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10 March 2005

Violent demonstrations in Montpellier

Violent demonstrations in Montpellier
"Protesters clashed violently with police in Montpellier as up to 8,000 wine growers demonstrated against the latest government measures..." Decanter.com news alert 10/3/2005: click on the title above to go to their webpage. Original tamer story by your faithful correspondent is copied below (well, I was there in the thick of it after all...)

A reported 4500 wine growers from the Languedoc-Roussillon and the southern Rhône turned out yesterday in Montpellier to protest against the latest government measures and show solidarity in the face of escalating economic hardship. The €70 million rescue plan tabled by the Minister of Agriculture Dominique Bussereau has been widely criticised for not going far enough to support struggling French vignerons. Philippe Vergnes, representing the event organisers and president of one of the growers unions in the Aude, called on the government to “pay up so we can get over the worst. This region has given a lot in the past, it’s time to give something back to small producers.” He added: “if we’re guilty of anything, then it’s because there are too many of us. If market forces are to take over, help those get out of the business, if they want to, and those who wish to stay, roll up their sleeves and get out of this mess.”
The supermarket chains were also slammed as “the biggest racket going,” along with the government’s anti-alcohol measures: “This attack on consumption has lead to the worst crisis in history.” Growers present were also demanding the right to publicise the positive aspects of moderate wine consumption. A delegation from the Languedoc-Roussillon is due to meet the Minister of Agriculture on 22nd March. The demonstration started peacefully in Place Peyrou by the Arc de Triomphe, where speeches were held before the march down the hill to the station and back up through La Comédie. However, by the time the throng reached the town hall armed with nothing more than placards (sporting slogans such as “Chirac what a let-down” and “Get to work Bussereau”), firecrackers and a petition, skirmishes broke out apparently provoked by the heavy-handed police presence attempting to disperse the crowd.

04 March 2005

Languedoc: Pic Saint-Loup daytrip

Pic Saint-Loup - March 2005


In further pursuit of Mourvèdre but not forgetting Grenache and Syrah of course... A few great wines discovered on a day trip to Château La Roque, Mas de Mortiès and Domaine de l’Hortus. All dotted here and there in the wild terrain north of Montpellier, watched over by the eponymous peak (650 metres high). Read this for more info and tasting notes: Vinisud 2004 - Pic Saint-Loup (post to follow...) or visit the PSL website.

Château La Roque
1998 Cuvée Mourvèdre (plus a splash of Grenache, all around 13%) - attractive complex mix of ripe sweet liquorice & berry fruit and maturing gamey savoury characters; again nice ripeness, softness and elegance on the finish set against a touch of grip, spice and bite. 92
2001 Cuvée Mourvèdre - chocolate and spice notes mix with complex rustic tones, ripe black fruits v firmer structure than the 02 or 03 (bordering on a touch bitter), long tight finish. Needs time. 90+
2002 Cuvée Mourvèdre - rainy vintage: maturing smoky aromas, shows good fruit ripeness and spicy notes, lighter and less concentrated than the 2003, drinking well now. 86
2003 Cuvée Mourvèdre - Very ripe, perfumed/floral liquorice and black cherry fruit with complex earthy notes; quite elegant and soft with subtle bite and length. 90+2003 Cuvée Clos des Bénédictins (Rolle Roussanne Marsanne barrique fermented) - Offers a touch more cream and weight than the 'tradition' white, yet has lovely citrus lift and aromatic length. 87
2003 Cuvée Tradition blanc (Grenache Blanc Rolle Marsanne Roussanne Viognier) - Attractive mix of aromatic and honeyed fruit, slightly exotic style leading to steelier mineral bite, nice zingy length. 87
2002 Cupa Numismae (61% Syrah 39% Mourvèdre) - Displaying quite a bit of coconut, spice and vanilla on the nose; firm framework v riper black fruits and more spice layered with oak, tight and quite long; perhaps too much wood. 85

Domaine de l’Hortus
2002 Grande Cuvée (55% Mourvèdre, 35% Syrah, 10% Grenache) - Quite light and forward (pretty typical for the wet 2002 vintage) yet shows reasonable fruit and ripeness v a firmer edge, attractive drinking now. 85
2003 Grande Cuvée
 (50% Mourvèdre, 40% Syrah, 10% Grenache tasted from barrique) - spicy and toasty at the moment (should be bottled soon) with textured tannins and tight finish; should be good. 87+

Mas de Mortiès
2001 Que Sera Sera (50-50 Mourvèdre Syrah) - Complex smoky ripe black cherry and olive, open and attractive nose; rich texture with leather and dried herbs, good depth of fruit v grip, powerful yet elegant too. 90

30 January 2005

Food and Fine Wine opens in Manchester

Well, on Oxford Road Altrincham at least. The store is the second to be opened by Directors Adrian Walsh and Peter Wozencroft, with its sister branch in Sheffield. As the name says, it will stock a range of specialist foods such as foie gras and salamis and also serve light snacks and platters. Wine tasting sessions held weekly "allow people to try a range of wines from Cloudy Bay to Mouton Rothschild (can't see them opening many bottles of that...), learn the background to wine and how to complement wines with different foods." Wine tasting evenings can also be arranged for small private parties - for more information phone Ali or Rick on 0161 926 8001 or visit foodandfinewine.com. The next three tasting sessions will be Californian wines on the 1st February, Italian wines on the 15th February and Southern France with winemaker Berti Eden on the 11th March.

Languedoc: Le Petit Domaine de Gimios, St-Jean de Minervois

Le Petit Domaine de Gimios

Not far out of St-Jean de Minervois, taking a left off the winding road to St-Chinian, you’ll eventually find Anne-Marie Lavaysse's indeed little estate lost on the untamed final frontier between Minervois and St-Chinian country. Anne-Marie is quite a personality with a penchant for making ‘table wines’ from quirky blends, such as Carignan, Aramon, Grenache, Cinsault and Alicante. She also doesn’t use any sulphur dioxide in winemaking and farms biodynamically, of course (see www.bio-dynamie.org)! These two were tasted at Millésime Bio 2005, so not exactly up-to-date but I liked her off-the-wall-ness: I'll go there next time I go for a spin in this wonderful neck of the woods.


Rouge de Causse vieilles vignes, Vin de Table (Carignan Aramon Grenache Cinsault Alicante) - actually 2003 vintage but she's not interested in AOC rules, also doesn't use sulphur or SO2 anywhere. 'Sweet' liquorice and dark chocolate, dry tannins supported by lovely ripeness; delicious fruit v firm structure, unusual. 88-90
2000 Vin de Liqueur (Muscat petits grains, 115 gr/litre residual sugar) - lovely honey and maturing dried fruits, intense bite v that sweetness, long and refined. 90+


Gimios, 34360 Saint-Jean-de-Minervois. Tel: 04 67 38 26 10.

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Header image: Château de Flandry, Limoux, Languedoc. Background: Vineyard near Terrats in Les Aspres, Roussillon.