Languedoc: La Grange de Quatre Sous, pays d'Oc

La Grange de Quatre Sous

Hildegard Horat and Alioune Diop's 8 ha (20 acre) organic estate lies peacefully off the winding road between Saint-Chinian and St-Jean de Minervois, although they make very un-appellation wines (as you can see below), all vin de pays (if you have to have a moniker). Hildegard and Alioune left their native Switzerland in 1983 to establish a vineyard ending up in the wild back-lands near Assignan, and deliberately choosing to make Vins de Pays d’Oc "so I could plant varieties such as Malbec, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Viognier," as Hildegard explains simply on the "Vinifilles" site (link below), an association of Languedoc & Roussillon women winemakers. Add to that some Chardonnay, Marsanne, Syrah, Grenache, Mourvedre, Cinsault and that makes quite a colourful vine tapestry. Seems like a good idea looking at the three wines I tried at Millésime Bio organic fair 2010:

2008 Jeu du Mail (2/3 Viognier 1/3 Marsanne) - enticing juicy leesy edges with honeyed, oily and peachy notes; lively chalky texture even vs rounded with exotic spicy flavours. Yum. 89

2006 Les Serrottes (50/50 Syrah/Malbec) - aromatic spicy cherry notes layered with ripe red fruits, liquorice and violets too; tangy vs lush mouthfeel, peppery and tight with firm tannins vs fairly concentrated fruit. 90

2005 La Grange de Quatre Sous (Syrah/Malbec/Cabernet Sauvignon/CabernetFranc) - smokier profile with cassis undertones, solid chunky structure vs intense concentrated fruit; meaty tobacco notes too on the finish combined with grippy texture. Wow. 90-92

Click here  for a note on their 2005 Serrottes ("wines of the moment" winter 08).

34360 Assignan. Tel: 04 67 380 641, www.vinifilles.fr.

Languedoc: Domaine Grand Guilhem, Fitou

You'll (eventually) find Séverine and Gilles Contrepois in a beautiful spot pretty much smack in the middle of the Corbières hills, not far from Villeneuve or Durban nestling in the rugged inland part of the slightly confusing Fitou appellation (well, all you really need to know is that its geography is purely political...). They have 10 organic ha of vineyards (25 acres) - officially blessed as such since 2004 - around their splendid stone-built home, which also has four guestrooms (they do B&B and wine dinners) and a couple of adjoining holiday cottages (see website below). I tried these wines with Séverine and Gilles at the 2010 edition of Millésime Bio organic wine show:

2007 Fitou - herby vs smoky nose, attractive dried currant and ripe dark plum aromas/flavours; quite powerful and chunky with firm tannins vs lingering maturing "sweet" fruit. 87+
2006 Fitou - more mature (obviously) and savoury with rich yet elegant fruit; lovely peppery concentrated palate with solid structure, big finish and dried fruit vs meaty flavours. 89
2006 Fitou "Coup de Coeur" (more Carignan, different parcels) - more volatile and cough sweet tones; firmer mouthfeel, probably more concentrated but overall less charming perhaps. 
2005 Fitou - developing savoury aromas underpinned by nice "sweet" dried fruits; quite elegant for an 05 (some are pretty rich and big) with again fair grip but not too much. 88


2012 update here (2008 Fitou tasted).


Chemin du Col de la Serre, 11360 Cascastel des Corbières. Tel: 04 68 45 86 67, www.grandguilhem.com.

California: Frey Vineyards - Redwood Valley

Paul Frey at this year's (2010)
Millésime Bio show

Not only was Paul Frey the lone winemaker from California at this year's (2010) Millésime Bio wine fair in Montpellier, but the Freys also claim to be pioneers in several other things: America's first organic winery, "sulphite-free for 28 years," first maker of certified Biodynamic ® Wines in the US... So, quite a lot to live up to when I tried the wines below on their stand and talked to Paul. Did they deliver? Well, yes, although some of them show a wild, natural, old-fashioned even kind of intense style that certain textbook, squeaky-clean winemakers might call faulty: maybe technically correct, but there's something exciting and living about these flavoursome wines, as you'll see from my notes. Overall, the Frey family has around 50 ha or 124 acres of organic and biodynamic vineyards in Mendocino County. According to their website, it's tough titty for readers and organic wine fans in the UK, as they only appear to be distributed in northern Europe in Norway, the Netherlands and Denmark; but they're widely available in the US and Canada of course! So, a good excuse to go to the winery some day yourself...
2009 Sauvignon Blanc - herby vs peachy nose, crisp vs oily palate; elegant and long, different too. 87+
2009 Chardonnay - exotic oily style with lively mineral bite, crisp and intense finish. 87+
2006 "Biodynamic" Zinfandel - savoury/sweet almost Pinot Noir style nose, earthy vs ripe and fruity palate; bit like old Burgundy! 87
2007 Cabernet Sauvignon - smoky leathery aromas, lush vs grippy mouthfeel with dark smoky finish; not sure but interesting anyway. 87?
2007 Syrah (North Coast) - meaty vs spicy dark cherry fruit; lighter style but still attractive with minty, fruity and toasty/smoky finish. 87+
2005 "Biodynamic" Syrah - dark toasty liquorice vs pepper notes; lush vs firm and sweet vs savoury palate, maturing vs still alive on the finish. 90+
2007 Petite Sirah - wild herbs and burnt plums, funky northern Rhone-ish styling; rich "tar" with cloves undertones vs dry yet rounded tannins, wow. 89
www.freywine.com

Languedoc: Domaine de la Triballe, Grès de Montpellier

You'll find La Triballe nestling about 15km (10 miles) northeast of Montpellier sandwiched between the Grès de Montpellier and Pic Saint-Loup appellations (or two pieces of bread perhaps). Owners Sabine and Olivier Durand (pic.), who also make a good variety of vin de pays wines and organic grape juice, took over the reins in 1990 and have been applying full-on organics to their 14 ha (35 acres) of vineyards since 1996. I sampled these wines with Sabine in Montpellier at the 2010 edition of Millésime Bio organic fair:

2009 Aphyllanthe white (Rolle, Roussanne) - honeyed vs gooseberry notes, very lively and floral too; crisp, mineral and oily too with creamier yeast-lees edges and "sweet" rounded fruit too. 87
2009 rosé - nice clean and straight style, zingy and subtle with crisp intensity. 80-83
2008 Coteaux du Languedoc (Carignan, Syrah, Grenache) - slightly 'reductive' / cassis nose; youthful lively and crunchy fruit on the palate, turning lusher on the finish. 83-85
2007 En attendant que Coteaux du Languedoc - spicy Syrah-dominated style, the wood's a tad intrusive although it does add attractive rounder texture...
2007 La Capitelle Grès de Montpellier (Grenache, Syrah,Carignan) - spicy minty aromas with cassis and cherry; firm vs round mouthfeel, tasty chunky vs fruity profile and dry vs "sweet" finish. 89+

34820 Guzargues, www.la-triballe.com.