everyone and definitely needs food. €9 85+
2005 Rozy, vin de pays Côtes Catalanes (Muscat Syrah) - quirky blend for this light, cheekily packaged (bikini clad bottle) rosé: fresh and aromatic with tangy finish, perfumed and easy yet has a bit of weight too. €4.50 82-84
2004 Dom Brial les Terres Rouges, Côtes du Roussillon Villages (Grenache Syrah Mourvèdre Carignan, 13.5%) - nice peppery rustic black cherry and cassis notes, aromatic fruit v light grip and bite. €6 87
2002 Côtes du Roussillon Villages Elevé en fût de chêne (13.5%) - smoky mature liquorice nose, rustic black fruit set on a rounded soft palate; nice for 2002 (difficult vintage here). €6 87-89
2002 Château les Pins Côtes du Roussillon Villages (Grenache Syrah Mourvèdre Carignan) - similar to above but more complex and liquoricey, smoky perfumed fruit with elegant long finish. They also sell quite a few older vintages in their shop. €8.50 90+
2004 Château les Pins Rivesaltes Primage (Grenache, 15.5%) - attractive mix of sweet blackberry and leathery maturity, sugar-coated mouthful cut by drier tannins. €8 87-89
Above tasted on 5/9/06 - go down to 'France' on wines of the moment ('archive' on WineWriting.com) for reviews of other Brial wines, which are mostly sold in France at the moment although they have plans to increase their presence in the UK and US. More links to updates below.

Tasted summer 2007:
2006 Le Pot rosé (Syrah Cabernet 13%) - quite fat and juicy start with strawberry and redcurrant fruit, more elegant dry fresh finish. €3.50 87
"Wine of the moment" Feb 2009:
2008 Dom Brial Côtes du Roussillon rosé (Syrah Grenache 13%) - classic storming Roussillon rosé style, deep coloured with a light touch of tannin adding dry texture; 'winey' aromatic and crunchy red fruits with rose petal edges, juicy and zingy with chunky fruity mouth-feel and full dry finish. Nice foodie (e.g. hake fillet in Provencal sauce). €4.19 87+

More Brial here (2009 Saint-Bacchus awards) and here, my Oct. 2010 "wotm": 2009 Dom Ici Chardonnay/Macabeu.
Plus the latest medal winner is HERE (World Grenache Competition 2013).

Cave des Vignerons, 66390 Baixas. Tel: 04 68 64 22 37, contact@dom-brial.com, www.dom-brial.com.

South of France, Pays d'Oc part three: Rosé.

These five rosés are all IGP Pays d'Oc from the Languedoc.

Marselan 2020 Les Caves Richemer (13.5% abv) - As I said in two previous posts about IGP Pays d'Oc (part 1 and part 2), Marselan is a crossing of Cabernet Sauvignon and Grenache that's been around for a few decades and has adapted well to the Languedoc. Well-made easy-going tasty rosé combining juicy red fruits and white peach with creamier food-leaning mouth-weight and fresh zingy finish. Not bad match with a kinda 'surf & turf' pasta dish: spicy sausage tortelloni topped with bolognese and sardine sauce with courgettes, garlic, ginger and smoked paprika! France cellar door €4.30, Netherlands €8.95, US €9.99.

A dozen more winter wines of the mo

Muga Reserva Rioja 2016 (14% abv) is a splendid oak-aged blend of 75% Tempranillo with Garnacha, Mazuelo (= Carignan) and Graciano. Smoky spicy oak aromas in that traditional Rioja fashion but with lots of rich dark berry fruit and beginning to show enticing balsamic maturing notes, quite dense powerful and structured with concentrated savoury fruit, a little firmness still on the finish but with lovely silky tannins too. Good with lamb shank; should benefit from another few years' bottle age. Half-bottle £9.25 (image = the Wine Society).

Languedoc: Domaine Siméoni, Saint-Chinian

Domaine Siméoni

Cordial couple Sylvie and Franck Siméoni plunged themselves into running their domaine organically right from the start: they set up shop in the region in 2001, after leaving jobs in the north to try and make a living in Saint-Chinian wine country. Out of the several cuvées they make, their La Toure (mostly 100+ year-old Carignan from this namesake vineyard) and L'Ame des Schistes (usually Syrah and Mourvèdre) stand out in particular for this scribbler's palate. They also do some tasty and fun Vin de Pays varietals, quirkily labelled with a sense of humour: a stripy Mourvèdre red and rosé, a Syrah called La Tête à l'Envers ('head inside out' or 'wrong way round') and a Carignan Vin de Crise ('crisis wine')! Click here for notes on some of these, tasted at Millésime Bio in 2006.
Commendably and bravely (purely because it might be perceived as un-trendy or down-market by toasted plank fans), they stopped using any wood for ageing their wines in 2002. Other 'house secrets' include "preferring to pick everything very ripe then do less extraction during vinification," as Franck explained his non-rocket-science approach. This year (2008) sees the launch of a new chunky Syrah rosé (see below); and the Siméonis have purchased a further 5 ha of vineyard, which is gradually being converted to organics. If you're in the area, it's best to make an appointment as their time is divided between Prades-sur-Vernazobre (home/office), the cellar in Cazouls-lès-Béziers and vineyard plots found here and there between the two.

I tasted these 2007 samples from the vats in Cazouls on a sunny but chilly (especially in that cellar, not surprisingly) late November day, 2007:
2007 Rosé de Syrah, St-Chinian (14%) - delicious fruit on a crisp and zingy yet weighty palate, very drinkable and stylish foodie rosé. 87
2007 Aramon - attractive juicy boiled sweet aromas lead on to tangy redcurrant and strawberry flavours, fresh and gluggable.
2007 Cinsault - delicious black cherry, rounded tasty and fresh.
2007 Grenache – gorgeous fruit and ripe rounded mouth-feel, fair grip too with the 15%+ alcohol not so obvious (this will be blended anyway). Very promising.
2007 Syrah + 10% Carignan – spicy and vibrant showing very ripe dark cherry fruit. Good stuff.
2007 La Toure (1 ha/2.5 acres of 1898 Carignan) – incredible colour with superb spicy blackberry and perfumed violets, concentrated and powerful with fresh elegant length. Wow, should be stunning after it settles down a little.
2007 the remaining Carignan – crisper and more closed up but again shows nice fruit and style.
2007 Mourvèdre – black olive with lively almost citrus tones, austere tannins yet it's very fruity with chunky concentrated finish. Another future star probably.
2001 Domaine Siméoni rouge (their first vintage blend aged in American oak) – maturing savoury edges with leather and dried cherry fruit, quite sumptuous and savoury on the finish. 89

Route de Berlou, 34360 Prades-sur-Vernazobre. Tel/fax: 04 67 93 78 92, mobile: 06 99 40 66 62, simeoni5@aol.com, www.domainesimeoni.com

10 wines and a cider of the moment.

D'Arenberg The Hermit Crab Viognier Marsanne 2021 McLaren Vale, South Australia (14% abv): Asda £10 on offer, normally £13. Stylish and unusual full-bodied white, floral nutty and exotic with zesty yeast-lees and citrus tones; generously textured mouthfeel from a small portion of each variety being barrel fermented, otherwise not noticeable.