Nero d'Avola vs Malbec...

That deliberately cryptic title is just meant to provoke an emotional response rather than an academic one, and gives you an idea of what some of us have been up to today at the London wine trade fair. Spent a couple of fun hours on the Sicilian stand tasting various whites - the Grillo variety in particular pulled my chain e.g. from Casa di Grazia - followed by a run of tasty reds from star Sicilian grape Nero d'Avola e.g. Brugnano. Then on to Argentina for a stint of tasting Malbecs and Cabernets from half a dozen wineries: a couple of favs, off the top of my head, were probably Pannunzio and Septima. Full report on both of these to follow, along with wines from Portugal and Slovenia...

Languedoc: Sainte Cécile du Parc, Pézenas

Updated March 2013

Stéphane Mouton and Christine Mouton Bertoli created this "new" estate in 2005, which is found between Pézenas and the little village of Caux. "Inverted commas" as the vineyards aren't new - well, some of them were in fact replanted between 2006-2010 (including a 3.5 ha/8.5 acre plot of Cabernet Franc surprisingly perhaps), but there are records of vines on this old estate going back over a century apparently - although the groovy winery is. The 2011 vintage was the first to be made in situ, and before this they'd been using the local Pézenas co-op winery, who used to buy the grapes before Stéphane and Christine bought the property. They took an environmentally (and worker) friendly approach from the beginning, and 2013 will be their first certified organic vintage. Jérome Dubrun overseas the work in the vineyards and winemaking. More @ saintececileduparc.com.

I tried the 2009 vintage of two of their Coteaux du Languedoc reds at last year's London International Wine Fair:

Notes d'Orphée (Syrah and old Cinsault; half the wine spent 12 months in large casks) - ripe spicy and minty nose, rich dark cherry with smoky edges; firm vs rounded palate, has a fair 'kick' at 14.5% alc. but has plenty of sweet vs savoury & tobacco fruit on top. Good value (€4.50 ex-cellar meaning the export price presumably).

Sonatina (Syrah and old Cinsault; aged for 12 months in newer smaller barrels) - similar nose/flavours, more aromatic perhaps with lush and spicy profile, powerful solid palate yet has greater depth of fruit to handle it, again shows attractive savoury & tobacco vs liquorice notes on its still firm and tight finish. Needs a little more time to open up. €6.50 ex-cellar.

And tasted these wines with Christine at the 2010 show:

2008 Notes Pures Vin de Pays d'Oc (Sauvignon Blanc) - nice lively gooseberry and citrus notes/flavours vs 'fatter' lees-y side, rounded vs crisp finish. 85

2009 Notes Frivoles rosé (Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Carignan) - gentle red fruits vs creamier flavours, crisp and crunchy finish with zingy blast. 85

2007 Notes d'Orphée Coteaux du Languedoc (Syrah, Grenache) - lovely aromatic dark cherry and liquorice profile with wild herb edges; spicy/white-pepper tones layered with dark liquorice and 'tar', delicious wine and very 2007 with it. 89+

2007 Sonatina Coteaux du Languedoc - winey and a tad volatile or something on the nose (it might have just been bottled)? Rich dark palate vs firm and peppery, solid grippy texture with underlying minty notes vs black fruits. Interesting stuff in the end, still young for a 2007. 88-90

Béziers: Knight in shining armour @ the refinery

Béziers might still have a slight reputation as the rough-diamond of the Languedoc, but there's certainly more and more happening here on the food and drink front. The smart and curiously named wine bar Le Chameau Ivre ("the steaming camel," in the Irish sense that is), found smack in the city centre on Place Jean Jaures, appears to be getting a bit of a following for its lively Languedoc and Roussillon wine selection and colourful lunchtime tasting menu.

And the other night, I had a good meal at La Raffinerie restaurant, on the edge of town not far from the station alongside the Midi canal (Avenue Joseph Lazare: www.la-raffinerie.com), which used to be a sulphur refinery and retains some of its chunky industrial paraphernalia (huge grindstones and metal cogs). My succulent duck "tournedos" was very nicely accompanied by 1998 Croix la Chevaliere, the first vintage of nearby Mas de la Chevaliere's top red blend which is owned by Laroche / Jeanjean / Advini (thanks again Renaud Laroche, son of Michel of Chablis, for digging that out of the cupboard). At first, we thought lovely and complex although should be drunk now; but after a bit of airing actually got more delicious with its intense tasty savoury palate. The restaurant does two courses for €22 or three for €28, so pretty good value I guess.

Knight in shining armour @ the refinery

Béziers might still have a slight reputation as the rough-diamond of the Languedoc, but there's certainly more and more happening here on the food and drink front. The smart and curiously named wine bar Le Chameau Ivre ("the steaming camel," in the Irish sense that is), found smack in the city centre on Place Jean Jaures, appears to be getting a bit of a following for its lively Languedoc and Roussillon wine selection and colourful lunchtime tasting menu.

And the other night, I had a good meal at La Raffinerie restaurant, on the edge of town not far from the station alongside the Midi canal (Avenue Joseph Lazare: www.la-raffinerie.com), which used to be a sulphur refinery and retains some of its chunky industrial paraphernalia (huge grindstones and metal cogs). My succulent duck "tournedos" was very nicely accompanied by 1998 Croix la Chevaliere, the first vintage of nearby Mas de la Chevaliere's top red blend which is owned by Laroche / Jeanjean / Advini (thanks again Renaud Laroche, son of Michel of Chablis, for digging that out of the cupboard). At first, we thought lovely and complex although should be drunk now; but after a bit of airing actually got more delicious with its intense tasty savoury palate. The restaurant does two courses for €22 or three for €28, so pretty good value I guess.

Languedoc: Mas de l'Ecriture, Terrasses du Larzac

Pensive Pascal Fullá - écriture means writing, as you might have guessed from his quill pen logo, so perhaps there's a latent wine author, philosopher or composer behind the winemaking here (and he was a lawyer in a previous life) - bought this estate in 1998 and made his first vintage the following year. It's located in the unassuming village of Jonquières (among a clutch of talented names, it has to be said), and about half of the 10 hectares (25 acres) of vines have been replanted. The varietal make-up is fairly typical, although with quite a bit more Mourvèdre (20%) than most growers in the Languedoc (but not so unusual in this area), Syrah (35%), Grenache (27%), Carignan (12%) and Cinsault (6%). Ecriture lies at the feet of the dramatic Larzac hills, where the grape-bearing earth is mostly composed (although not solely by any stretch) of clay-limestone with plenty of stones on top. When I called by in rather warm late April 2010, Pascal told me he's carrying on the "organic spirit" in the vineyard and, since he's never used synthetic pesticides from the beginning and focused a lot of attention in the field, is now over a year into heading towards "Ecocert" certification.

On the winemaking and ageing front, since we were probably talking about oak (uh oh, geek alert), Pascal clarified that "each variety is aged on its own in the appropriate barrel." For example, he's increasingly using those larger demi-muids (600 litres) "...with about 20% renewed each year. It depends on the vintage and tasting rather than putting the same variety in the same type of barrel each year... for about 12 months, then the wines are blended and bottled." And back in the vineyard, Pascal commented on what I spotted and called "gobelets palissés" (trellised bush vines): "you retain the character of a bush vine but with better leaf surface area and you can treat the bunches if necessary (as the leaves can flop over them)." The result: delicious yet subtle (a word that crops up in each of my tasting notes, by the way) Med reds, even if a little pricey at e.g. £12.50/£19.95/£29.95 in the UK... then again "you gets what you pay for," as they say. Mas Ecriture wines are well distributed around the world: try Terroir Languedoc or Dudley & de Fleury in London, Royal Wine Merchants (NY) or Cynthia T Hurley (MA) in the US and Cottage Vineyards in Hong Kong.

2006 Emotion Terrasses du Larzac (Grenache, Carignan, Syrah,Cinsault 13.5%) - this wine makes up about 2/3 of production. Shows lovely fragrant dark cherry, liquorice and light white pepper notes; attractive lush fruity palate with a bit of weight, elegant bite and fine dry tannins; warming and fruity yet well balanced with "sweet/savoury" finish and subtle length. Drinking quite well now although should improve nicely over 1-2 years.87-89
2005 Les Pensées Terrasses du Larzac (more Grenache, Syrah,Cinsault, Carignan 13%) - riper "sweeter" more floral nose with liquorice and spice vs wild herb and blueberry hints; fairly rich and concentrated with tasty "sweet/savoury" fruit, subtle power with light grip adding to its delicious length; almost "mouth-watering" even (not a term I'd usually apply to a red) leaving you wanting more! 89-91
2005 L'Ecriture Terrasses du Larzac (more Syrah, Grenache,Mourvèdre 13%) - again has that enticing "garrigue" edge vs ripe berry/cherry fruit, perfumed and peppery vs darker liquorice profile; feels weightier on the palate and a tad firmer, although still has attractive balance and subtle fresh length; lush dark spicy fruit with meaty edges, nice chunky tannins with lovely mix of concentration vs ripe/rounded vs elegance. 90-92+

Lots more info @ masdelecriture.fr/blog-vignoble. Rue de la Font du Loup, 34725 Jonquières. Tel: 04 99 57 61 54.

South Africa: a fine-pruned pair from Badenhorst

A full-flavoured couple from South Africa recently cut across my vinous path: Secateurs Red 2007 and Secateurs 2009 Chenin Blanc made by AA Badenhorst Family Wines in Malmesbury (northeast of Cape Town: pic. Adi Badenhorst & son?). The red is a spicy, smooth, black-fruity and dark chocolate tinged blend of Shiraz, Cab Sauv, Pinotage, Merlot, Carignan, Cinsault, Grenache, kitchen sink... the latter a little joke I pinched, but you get the point. The 2009 Chenin is quite full-on, honeyed and aromatic with creamy oily notes and dry-ish mineral finish. Imported into the UK by SWIG in London and priced at £8.50 for the white and £9.50 for the red, so not inexpensive but both good and different.
Update: note on 2011 Secateurs Chenin Blanc.

Roussillon: Château de Rey, Canet-en-Roussillon

Cathy and Philippe Sisqueille have 40 hectares (100 acres) of vines on low-lying land, although undulating and stoney, by the coast found to the east of Perpignan. The family's been at it for four generations, and Cathy and Philippe have injected a bit of contemporary style into the estate on the winemaking, packaging and wine tourism fronts, producing some very enjoyable wines. For more info on prices, where to buy them and their three spacious on-site holiday gites: see website below.

I tried the following, served up by Cathy, 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 between Limoux and Castelnaudary.

2009 Sisquò white (Grenache blanc, Roussanne, Macabeu) - citrusy and grapey aromas, turning more honeyed and rounded on the palate vs zesty mineral bite. 85+
2009 Galets Roulés white (Grenache blanc, Roussanne, Macabeu from different sites) - lightly toasty yet creamy with nice aniseed notes too; quite rich vs crisp and nutty, a bit of weight vs freshness. 87+
2009 Sisquò rosé (Syrah, Grenache, Carignan) - lovely raspberry fruit, creamy and quite full vs crisp and lively finish. 85+
2009 Galets Roulés rosé (Syrah, Carignan, Grenache barrel-fermented) - hints of spicy wood, although it does add rounded texture and weight with underlying creamy fruit. Not for everyone but would work with food. 85+
2008 Sisquò red (Syrah, Carignan, Grenache) - delicious "sweet" perfumed fruit, floral with spicy cherry; crunchy lively palate yet fairly soft mouth-feel vs attractive "chalky" tannins. 87
2007 Galets Roulés red (Carignan, Syrah, Grenache) - more closed up and grainy textured vs dark and spicy fruit; solid firm tight finish still with nice oomph. Needs a year or so to express itself. 87+

Mas Sisqueille, Route de Saint-Nazaire, 66140 Canet en Roussillon. Tel: 04 68 73 86 27, www.chateauderey.com.