Roussillon: Domaine Laguerre, Saint-Martin de Fenouillet

Updated December 2012

Eric Laguerre (pic. right doing his Vincent Cassel impersonation, for those of you who follow French cinema...) and wife Corine make organic wines with altitude... Naff joke aside, St-Martin is indeed a fairly elevated spot - much of their 50 ha (125 acres) of beautiful windswept vineyards lie at 500 metres (1640 feet) above sea level - and hotbed of planting activity (e.g. Gauby/Soula, who Eric has worked in partnership with among others) due to its potential as the place to grow and make 'cooler climate' wine styles in this otherwise rather warm area (in the summer at least, in winter it's one of the coldest around here). Picking doesn't usually begin until end of September up here carrying on to mid October.
Eric took up the reins here in 1999 resolving to go back to basics and grow / make wine as naturally as possible from the start. They restored or replanted most of the vine-land and bottled their first vintage in 2001. All manual work and treatments done in/on vines and soil follow organic and biodynamic principles and time-frames; and certain homemade natural preparations are concocted on site with 'chemical' usage limited to sulphur based products against mildew primarily. Eric's white wines do show what can be done in the hot dry south by heading for the rocky hills, and he also planted some Cabernet up here, which has perhaps taken some time to adapt, or be adapted too, but could well be promising in the long term.
Wine writer and biodynamic specialist and author Monty Waldin also spent a lot of time around here a few years ago tending vines and making a wine movie, so he must have thought these wine-lands have something special about them. More info on that under Chateau Monty, where you'll find a mini-profile and comments on his 2008 vintage wines...

These Laguerre wines were sampled at the Fenouillèdes wine show in April 2007:
2005 Le 20 Côtes du Roussillon blanc (Macabeu Marsanne Roussanne Rolle) – lightly honeyed, fresh and floral with subtle milky undertones; nice fruit on its more mineral finish. 87
2005 Le 20 Côtes du Roussillon rouge (50% Syrah + Grenache Carignan) – peppery and rustic with black cherry tones, attractive lively fruit then light grip and quite fine length. 87-89
2004 Le Ciste rouge vin de pays Côtes Catalanes (Syrah Cabernet Sauvignon Grenache Carignan) – a touch reduced on the nose, moves on to lively blackcurrant styling with quite firm dry tannins, understated weight and finish. 87-89
2005 Le Ciste blanc vin de pays Côtes Catalanes (Marsanne Roussanne Macabeu Grenache Blanc Rolle) – quite exotic with peach and apricot aromas, creamy with very light toasty edges, weighty finish v freshness too. 89

2009 update: I caught up with Eric and tasted his latest vintages at Millésime Bio wine show (Jan 09, Montpellier):
2007 Côtes du Roussillon white (Macabeu Marsanne Roussanne 13%) – nice natural crisp apple and mineral characters v a tad of yeast-lees texture and style; weight v fresh finish. 85+
2006 Le Ciste white, Vin de pays Côtes Catalanes (Macabeu Marsanne Roussanne Vermentino) – still very fresh, appley and real-cidery; 'stoney' steely notes and mouth-feel v a touch of weight, roundness and 'sweetness'. 87+
2007 Eclipse red, Vin de pays Côtes Catalanes - a bit reduced on the nose to start, moving on to smoky thick spicy fruit with 'earthy' edges; has similar balance of power and elegance, nice style. 87
2007 Côtes du Roussillon "20" red - again ever-so lightly reductive on the nose but not unattractively so; shows concentrated spicy Syrah black cherry fruit, attractive bit of grip and fresh v lush fruity finish. 87+
2005 Le Ciste red, Vin de pays Côtes Catalanes - wilder richer fruit, nice and smoky / peppery; powerful tannins layered with 'sweet' v herbal fruit, plenty of life in it yet. 90+

2010 update: Eric was showing his wines 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 at Domaine Gayda's impressive winery & restaurant complex, found between Limoux and Castelnaudary. Latest vintages are:
2009 Le 20 blanc - mineral and zesty vs creamy banana notes; quite intense and steely with long juicy finish and nice lingering appley nutty flavours. 87
2007 Le Ciste blanc - more honeyed with lightly spicy and cedar notes, appley and nutty with toasty edges; again steely mineral mouth-feel and maturing vs lively finish. 89
2008 Le 20 red (Syrah, Grenache) - juicy cherry aromas and hints of cider too; spicy crunchy fruit with dry vs lively finish, nice in the end. 85
2007 Le Ciste red (Syrah, Grenache) - similar but more intense, blueberry and herby tones vs fuller and spicier; again shows wilder edges vs elegant and brisk, firms up a bit on the finish. 87+
2006 Altitude (mostly Cabernet Sauvignon planted at 500m/1650 ft) - cedary and leafy nose, moving on to richer savoury cassis flavours; attractive "sweet" vs meaty profile with leather edges, firm and powerful on its good finish. 87+

*2012 update from Millésime Bio wine fair, Montpellier, where Eric had his usual stand and good-humoured nature as he poured and chatted.

2010 Eos white (Grenache blanc, Marsanne) - quite intense, appley and nutty with crisp mineral underbelly, attractive concentrated vs refreshing finish. Very nice white wine.
2010 Eos red (mostly Grenache + Syrah) - perfumed and spicy nose, enticing crunchy berry fruit vs rounded weightier side; again nice wine.
2009 Le Ciste red (Grenache, Syrah, Carignan) - rich and spicy with attractive 'sweet/savoury' profile, ripe dark and meaty vs crunchy fruit mix, punchy and grippy finish. Very good.
2008 Altitude (Cabernet Sauvignon) - pretty oaky when I tried it with chocolate texture / flavours, it's concentrated though with firm solid finish. Would like to try it again sometime.

Le Village, 66220 Saint-Martin de Fenouillet. Tel: 04 68 59 26 92, mobile: 06 15 35 78 92 - New website www.domainelaguerre.com

Languedoc: Domaine Collin, Limoux

Domaine Collin
You'll find Philippe Collin's Burgundy-modelled estate on the way into the blink-and-miss-it village of Tourreilles, to the southwest of Limoux or northwest of Roquetaillade. He and his wife had the following vintages up for tasting at the enigmatically named "Salon du X" - it's not that much of a mystery, actually, a tasting organised by his agent Xavier Peyrot des Gachons with a dozen Languedoc & Roussillon winegrowers present (there were originally 10, I think) hence the X - in April 2010 at Domaine Gayda's impressive winery & restaurant complex between Limoux and Castelnaudary. Some of their wines are imported into the UK by Yapp Brothers and Colombier Wines.

Crémant de Limoux Prestige (Chardonnay, Pinot Noir) - toasty, yeasty and oily vs quite fine and tight; pretty dry (only 6g/l residual sugar) and zingy vs lightly bready, tasty and mouth-watering with yeasty complexity. 87+
Crémant de Limoux Selection (mostly Pinot Noir) - again fairly fine, tight and dry style; steely and crisp vs oily and yeasty biscuit flavours/texture, more serious rounded yet refreshing finish. £10 UK. 88+
2006 Limoux (Chardy) - tightly textured vs toasty and grainy, quite mineral style and still a bit closed up?
2001 - buttery and rich with luscious creamy fruit vs still zingy actually, nice balance of hazelnutty maturity and freshness. 88+
2004 Pinot Noir - savoury maturing profile showing dried red fruits vs fresh bite; a bit vegetal perhaps in the end but has attractive maturing PN style traits.
2001 Chenin Blanc ("noble rot" with 120g/l RS) - maturing, oily, exotic and spicy; marmalade vs underlying mushroom flavours, lush yet has nice bite and balance with lively long vs caramelised finish. 89

Route de Magrie, 11300 Tourreilles. Tel: 04 68 31 35 49, philippe-collin2@wanadoo.fr.

Hot choc @ Folies-Bergère

Well, try the Courtauld Gallery café instead, off the Strand in central London, for my "alcohol-free tip of the week." After contemplating and relishing Manet's fine intriguing painting "Bar at the Folies-Bergère," a quick visit to the café downstairs revealed possibly the tastiest hot chocolate I've ever been served, made from real dark chocolate.

Languedoc: Mas Conscience, Terrasses du Larzac

Mas Conscience

Laurent and Geneviève Vidal were (wo)manning a stand 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 - in April 2010 at Domaine Gayda's impressive winery & restaurant complex, found between Limoux and Castelnaudary. And what a find: effervescent Laurent and Geneviève farm 10 ha (25 acres) of vines biodynamically (although not "certified" I don't think, if it matters) on the lower slopes of the increasingly fashionable, it would seem, and very beautiful Terrasses du Larzac. St-Jean is found about 50 minutes northwest of Montpellier and northeast of Béziers, off France's most dramatic motorway, the A75, at the point where it begins to climb up onto the Massif Central mountain plateau. I tasted these quirkily titled yet nevertheless delicious wines, which are available in the UK and US via Berry Bros:
2009 L'In vin de pays (Grenache blanc, Roussanne, Viognier) - aromatic and exotic white with zesty and mineral touches; "chalky" vs leesy palate with greener fruit edges. Attractive style. 85+
2008 La Petite Prise Coteaux du Languedoc (6 year-old Syrah &Grenache) - nice juicy vs ripe vs scented garrigue fruit; liquorice vs crunchier side, tasty and soft vs a bit of weight. 85
2009 Cieux ciel ciel vin de pays (100% old Cinsault) - lovely "sweet" cherry and lavender notes almost; quite elegant with fine tannins and underlying liquorice and wild herbs. Unusual. 87
2008 Le Cas vin de pays (100% old Carignan) - smokier and richer profile, again has that very ripe black cherry fruit but with more grip and intensity; enticing dry vs "sweet" texture, fresh and firm vs elegant fruit. Approx £10/$15. 89
2007 As Terrasses du Larzac (Syrah, Grenache, Carignan) - delicious ripe aromas again vs lightly toasty oak; good grip and tight mouth-feel, more powerful and lusher too. Needs 1 to 2 years to open up. Approx £13/$19. 89-91
2007 MahaTma (Mourvèdre) - a tad toasty at first with herbal undertones; riper palate with black olive and garrigue notes too, interesting "sweet/savoury" style with attractive tannins and subtle fruit. 87+

Route de Montpeyroux, 34150 Saint Jean de Fos. Tel: 04 67 57 77 42, mas.conscience@wanadoo.fr.

Languedoc: Domaine Maria Fita, Fitou

Marie and Jean-Michel Schmitt describe themselves as a couple of "vieux bab's" (old hippies, I guess, especially as I've met them once), who landed in this savage neck of the woods to make "different wines..." in "higher" Fitou country (paraphrased from their website). Restaurant owners in a former life, their love of good wine led them to buying a dozen ha of vines (30 acres) and finally fulfilling their obsession in 2000 by putting their name on the bottle. The idea is not to make "standardised" wines at Maria Fita: no "carefully marketed" range here! I tasted the ones below, which are indeed a bit different verging on the wild side even, 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. A visit "sur place" is definitely called for...

2009 Fitou red - reduced on the nose (a tank sample though), moving on to lively "inky" cassis and berry on the palate; tight finish with dark spicy fruit, could be good. 85+
2007 Le Schmitou red vin de pays - quite rustic with meaty leather notes; fairly rich "sweet/savoury" palate vs a tad reduced and bretty? Nice depth though with very firm and meaty finish, not sure!
2004 Fitou - again has that meaty maturing fruit with liquorice and leather edges vs dry grainy mouth-feel; attractive smoky depth of fruit though, still very firm / extracted but good in an old-fashioned way. 85+
2001 Fitou - lovely dried vs meaty fruit, mature with a touch of oak grain; delicious lush vs dry palate, leather vs sweet fruit plus a bit of oomph and grip too. Again old-fashioned, "natural" style but good with it. 87-89
2007 Le Schmitou white - nutty oxidised and toasty nose; very rounded yet still has fresh bite too, interesting. 87

12 Avenue du Pont-Neuf, 11360 Villeneuve-les-Corbières. Tel: 04 68 45 81 21, mariafita.com.

Roussillon: Domaine des Schistes, Estagel

Domaine des Schistes (there is indeed quite a bit of schist in their vineyards), owned and run by Jacques and son Mickaël Sire, is made up of assorted parcels lying along the Corbières foothills (on the Roussillon / Fenouilledes side) between the villages of Estagel (where the winery is), Maury and Tautavel. Back in late November 2008, Jacques took me for a spin around some of them (not recommended in your average family saloon), which gives you a good feel for their differing terrain as the land undulates up and down & side to side. We stood on the top of a rocky/schisty ridge in one vineyard, or perhaps the line between two as, although planted with more or less the same varieties on both sides, that sloping variation in aspect can mean a few days or a week's difference in picking in this peaceful raw spot. We ended up at Mas de las Fredas, which nestles behind Maury and Tautavel (marked off the D117), where Mickaël lives and where they have two holiday gîtes constructed inside a chunky 14th-Century farmhouse (next door to Domaine des Soulanes actually – see below). There’s also a small barrel cellar underneath containing some of their ageing Vin Doux Naturel styles, such as Rivesaltes Solera or Rancio Sec (see notes below).

2007 Les Terrasses Blanches (mostly Grenache blanc 13.5%) - floral and peachy with light toast and creaminess, nice mineral character running underneath its otherwise quite chunky and powerful mouth-feel; well-handled subtle oak / yeast-lees texture with hazelnut, pear and apricot flavours on the finish, plus a fresh aniseed twist. 85-87

2007 Tradition Côtes du Roussillon Villages (Carignan Grenache Syrah 14.5%) - spicy non-oaked style showing fragrant cassis, blueberry and black cherry; nice liquorice v concentrated cassis richness, peppery with dry tannins and dark chocolate twist; closes up a bit yet it's quite elegant despite the obvious power. 87-89

2006 Les Terrasses Côtes du Roussillon Villages Tautavel (Syrah Carignan Grenache 14%) - a bit cold to start so that toasted oak character comes out first, but it opened up showing more black cherry aroma/flavour v dry grip and coating v dark fruit and coffee. Needs a couple of years, again quite elegant despite its weight and gripping tannins. 89-91

2005 La Coumeille Côtes du Roussillon Villages (80% Syrah 14.5%) - developing savoury nose v spicy dark cherries; very concentrated and robust although opening up and becoming rounded, lush liquorice v grip and bite on its powerful finish, along with well-integrated chocolate-oak tinged texture. 90-92

2006 La Coumeille - closed unrevealing nose; light chocolate oak notes v rich and concentrated, perhaps has more depth than the 05 with big tannins v attractive purity of fruit; stonking finish, chunky and grippy v lush texture. Needs 2+ years to open up, very promising. 92

1998 Tradition (13.5%) - savoury and mature nose with minty herbal undertones; fig, liquorice and leather on a dry v maturing finish. Nice now. 89

2006 Maury (muté sur grain 16%) - beginning to develop savoury leather notes underneath a lush, ripe fruit mouthful; pretty grippy and powerful at the moment leading to a hardly sweet finish, needs a little time to come together fully. 89+

Rivesaltes Solera (mostly Grenache gris 16%) - tawny orangey colour, complex oxidised nutty caramel notes; toasted pecan richness v freshness and bite, delicious classic style. 90-92

1995 Muscat de Rivesaltes (16%) - yes, that vintage is correct! Caramelised orange peel and brown sugar aromas/flavours, rich and nutty yet still grapey with nice cut. Weirdly alive, odd but I like it. 89+

Rancio sec - very nutty, tangy and lively with old oxidised complexity; very dry and crisp with super dried walnut flavours, great length and panache. Wow. Not for everyone but really different: try with anchovies or mature chesses.

2010 update: Jacques had the following new vintages up for tasting at the enigmatically named 'Salon du X' - it's not that much of a mystery, actually, a tasting organised by his agent Xavier Peyrot des Gachons with a dozen Languedoc & Roussillon winegrowers present (there were originally 10, I think) hence the X - in April at Domaine Gayda's impressive winery & restaurant complex between Limoux and Castelnaudary.

2008 Les Terrasses Blanches white - honeyed vs spicy toasty notes; rounded, weighty and oily vs crisp bite. 85+

2008 Les Terrasses red - attractive 'sweet' vs crunchy fruit; quite intense cassis and blueberry turning richer and darker on the finish, fragrant and herby too vs power and grip. 87-89

2006 La Coumeille red - smoky chocolate oaky nose; meaty and very firm with tight powerful length, underlying dark lush fruit then closes up. Needs time still. 89-91

Click here for more Schistes wines (6th Fenouillèdes wine fair).

1 Avenue Jean Lurçat, 66310 Estagel. Tel: 04 68 29 11 25 / 06 89 29 38 43.

www.domaine-des-schistes.com.