"Order my book on the Roussillon wine region (colour paperback) DIRECT FROM ME SAVING £4/€4 (UK & EU only), or Kindle eBook on Amazon UK. Available in the USA from Barnes & Noble in hardcover, paperback or eBook; or Amazon.com. For other countries, tap here." Richard Mark James

10 April 2010

Languedoc: Château Haut-Gléon, Corbières

Château Haut-Gléon

The Duhamel family's 37 ha (90 acres) of vines (15 different varieties) nestle among a huge expanse of wild and pretty forest and scrubland, lying between Durban and Portel in "Paradise Valley" on hillsides at up to 350 metres (1200 feet above sea level). They make a rather big range including bag-in-box and brandy even and, although I found their white and rosé tasted below very attractive, I'd have to try the reds again, as I had a bit of a problem with two vintages of the Haut-Gléon Corbières (especially the 2005: funny intrusive old wood or musty/corked?). And overall, these wines are kinda pricey considering... They have good distribution around the world: see their website for details (well done, by the way, not many have this amount of useful info on them). The following were tasted at the enigmatically named "Salon du X" - it's not that much of a mystery, actually, a tasting organised by their agent Xavier Peyrot des Gachons with a dozen Languedoc & Roussillon winegrowers present (there were originally 10 in his "gang", I think) hence the X - in April 2010 at Domaine Gayda's impressive winery & restaurant complex, found between Limoux and Castelnaudary.
2008 Corbières white (RoussanneGrenache blancMarsanne) - quite exotic and honeyed with light spice and toast notes; nice rounded creamy mouth-feel with spicy undertones, lush and oily yet well-balanced finish. €15.50 87+
2008 Grenache gris rosé Vin de Pays de la Vallée du Paradis (13.5%) - a bit different for a pale-style rosé: closed on the nose to start, building up to oily raspberry aromas/flavours; quite fat, weighty and textured actually vs attractive light bitter twist. €9.50 85-87
2008 Le Petit Gléon Corbières red (SyrahGrenacheCarignan) - ripe, juicy and easy style; has a tad of grip too vs soft and quite simple palate. €6.50 80-83
2006 Haut-Gléon Corbières red (GrenacheSyrahCarignan) - spicy upfront oak, again that wood's a bit odd and intrusive? Although it has fair depth of fruit and power. Not sure?  €13



11360 Villesèque des Corbières. Tel: 04 68 48 85 95 /www.hautgleon.com.


08 April 2010

Mosel: some things age better than others

A new, although hardly contemporary "wine of the moment" was tasted a few weeks ago, thanks to Luc Charlier at Domaine Coume Majou in the Roussillon (he's a bit of a collector - for drinking, I mean, not hoarding - as well as winegrower/maker):
1995 Fritz Haag Riesling Auslese, Brauneberger Juffer-Sonnenuhr - impeccable balance of old petrol-y maturity, oily mineral characters, a touch of sweetness and steely tart finish. So much flavour and complexity yet only 7% alcohol! 95
Talking of the Mosel, not standing the test of time so well are the 40 year-old stalled plans to build a lovely motorway bridge across the top of some of the region's greatest vineyards: you can read the latest on that on Decanter.com. Good to see the campaign is finally attracting some high-profile support, in Germany and internationally. Down with roads, up with fine Riesling! Picture: Haag junior and senior from weingut-fritz-haag.de

06 April 2010

Languedoc: Domaine Sainte-Croix, Hautes Corbières

Domaine Sainte-Croix - updated July 2013 (click there)

Jon and Elizabeth Bowen's fledgling domaine is found in the 'Hautes Corbières' (it is indeed higher up here) in the quiet little village of Fraisse-des-Corbières, "two valleys to the north of the Pyrenées Orientales (the official department name for the Roussillon+)," as Jon put it. Great drive across the 'border' too, it has to be said. Actually, they "set up in 2004," so longer ago than some in this guide: good to see new people are still landing in this breath-takingly raw and natural vineyard setting. Like many, Jon said they were "drawn to the parcels of old-vine Carignan and Grenache noir, blanc and gris planted on incredible soils." Before this, he'd already worked in the south as a winemaker at some well-known estates such as Pierre Clavel, just north of Montpellier.
Jon sums up their wines as "being made with the aim of expressing their origins, as I feel that here is a truly unique area. However, having worked both elsewhere in France and also in Australia and California, there are influences gained from many places in the way that we work." Pretty good overall definition of terroir, I'd say without using the terrible T word! And he expanded on this: "without resorting to clichés, as a winemaker it's of utmost importance our wines have a sense of place and an integrity gained by limiting the amount of interventions during winemaking." Fair enough I'd say, especially as wine doesn't make itself as others like to imply. These wines were tasted at their home in Fraisse on a dry but rather chilly January day 2009 (yes, it is cold here in winter too). They have good distribution in the UK through certain independents and elsewhere around the world - see their website and 2010 update below.


2007 La Serre (Grenache blanc Grenache gris Terret 14%) - nutty 'toasted' but not toasty notes, rounded full texture v mineral intensity running through it; creamy finish yet with attractive bite too. €10 87-89
2007 La Sorbeille rosé (Syrah Carignan Grenache 13.5%) - big ripe juicy style with oily 'nutty' tones too; rounded and rich fruity v again that nice mineral bite. €6 85-87
2006 Le Fournas Corbières (50% Carignan Grenache Syrah 14%) - nice pure ripe smoky tobacco-edged fruit, liquorice and leather v plum and toffee apple; juicy v lush v dry grip, good balance and style. €7 87-89
2004 Magneric Corbières (similar blend of Carignan Grenache Syrah but from older vines and different parcels 14%) - developing attractive 'tar' notes mingling with tobacco and leather; bigger and more concentrated, with chunky tannins and very light wood texture; closes up on the finish although coming back to it, already 'sweeter' and more aromatic, more tobacco too. €12 88-90
2006 Carignan Vin de table - not very expressive on the nose to start, lightly nutty and herby perhaps; concentrated crunchy fruit with floral cassis aromas/flavours, very firm and dry-textured v depth and purity, again closes up on its long finish; it did open up later with some air, although there's a slightly awkward background wood texture? €16 89+?
2005 Cel
èstra Corbières (Grenache Carignan Syrah 14.5%) - complex minty herbal aromas with wild fruit backdrop; closes up on its firm-textured palate, yet lively lush flavours v sour & savoury, concentrated and intense finish; wow certainly different, I like it although not one for everyone; still pretty youthful actually. €20 90+? 


2010 UPDATE: the following - a second tasting of some plus a few more recent vintages and one new wine - were served up by Jon at the enigmatically named "Salon du X" - it's not that much of a mystery, actually, a tasting organised by their agent Xavier Peyrot des Gachons with a dozen Languedoc & Roussillon winegrowers present (there were originally 10, I think) hence the X - back in April at Domaine Gayda's impressive winery & restaurant complex between Limoux and Castelnaudary.
2009 La Serre white - appley nutty and crisp vs oily, zesty and chalky; long steely finish. 87
2007 Le Fournas Corbières red - wild and smoky vs rich and tasty; turning meaty with spicy black fruits underneath, grippy and intense finish. 87-89
2006 Magneric - fruitier aromas with maturing plummy edges; again shows that lovely concentration with intense wild "garrigue" vs fruit and spice, lightly grainy finish. 89+
2006 Carignan - attractive maturing and meaty nose; good depth of fruit with tight elegant palate and grainy texture, although not sure about that wood? 87+
2005 Celèstra - carafed (as a touch 'reduced' or wild/herbal anyway?): very spicy and concentrated palate though, again had mixed feelings as I did above but it certainly commands your attention!
La Part des Anges (Carignan Grenache, "late picked" 15%) - lush and sweet vs intense and crunchy blueberry; attractive bite and grip with wild spicy sweet finish. Very nice and unusual "passerillé" style (dried grapes). 90


More updates here (Corbières report May 2011) and here (2009 vintage showcase June 2010) both featuring Ste-Croix wines.

7 Avenue des Corbières, 11360 Fraisse-des-Corbières. Tel: 04 68 42 27 26 / 06 85 67 63 88, www.saintecroixvins.com.

03 April 2010

Languedoc: Château Rives-Blanques, Limoux

Château Rives-Blanques

Jan and Caryl Panman own the neighbouring vineyard to Domaine Bégude (both of them lie above the village of Cépie: follow the signs past and keep going up the lane for five minutes), which they bought over 10 years ago from Eric Vialade, who still works here overseeing vineyards and cellar. The hospitable enthusiastic Panmans only make white and sparkling wines - although their new vintage Crémant de Limoux rosé has a dash of Pinot Noir in it sourced from elsewhere - which they’ll be happy to taste with you after showing you around some of their picturesque vines. These lie on a plateau, although slightly above Bégude, and are farmed in the "most environmentally friendly way" they can, with a couple of plots of old-vine Mauzac undergoing an organic trial (the whole vineyard used to be, but the previous owner was plagued by a certain disease in the mid-90s and was forced to treat with systemic sprays). Talking of Mauzac, Caryl and Jan are vociferous champions of this local variety, which, apart from being used for their sparkling wines, has been transformed into an unusual barrel-aged dried white called Occitania. Others worth trying include their fine Odyssée Limoux Chardonnay, a complex dry Chenin Blanc called Dédicace, La Trilogie (a barrel-selection blend of all three grapes not necessarily made every year) and occasionally a luscious late-harvest passerillé Chenin-Mauzac name after their daughter Xaxa. 



I tried these in situ in April 2010 (read on for 2011 & 2012 updates):
Blanquette de Limoux (90% Mauzac 10% Chenin Blanc, 12.5% alc, 3.5g/l residual sugar) - lightly yeasty and appley on the nose; crisp and refreshing, pretty dry and lively finish, nice clean elegant style. 85+
2007 Crémant de Limoux rosé (ChardonnayChenin BlancPinot Noir) - gentle red fruits with appley vs lightly bready notes; tight fine and crisp mouth-feel, again refreshingly dry vs fuller oilier finish. 87+
2009 Chardonnay-Chenin Blanc vin de pays d'Oc - attractive zesty style vs lightly exotic peachy fruit; turns more citrus zingy and crisp vs a hint of yeast-lees creaminess. 85+
2008 Cuvée Occitania Limoux (100% Mauzac from plots undergoing organic conversion) - a touch of coconut oak and lees on the nose, turning oilier vs wild floral and honeyed aromas/flavours plus fennel and aniseed tones too; rounded with underlying spicy coconut notes vs oily / mineral texture, quite well-handled oak giving something a bit different too. 87
2008 Dédicace Chenin Blanc (13%) - juicy melon fruit vs rounder oily creamy texture; quite elegant and steely finish, closes up on itself although it's promising...
2007 Dédicace Chenin Blanc (13%) - maturing oily notes with coconut edges; attractive ripe melon fruit vs mineral bite, hints of oak spice on its creamy vs fairly steely finish. 87+
2006 Dédicace Chenin Blanc (13%) - more developed oily nose (almost old Riesling-like "petrol"), oxidising and complex; nice rounded towards buttery palate vs greener edges, enticing lingering flavours. 89(+)
2008 Odyssée Limoux (Chardonnay 13.5%) - aromatic citrus notes with underlining buttery, oily and lightly toasty profile; good balance of juicy leesy mouth-feel vs weight and subtle oak spice vs crisp and long. 88-90
2008 Trilogie Limoux (mostly Chenin Blanc ChardonnayMauzac) - a tad exotic and peachy vs nutty and coconut; quite refined and steely vs fatter more powerful side, oily "sweet" texture vs greener fruit and zesty lees; again subtle oak handling, promising. 89-91
2008 Sauvageon (Sauvignon Blanc, 35% new oak) - toasty edges with green pepper and kiwi fruit tones; fatter mouth-feel with oily coconut and slight punch vs crisp and interesting finish. Not everyone's cup of tea though. 85+
2004 Xaxa (late-harvest passerillé 60% Chenin 40% Mauzac, 14% alc & 90g/l RS) - complex nose/palate with marmalade and toasted honey vs orange/lemon peel; has refreshing "cut" and a bit of weight vs that sweetness, lovely balance and style in fact. 90+



Quite a few independent merchants in the US and UK list these wines, including James Nicholson in Northern Ireland.


UPDATES: latest R-B here (Limoux report April 2011)...
And here (Limoux fizz May 2012).


11300 Cépie. Tel: 04 68 31 43 20, www.rives-blanques.com.

02 April 2010

Perpignan: "stuff your face (in style) @ Palais Gourmand..."

This extraordinary gastronomic event took place last Sunday in fact (28 March) in Perpignan, capital of "French Catalonia" or the "Mediterranean Pyrenees," as the tourist office calls it. So, more a case of "I stuffed my face" (in style though), as obviously it's already happened. Nevertheless, it's worth sharing as it really was an unusual one-off food and wine festival on a grand scale, which takes place every two years; so think about it for 2012. Populated by easily one thousand+ food and wine lovers, most of the region's top chefs, known as the “Toques Blanches du Roussillon,” were there cooking up creative nibbles in a frenzy, each joined by one of many winegrowers who poured a sample of their wine picked by the chef to match that particular dish. So: one stand, one chef (with plenty of hands on deck), one dish (starter, fish, meat or dessert) and one wine (tasting measures of both of course!). And lots of stands, hence a marathon tasting and eating session over several hours although, not surprisingly, impossible to try everything (I bet some people managed though). And that wasn't all: there were also several local butchers/charcutiers, cheese and honey producers, independent wine shops etc. there offering their wares. Overall, a great quality showcase for the region's talented restaurateurs, farmers, wine producers et al. Here's just a taster of some of my favourite combos:
Starter - medley of lobster, fennel and creamed sea urchin (by Philippe Bessieres, La Cote Vermeille in Port-vendres) with 2008 white Collioure "Trémadoc" from Domaine Madeloc.
Fish - Mediterranean fish fillet, caramalised potato, roquette and anchovy pesto and fried quinoa (by Bart Thoelen, Les Palmiers in Laroque-des-Alberes) with 2008 white from Mas de la Deveze.
Meat - Catalan veal sweetbread in a "meurette" sauce (rich reduced red winey: by Jean-Luc Planes, Hotel-Restaurant Planes et Planotel) with 2006 L'Ego red Cotes du Roussillon Villages from Domaine Cazes.
Dessert (two as difficult to choose) - sweet potato "tatin" with lime mousse (by David Carcaiso, La Casa Dalie in Thuir) with Rivesaltes ambré from the Trouillas co-op; and Montner "schist", choco-caramel praline and Rivesaltes "reduction" with 2003 L'Oursoulette Rivesaltes grenat (red) from Domaine Comelade (delicious fortified wine by the way).
Consult the 'Roussillon winery A to Z' for more on these wines and producers. And in the meantime, more info on the "Palais Gourmand" experience @ toques-blanches-du-roussillon.com and cdt-66.com (tourist office) to whet your appetite...

Stuff your face (in style) @ Palais Gourmand

This extraordinary gastronomic event took place last Sunday in fact (28 March) in Perpignan, capital of "French Catalonia" or the "Mediterranean Pyrenees," as the tourist office calls it. So, more a case of "I stuffed my face" (in style though), as obviously it's already happened. Nevertheless, it's worth sharing as it really was an unusual one-off food and wine festival on a grand scale, which takes place every two years; so think about it for 2012. Populated by easily one thousand+ food and wine lovers, most of the region's top chefs, known as the “Toques Blanches du Roussillon,” were there cooking up creative nibbles in a frenzy, each joined by one of many winegrowers who poured a sample of their wine picked by the chef to match that particular dish. So: one stand, one chef (with plenty of hands on deck), one dish (starter, fish, meat or dessert) and one wine (tasting measures of both of course!). And lots of stands, hence a marathon tasting and eating session over several hours although, not surprisingly, impossible to try everything (I bet some people managed though). And that wasn't all: there were also several local butchers/charcutiers, cheese and honey producers, independent wine shops etc. there offering their wares. Overall, a great quality showcase for the region's talented restaurateurs, farmers, wine producers et al. Here's just a taster of some of my favourite combos:
Starter - medley of lobster, fennel and creamed sea urchin (by Philippe Bessieres, La Cote Vermeille in Port-vendres) with 2008 white Collioure "Trémadoc" from Domaine Madeloc.
Fish - Mediterranean fish fillet, caramalised potato, roquette and anchovy pesto and fried quinoa (by Bart Thoelen, Les Palmiers in Laroque-des-Alberes) with 2008 white from Mas de la Deveze.
Meat - Catalan veal sweetbread in a "meurette" sauce (rich reduced red winey: by Jean-Luc Planes, Hotel-Restaurant Planes et Planotel) with 2006 L'Ego red Cotes du Roussillon Villages from Domaine Cazes.
Dessert (two as difficult to choose) - sweet potato "tatin" with lime mousse (by David Carcaiso, La Casa Dalie in Thuir) with Rivesaltes ambré from the Trouillas co-op; and Montner "schist", choco-caramel praline and Rivesaltes "reduction" with 2003 L'Oursoulette Rivesaltes grenat (red) from Domaine Comelade (delicious fortified wine by the way).
In the meantime, more info from toques-blanches-du-roussillon.com and cdt-66.com (tourist office) to whet your appetite...

'RED'

'Red is for wine, blood, revolution, colour... Time-warped slices of mystery, history, fantasy, crime, art, cinema and love...' Buy the e-book or paperback novel on Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com. Click here to view the RED blog!

Send an email

Name

Email *

Message *

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