Roussillon: Domaine des Soulanes, Tautavel

UPDATED summer 2013

The latest vintages (11 & 12 in fact) of Domaine Soulanes' 'table' wines sampled earlier this year (I didn't taste their usually very good Maury Vins Doux Naturels this time):
2011 Les Davaillières white (Grenache blanc & gris, Carignan blanc; barrel sample) - nutty and appley with dry 'mineral' palate vs rounded toasted hazelnut flavours too, subtle less revealing finish although not a finished wine.
2012 Kaya red (Carignan) - quite rich for a Carignan, perfumed blueberry with liquorice tones, spicy and fresh mouth-feel vs nice richness too, crunchy vs ripe fruit profile, tight elegant finish.
2011 Serrat del Mas (Grenache, Carignan, Syrah) - dark and peppery with black cherry and plum, closes up on the palate with nice 'chalky' tannins lending firm vs ripe profile, well balanced; should be good.
2011 Bastoul Laffite (Grenache) - a touch cold and closed up when I tried it, concentrated peppery palate with again a nice fresh 'chalky' side; needs a bit of time to open up, also well balanced.
2012 Les Davaillières red ("very old Carignan") - intense and concentrated, ripe blueberry and cassis, spicy tasty palate with elegant 'chalky' bite vs fair weight too, quite fine and long.
Terroir Languedoc, the UK based online shop, lists a couple of older vintages of the Bastoul and Serrat reds for £14.95. Weygandt Wines in DC in the US sells Kaya blanc and rouge for $20-$22.

Update October 2010

Cathy (pic. right, taken by Vi Erickson) was as hospitable as ever and did a nice tasting for us of all their latest vintages (some not yet bottled), followed by a picturesque spin around vineyards in their sturdy van; hubby Daniel was busy in the cellar next door up to his neck in fermenting musts, having finished picking a couple of days before. The estate, apparently named after the local word (Soulane) for a south-southeast facing hillside, is now 18 ha (= 45 acres, that's a lot of work since they do most of it themselves) in surface area including the odd isolated plot, perched up among wild scrubland on virtually inaccessible slopes. I'm pretty sure they're now certified organic too: didn't note it down but sure I spotted the AB logo (agriculture biologique) on their labels. Some of Soulanes' wines are imported into the US by Peter Weygandt-Metzler - there's a list of retailers etc. on his website as well as their own on-line shop with four of these wines ($19 to $42) - and sold by Terroir Languedoc in the UK (the ones they stock £9.95 to £13.95) among others.

2009 Kaya white (Grenache blanc & gris, Carignan blanc & gris 14%) - appley spicy aniseed nose; quite racy, "mineral" and spicy palate vs fuller finish. 85+

2009 Cuvée Jean Pull (Grenache, Carignan 14.5%) - nice juicy ripe cherry and liquorice fruit, rounded full mouth-feel vs a touch of light tannin and fresh acidity; tasty now actually. 87+

2009 Kaya red (100% Carignan) - quite rich and juicy for Carignan, attractive texture and tight length with lingering blue fruits. 87+

2009 Sarrat del Mas Côtes du Roussillon Villages (Grenache Carignan Syrah) - fairly chunky style vs ripe and lively dark cherry fruit, peppery touches too; more structured finish yet with nice rounded tannins, needs a year or two to open up. 89+

2009 Maury white (Grenache blanc & gris with 90g RS) - enticing "mineral" vs sweet profile, could be interesting after a bit of time in bottle.

2009 Maury red (Grenache) - lovely wild-fruit nose with blackberry and liquorice; good balance of sugar, dry tannins and cut of alcohol. 88+

Maury Hors d'Age (Grenache blend of wines from 1992, 1993 & 1994) - complex toffeed ageing notes on the nose with lush liquorice coating in the mouth; very long and caramelised vs lovely savoury richness. 90+

Cathy and Daniel Laffite's 15+ lost hectares (40 acres) in the stoney hilly back-lands between Tautavel and Maury, are composed mostly of Grenache noir with a little blanc and gris too ("best for aroma and complexity" according to Cathy), plus Carignan red and white. Daniel's step-father, who they bought the property from, farmed organically until 1993, when mass spraying was done in the area from the air to combat virus. "It's more philosophical than a marketing thing for us," he explained, "now we're as organic as possible... but certain plots are surrounded by other people spraying." They spend a lot of time working the 'soil' encouraging the vines to grow deep roots to reach water, as "we only get 400mm or so of rain here (about 16 inches)."

This must be back-breaking work. Walking around part of their vineyard, I said to myself "how does anything grow in this?!" It's nothing but hard dry stones and flaky schist, hence the inverted commas around 'soil'. Daniel quipped "I get through two pairs of climbing boots a year!" The domaine itself was only set up in 2001 and now sells around 3,000 cases per annum, most of it exported. Wines below tasted on 4/9/06 in context of a rather good lunch at the Auberge du Cellier in nearby Montner - also see Fenouillèdes wine fair report a few months earlier for more Soulanes wines.

2005 Cuvée Jean Pull vin de pays Côtes Catalanes (vat sample: 2/3 Carignan 1/3 Grenache) - attractively rich blackberry and spice with inky liquorice depth and peppery black cherry undertones, lush mouth-feel yet fresh and long; power v finesse to finish. 89-91

2004 Cuvée Jean Pull vin de pays Côtes Catalanes (2/3 Grenache 1/3 Carignan) - more developed and aromatic with floral peppery black cherry notes, has rustic richness yet some elegance too; less dense and complex than the 05 with more leathery maturity, very nice to drink now. 87-89Both vintages were surprisingly good with plump savoury gambas & goats' cheese with honey, usually a bad clash combo for big reds.
2004 Sarrat del Mas Côtes du Roussillon Villages (Grenache Carignan Syrah) - floral wild herbs combine with oak undertones, peppery rustic palate with soft fruit and texture v dry grip to finish; tight fine length: 90-92. Lovely with the rabbit dish.
2004 Maury (15% alc. 93 g/l residual sugar) - seductive liquorice and leather aromas, lightly oxidised tones v rich fruit, good balance of sweetness with dry grip and bite of alcohol; lingering leather and chocolate, quite elegant in fact. 88-90

Mas de Las Fredas, off the D69, 66720 Tautavel (although actually nearer Maury). 04 68 29 12 84 / 06 12 33 63 14, domaine-soulanes.com.

Vinolodge, camping it up in style

This original, sleep in the vineyards, wine tourism under the stars project, billed as "eco-friendly," is due to be launched next year. Your intrepid reporter went over to Domaine Virgile Joly, in Saint-Saturnin in the Languedoc highlands, to check it out in mid September, where they did a test-drive for these posh tents pitched in a secluded spot alongside his vines. The accommodation itself is surprisingly plush, with nice king-size bed, small "bathroom" with electric shower and proper toilet, fridge, aircon (for wimps) etc; and sturdy too with a parquet-type floor raised off the ground on stilts, being based on military-grade tent technology developed by Vinolodge's parent company. Each unit is also fitted out with right-on bits such as a water recycling system and solar power panels; the latter are sufficient for lighting, shower, plug sockets et al although not the aircon, which obviously isn't so eco-friendly. But you can see why it's there, when you could be spending some hot nights in July or August.

All in all, it looks like a fun and back-to-nature "concept" for wine enthusiasts with a few three-star luxuries: mind you, at €200 a night, there should be! This does include breakfast and a tutored wine tasting though, and there's a dining tent with on-site caterers for breakfast and dinner too depending on the package you'd go for. The idea is to erect these designer tents on demand in the vineyard from late spring to early autumn 2011, as part of a wine tour programme planned by Joly and other participating estates. They claim they don't damage the environment and are dismantled leaving no lasting trace. Vinolodges might well appeal to wineries looking to develop their tourism income that don't have the means or desire to build a permanent structure on the estate.

If successful, we could see vinolodges being "rolled out," as the marketing speak would have it, across the Languedoc and beyond... More info here: vinolodge.com. Notes on Domaine Virgile Joly and his wines via the 'winery A to Z' in the right-hand column ('J').
Photo by Claude Cruells.

Vinolodge, camping it up in style

This original, sleep in the vineyards, wine tourism under the stars project, billed as "eco-friendly," is due to be launched next year. Your intrepid reporter went over to Domaine Virgile Joly, in Saint-Saturnin in the Languedoc highlands, to check it out in mid September, where they did a test-drive for these posh tents pitched in a secluded spot alongside his vines. The accommodation itself is surprisingly plush, with nice king-size bed, small "bathroom" with electric shower and proper toilet, fridge, aircon (for wimps) etc; and sturdy too with a parquet-type floor raised off the ground on stilts, being based on military-grade tent technology developed by Vinolodge's parent company. Each unit is also fitted out with right-on bits such as a water recycling system and solar power panels; the latter are sufficient for lighting, shower, plug sockets et al although not the aircon, which obviously isn't so eco-friendly. But you can see why it's there, when you could be spending some hot nights in July or August.

All in all, it looks like a fun and back-to-nature "concept" for wine enthusiasts with a few three-star luxuries: mind you, at €200 a night, there should be! This does include breakfast and a tutored wine tasting though, and there's a dining tent with on-site caterers for breakfast and dinner too depending on the package you'd go for. The idea is to erect these designer tents on demand in the vineyard from late spring to early autumn 2011, as part of a wine tour programme planned by Joly and other participating estates. They claim they don't damage the environment and are dismantled leaving no lasting trace. Vinolodges might well appeal to wineries looking to develop their tourism income that don't have the means or desire to build a permanent structure on the estate.

If successful, we could see vinolodges being "rolled out," as the marketing speak would have it, across the Languedoc and beyond... Notes on Domaine Virgile Joly and his wines here (goes to French Med Wine.com).
Photo by Claude Cruells.

Roussillon: Clot de l'Oum, Bélesta

Eric and Lèia Monné are making stylish wines sourced from exposed elevated vineyards around wild Bélesta country; a stunning spot for vineyard walks as well as a bit of tasting, of course (there are a few other good estates around here, such as Ch. Caladroy). Eric very neatly, and bluntly, once summed up the Roussillon's strengths and weaknesses thus: "Varied terroirs, dream landscapes, low land prices, ideal micro-climate at altitude and a new wave of talented growers often from elsewhere." On the other hand: "Building up its image, promises not kept (hinting at the powers that be), sometimes an endemic lack of sincerity (go for it), regulatory bodies favouring one wine style and production method, mafia, lack of fine wine tradition..."
Clot de l'Oum comprises 15 shrinking hectares (37 acres) planted with the region's "big four" red varieties plus a few white vines too (they make about 10% dry white wine). Over half their production is sold outside France and the rest at the cellar door or to independent wine merchants, locally and nationally. Bottle prices are typically €12, €17 and €25 respectively (see red "hierarchy" below). Eric also believes the Roussillon authorities and growers should develop more "cru" sub-zones, as long as "we're much more demanding on quality and less conservative (meaning in terms of varieties, yield, authorised methods, wine style etc.)." As for organic viticulture, "it's the only way forward and not just in the Roussillon..." Hear hear! These four wines were sampled at the Fenouillèdes wine show in April 2007 (read on for 2010 updates):

2005 La Compagnie des Papillons blanc – lightly toasty undertones on a mostly appley & juicy nose and palate, elegant and undemanding finish. 85
2004 La Compagnie des Papillons Côtes du Roussillon Villages (mostly 50+ year-old Grenache and Carignan) – perfumed violet and cherry with leather and blackberry tones; chunky v elegant and soft mouth-feel, subtle concentration and length with lightly dry bite and bitter twist. 87-89

2004 Saint Bart vieilles vignes (Syrah 'Grenache Pelut' Carignan) - less aromatic but more concentrated and weighty, again has that lovely floral dark cherry fruit with liquorice and lighter leather notes; nice coating of fruit and ripe tannins with a touch of fresh acidity as well. 88-90

2003 Numéro Uno Côtes du Roussillon Villages Caramany (85% Syrah Carignan) – rich smoky nose showing more oak although a lot of ripe fruit too; drier firmer grip balanced by attractive fruit coating, concentrated and long without being noticeably extracted. 90+

Previous vintages here (Fenouillèdes 2006).

Clot de l'Oum 2010 updates

1. I caught up with Eric and Lèia at this year's edition of Millésime Bio organic fair (Montpellier late Jan.) and tried the latest vintages below, including three of their excellent old-vine Saint Bart. They've been applying organics since the beginning in 2002, by the way, with a few biodynamic twists in the plot too. Eric was commendably honest, as seems to be his style, when talking about how he ended up in Bélesta (paraphrasing): "At the time, I knew nothing about vines but liked wine and wanted to buy a vineyard. I was lucky, as it just turned out to be one of the best spots in the Roussillon!" Their wines are sold in the UK, US, Canada and Japan among other countries (see website).

2008 Cine Panetonne (Grenache gris, Carignan blanc, Macabeu) - floral, mineral and peachy aromas underpinned by spicy oak; lively and crisp vs juicy and weighty palate, a touch of toast on the finish but it's still young and tight. 87+
2008 Compagnie de Papillons Côtes du Roussillon Villages (Carignan, Syrah) - lightly smoky with currant and cassis fruit; juicy and spicy mouthfeel vs firm tannins and nice elegant length. 87+
2005 Saint Bart (Carignan, Grenache, Syrah) - wilder nose with garrigue notes and peppery fruit; still pretty firm with chunky texture underlined by delicious maturing fruit showing savoury/tobacco edges, grippy vs lush finish. 90+
2006 Saint Bart - tighter, more "classic" and less obvious than the 05; but does have an enticing mix of dark vs savoury fruit and solid framework. Leave it for a couple of years. 88+
2007 Saint Bart - more "upfront" on the nose, riper and lush showing lovely spicy Syrah style; liquorice fruit vs dry grip, powerful yet balanced. Yum. 90-92
2007 Granito Vino (Carignan) - closed nose; gets more intense and curranty on the palate with underlying black fruits, grippy and intense with fine tight finish. Wow, needs 2-3 years to open up. 92+?

 2. Latest tasting October 2010 in the winery: what a lovely isolated spot, just outside the quiet wee and very old village of Bélesta (or used to be quiet: somebody's done up the former (now closed) co-op cellars big time and just opened a stunning-looking hotel and restaurant). Eric's father took us on a little tour of one of their fairly lofty vineyards (600m above sea level), where there's a mix of 80 to 90 year-old red, white and "grey" Carignan with some vines dating from 1905. He made a, well, cutting but fair and interesting comparison with a neighbour's vineyard, which is farmed "conventionally" (or "chemically" as Gérard Gauby would say), or "lazily" paraphrasing pa Monné; and where they still hadn't picked, unlike at Cdel'Oum where they'd already finished.
The earth here was all bare, compacted and looked like rainwater had just run off it rather than drained downwards; and the plants struggling to ripen the fruit, probably also due to the grower using too much artificial fertiliser and not spending enough time keeping on top of their growth etc. In the Oum vineyard, the soil was much looser and the vines looked trimmer and less "stressed out." His point was to emphasise how much time is required in the field, when you farm organically trying to get perfectly ripe and healthy grapes. Hence why their wines aren't cheap! Light sarcasm aside, he also made a good, and amusing, point about how people don't think twice about spending over €10 on a pizza, so why not spend more even on a very good bottle of wine? Over to those tasty bottles (refer to info above for varieties, prices etc.):

2009 white - nice appley "mineral" nose and palate with light wood grain vs steely and crisp; elegant and long with toasty vs juicy and refreshing profile. 87+
2008 Compagnie de Papillons - not much on the nose at first, moving on to nice lively cassis fruit vs light coconut and attractive dry vs rounded tannins; subtle concentration and tight finish. 87
2006 Saint Bart - subtle wood grain and spice vs concentrated berry fruit, pretty structured although again has those attractive tannins and crunchy vs ripe fruit profile; still tight with understated fruit. 88+
2004 Saint Bart - maturing smoky liquorice notes; savoury yet still firm mouth-feel, concentrated and grippy vs spicy and lovely ripe/savoury fruit flavours; more powerful too. 90+
2007 Numéro Uno - wilder riper and smokier fruit, rich and concentrated with underlying oak texture; solid and taut still with powerful although still fine finish. 92+
2007 Granito Vino - different, and difficult, profile to above with attractive spicy blueberry fruit; even tighter and fresher palate, elegant and closed up needing time to blossom (as I said about it earlier in the year, see note above).
2009 Syrah (from vat - a special cuvée they made in 09 as the Syrah was so good) - delicious pure Syrah style with dark cherry and pepper; lovely depth and tannins with smooth ripe finish. Promising. 90+

Domaine Clot de l'oum, 66720 Bélesta de la Frontière. Mobile: 06 60 57 69 62 - www.clotdeloum.com.

Roussillon: Domaine Gauby, Calce

Gérard Gauby tasting in his cellar
Photo by Vi Erickson

An intimate party of us was treated to a tasty, and ample, dinner at La Galinette, one of Perpignan's top restaurants, on 5 September 2006, where Gérard Gauby and his son Lionel, who's gradually taking over more of the day to day vineyard and winery work, talked about their wines and values in their laid-back way (words and wines here have since been updated following visits in March 2007 and Oct 2010, so read on...). Gérard said the decisive moment for going organic (1996), then fully biodynamic in 2001, came "when I found a hundred dead birds in the vineyard after disinfecting the soil (I'm afraid growers do sometimes do this, which doesn't of course only kill off the bad bugs etc.)... we couldn't carry on like that anymore. Our production costs are now huge but the philosophy's more important." They have seven employees plus the family and up to 50 people at vintage time. Fortunately for him (and a lot of hard work too), he's now built up enough of a reputation to charge suitably ample prices to off-set those costs, although no more than great wines from anywhere else, I should add... The grapes for the following white wines are grown at 450-600 metres (+1500 feet) and retain their fresh acidity well:

2004 Vieilles Vignes blanc vin de pays des Côtes Catalanes (40% Macabeu 30% Grenache Blanc 15% Chardonnay 10% Grenache Gris 5% Carignan Blanc) - lovely crispness and intensity with 'real cider' flavours, turns creamier and more honeyed than le Soula (below) with very light toast, concentrated v crisp finish. 90
2004 Le Soula blanc, vin de pays Côtes Catalanes - very intense mineral notes and aromatic appley flavours, crisp and fresh v fatter 'sweeter' finish. 87+
Domaine Gauby comes to 48 hectares (120 acres, 30-odd ha of vines) including trees and wild vegetation, which are an integral part of its diverse terrain, in the rocky hills around the village of Calce. On average, they make 80-100,000 bottles per year so obviously yields are small: "I'd like to average 20 hl/ha (a bit more than 1 ton per acre) but we often get less from some parcels," Gérard claims. He believes that Carignan, Grenache and Mourvèdre are "the great varieties of the future... but I don't really care about the grape: I want real wine from real terroir." The irony of biodynamic viticulture is that "by seeking simplicity it gets more complicated." However, in this globalized world, "we do not want to do a McDonald's!" he quipped. To give just one example of how important it is preserving biodiversity, after the fruit passes over the sorting table, any insects that fall through are returned to the vineyard to restore a good mix of natural predators. Lucky bugs.
2002 Coume Gineste blanc (50% Grenache Blanc 50% Grenache Gris) - smoky toasted apples on the nose with crisp length and lovely acidity, very nice with the tuna dish.
2003 Le Soula rouge - earthy cassis notes, firm tannins yet elegance too, black cherry finish and again showing attractive freshness (particularly for heatwave 2003).
2003 Vieilles Vignes Côtes du Roussillon Villages (40% very old Carignan 35% Grenache 10% Syrah 15% Mourvèdre) - complex earthy black cherry and rhubarb tones, deliciously sniffable; lovely subtle richness then tight and fresh finish (the Gauby hallmark), light bite of tannins with power yet refined length. 90+
2003 Muntada Côtes du Roussillon Villages (40% very old Carignan 30% Grenache 20% Syrah 10% Mourvèdre) - a bit stinky, not sure what that is (sulphide notes?) but it dissipates with aeration revealing more morello/blackcurrant; very concentrated with dry grip yet has textured smoky fruit and as usual intense bite and length. 92+The full range is imported into the UK by Richards Walford, who are also joint-owners of Domaine Soula, and handled by Peter Weygandt-Metzler in the US (nationwide stockist info can be found on his website).

March 2007: I interviewed Gérard in his 4x4 while touring around the entire bumpy and scenic estate. Following on from what he said above, he's actually removing some Syrah, Muscat and "all early ripening varieties," which are less suitable to the microclimate, terrain and their way of thinking. He believes leading Roussillon growers should concentrate on wines based on 'grand cru' sites, as the opportunity has been missed to create meaningful sub-zones on an official level, thanks to local politics. "I make Côtes du Roussillon Villages Gauby!" he said, although also declared a fondness for the vin de pays name Côtes Catalanes (or better still just Catalan) and, like many, was annoyed that the VDP des Fenouilledes was done away with, allegedly for silly bureaucratic reasons. Finally, Gérard's reaction to the current "viticulture crisis": "the real crisis is a lack of wine culture. We didn't use to make wines that were refreshing to drink. People had a pastis or whatever as an aperitif instead." Pity they hadn't tried one of Gauby's delicious white wines (more on that above and below).
2005 Vieilles Vignes blanc, vin de pays Côtes Catalanes (40% Macabeu 30% Grenache Blanc 15% Chardonnay 10% Grenache Gris 5% Carignan Blanc) - closed up at first, slowly revealing floral honeyed fruit, light toast and rounded full palate v drinkable, lively and stylish finish.
2003 Muntada Côtes du Roussillon Villages - open for 24 hours: rich smoky and complex with liquorice, dried black cherries and herbs plus light leather; sumptuous, lightly rustic yet elegant palate with lingering interesting flavours, firm integrated tannins and balanced length. 92-94

UPDATE October 2010: another great opportunity to taste with Gérard around his Ali Baba's cave of an underground cellar, focusing on their 2008s and not yet bottled 2009s, which perhaps show hints of his son Lionel's influence? Same hallmark intensity, purity and, difficult not to use the word "minerality" as Gauby is convinced of its importance in fine wines from the Roussillon; but somehow, well erm, "fruitier" for want of a better word (I'm sure they wouldn't approve of that adjective!). And Gérard kindly opened an older vintage of one of their sublime dry whites (2002: see note below), which, in my book, are as good as any from the so-called classic white wine regions. Then again, you may already have spotted the "Roussillon now makes great whites" theme being increasingly developed in my scribblings.
We briefly bumped into Lionel busy carrying buckets around the cellar, as 2010 vintage post-picking activity was in full swing. Dad confirmed it should be another good vintage, even if yields were very low from a lack of rainwater over the summer; although growers in the Calce area were lucky to escape the freak hailstorm that blighted some vineyards to the west of here. Most of the 2009 reds tasted here were vat or cask samples; fascinating to try the same variety from different spots giving different wine profiles, especially, as you'll see, the three 09 Grenaches:
2009 Calcinaires white (Muscat Macabeu Chardonnay) - floral honeysuckle and spicy apricot; tasty juicy palate vs zesty and "mineral", quite rich vs tight and refreshing finish. 88+
2009 Calcinaires red (Syrah Grenache Mourvèdre Carignan) - lovely juicy black cherry fruit, grippy dry and spicy texture then supple rounded finish. 87+
2009 Syrah old vines - rich and chunky with nice peppery dark cherries; attractive firm vs ripe tannins and elegant long finish.
2009 Grenache (north-facing, schist) - intense fruit, firm and structured.
2009 Grenache (La Roque) - tighter with fresher acidity, less opulent and fruity.
2009 Grenache (Coume Gineste) - crunchier fruit and tighter still length.
2009 mostly 120 year-old Carignan complanté (traditional mixed planting in one plot) with about nine other varieties - very intense and lush with nice smoky side, superb length and class with lovely texture. Wow.
2008 Vieilles Vignes red (Grenache Syrah Carignan) - deep colour and nose, smoky edges plus lively berry fruit with black cherry and cassis springing to mind; very concentrated and lush vs again those fine tannins, structured vs intense and rich; lovely wine. 92+
2008 Muntada (mostly old Carignan and Grenache) - smokier nose, very intense aromas and flavours with underlining blue fruit notes; concentrated yet elegant, very long and tight and textured. 94+
2008 Vieilles Vignes white (Macabeu Chardonnay Grenache Gris Carignan Blanc) - yeast-lees and lightly toasty tones with appley vs honeyed fruit; lovely concentration vs zesty "mineral" side, long stylish and still young. 89-91
2008 Coume Gineste white (Grenache Blanc Grenache Gris) - toastier and more honeyed / exotic than above with oily, almost Riesling like characters; rich and stylish, rounded textured and powerful vs very taut finish. 91+
2002 Vieilles Vignes white - golden/green colour, not surprisingly, with an amazing nose of toasted nuts vs oily / mineral and Riesling like; still lively and spicy too vs lush maturing toasty finish, wow indeed. 93-95

La Muntada, 66600 Calce. Tel: 04 68 64 35 19, info@domainegauby.fr; www.domainegauby.fr

Roussillon: Mas Amiel, Maury

Their latest release red (2011 Maury Sec) is featured HERE (World Grenache Competition 2013) by the way...
And a magnum of 1980 "Millennium Cuvée" Maury VDN tasted with fine chocolate HERE (December 2013).

Those famous demijohns, slightly predictable target for a photo, outside at Mas Amiel.

By Vi Erickson

Arguably the most famous name in the Maury area (and suitably celeb prices to match, you might be cheeky enough to add), Mas Amiel has been owned by Bordeaux magnate Olivier Decelle (Chx. Jean Faure St-Emilion, Haut-Maurac Médoc, Bellevue Fronsac, Haut-Ballet Canon-Fronsac) since 1999, who has obviously made substantial resources available to overhaul and replant the vineyards and build a smart new tasting room/shop on-site. Amiel is a vast and beautiful estate spanning across 190 hectares (470 acres) of vines, 155 of them currently in production, in "90 parcels." The latter figure sounds a bit difficult to get your head round (where does one plot start and finish exactly?) but, if you get the chance to be driven around some of the many tracks here, there and everywhere; then you can see what they mean. The terrain varies greatly with slopes undulating in different ways with different exposure (although much of it south-facing), peaks and troughs of altitude and a colourful variety of schist etc. soils, some towards black and some not so black. In 2003, Olivier called in soil specialists Claude and Lydia Bourguignon to analyse vineyard health and if and where there were any deficiencies to rectify. Winemaking and vineyards now come under the watchful eye of Nicolas Raffy, who I tasted the following with in November 2009:

2007 Altaïr white Côtes du Roussillon (Grenache gris, Macabeu, Grenache blanc: all old vines from a mixed plot, 13%) - honeyed milky aromas with slightly exotic and very light coconut spice notes; fat, oily, smoky and nutty mouthfeel vs mineral bite and attractive bitter twist; mature now. €16 85-87
2007 Notre Terre Côtes du Roussillon Villages (Grenache, Syrah, Carignan from 10 plots, 14.5%) - dark cherry and liquorice notes underpinned by creamy cassis; a touch of chocolate oak texture vs firm tannins vs very fruity on the palate, finishing with dry bite and appealing weight although not overpowering. €12 87
2006 Carerades Côtes du Roussillon Villages (old-vine Grenache, Syrah, Carignan from 3 plots; the latter two spent 18 months in barriques, 15%) - toasted dark chocolate plus quite strong "rubbery" oak tones; concentrated lush mouthfeel vs oaky texture, a bit too toasty at the moment but it does have very nice depth underneath. Not convinced the right winemaking balance is there, but it might surprise and mellow. €25 87+
2008 Vintage white Maury (Grenache gris: 110g/l residual sugar, 15.5%) - floral honeysuckle aromas, white peach and "hot stone" notes too; juicy tasty palate with fairly tight finish helping the sweetness and alcohol to blend in nicely, promising actually. €15.50 88
2007 Muscat de Rivesaltes - piercing aromatic aromas/flavours but there's something else there too; zesty and zingy vs sweet mouthful, turning oily with attractive bite of alcohol and herby / citrus finish. Rather dear though at €14! 85
2007 Vintage Maury (Grenache from about 20 different parcels, "muté sur grain" leaving c.100g/l RS, 16%) - gorgeous pure blackberry and other wild fruits, turning liquoricey too with tobacco edges; delicious fruit vs solid firm tannins and punchy 16% but it has plenty of depth; appealing sweet vs dark chocolate bite then closes up a bit on the finish. Needs 2 or 3 years just to open up, let alone actually starting to mature... €14.50 89-91
2006 Vintage Charles Dupuy (selected older Grenache + 14 months in barriques, 80g/l RS, 16.5%) - very dark colour and rich toffee & leather nose, turning meaty too vs lush dark lively fruit; a touch of oak on the palate yet it's nicely integrated with those chunky tannins, sweet/savoury profile showing truffle and Black Forest gateau flavours, then dry grip and power. Wow. €32 90-92
L08 Plentitude "Passerillé sur schiste" (dried out Macabeu berries picked at 22° potential, 145 RS & 14.5%) - strange herby spicy mineral nose; moving on to very rich honeyed flavours, explosive sweetness vs fresh cut and bite. Odd but nice. 87+
Cuvée Spéciale Maury 10 Ans d'Age (aged 1 year in demijohns outside + 9 years in large oak tuns, 16%) - brownish/red colour showing toffee and gravy aromas layered with dried fruits and roasted pecan; explosive sweetness tempered by dark roast coffee notes, fig and tobacco too vs attractive bite and coated mouthfeel. Complex and tasty with very long, sweet/savoury finish. €15.50 92+
1980 Millésime Maury (16.5%) - quite brown too but has deeper colour, cocoa and dried liquorice on the nose with intricate cheesy Madeira-like nose; still has chunky tannins and nice oomph vs lush sweet liquorice fruit then meaty spicy undertones; very alive still and very long, tasty maturing finish. Excellent. €45 93-95
1969 Millésime (16%) - lighter colour with more amber/brown hues, similar nose to above but meatier with more of that mature wild cheese Madeira thing going on; much more toffee-ish and cooked liquorice vs grip and punch, then toasted coffee, fig and tobacco. Again still alive, rich and long although the alcohol carries it more than the 80. €70 92-94

Update October 2010 (see above for more info and approx €uro prices where not quoted below) - tasted in situ:
2008 Altaïr white Côtes du Roussillon (Grenache gris, Macabeu, Grenache blanc) - yeasty vs "mineral" edges, juicy peachy fruit too with aniseed on the finish; very subtle barrel-ferment character adds a bit of fatness to the palate vs crisp and dry. 85-87
2009 Le Plaisir rosé (Grenache, Syrah, Carignan) - nice summer fruit style with juicy and quite concentrated mouth-feel; red fruits and "oily" texture vs crisp bite, pretty textbook Roussillon rosé although way overpriced at €8. 85
2007 Notre Terre Côtes du Roussillon Villages (Grenache, Syrah, Carignan) - rich dark cherry, liquorice and chocolate with savoury vs minty edges; meatier palate with nice concentration vs light bitter twist of tannins, tasty now actually. 88
2007 Carerades Côtes du Roussillon Villages (Carignan, Grenache, Syrah, 15%) - showing a fair amount of coconut and rubber oak vs pretty dense and attractive cherry fruit; that oak's a bit strong at the moment, although the wine still has quite good balance and class despite the high-ish alcohol. Needs a year or two to come together. 89+
2008 Maury blanc (Grenache gris) - enticing mix of juicy, "mineral/stoney" and sweet aromas/flavours; fairly crisp and fresh underneath vs rich white/yellow fruits, a bit closed up but should turn into a very nice pudding or cheese wine. €15+ 87+
2006 Maury Vintage Reserve (Grenache) - seductively rich with savoury edges and light oak texture; again shows good balance of grip, lush black fruits and sugar; quite complex too. €20 87-89
L09 Vintage Privilege (Grenache passerillé = dried on the vine) - very raisin-ed and intense, intriguing and addictive too; pure blackberry and syrup aromas/flavours vs attractive dry tannins vs complex earthy tones. Wow, a one-off. 90+
Prestige Maury 15 Ans d'Age - beautiful "old Tawny" nose with molasses/treacle notes and cooked plums; meaty oxidised profile vs dark chocolate vs bite and cut vs intense "sweet/savoury" finish, roasted coffee and nuts too. €23 92+

April 2007:
2005 Mas Amiel Notre Terre, Côtes du Roussillon Villages (Grenache Carignan Mourvèdre Syrah 14.5%) - odd nose (wood?) moves on to a very nice palate, rich ripe tar and chocolate tones v very firm and fresh; powerful length yet balanced, spicy with layered tannins. €11.20 92
More on that tasting.

November 2007:

1990 Mas Amiel, Maury – toffee plum and coffee notes proceed cooked cherries, mature v solid palate with complex fruit development; nice with foie gras de canard! 92+

More on that event.

Mas Amiel, 66460 Maury. Tel: 04 68 29 01 02, www.masamiel.fr.

Riesling of the moment: Juilen Frey

The Freys are organic winegrowers in Dambach la Ville, Alsace: I came across this towards sublime bottle in my local supermarket recently and thought it worth sharing, so to speak (none left now though).

2008 Julien Frey Riesling "Prestige" (12%) - enticing "chalky"  lime aromas mingle with maturing linseed oil tones; subtle and quite soft palate with citrus vs celery profile, gets tighter and fresher on its elegant finish. €7.75

More Alsace Rieslings here:

winewriting.com/organicAlsace
And 2 dozen racy German Rieslings here.

Picture = the Frey family from vinsfreybio.com

Corbières day-tripper

Three profiles/updates on new and established wine estates in the northern Roussillon, southern Corbières and Fitou "highlands" areas have been beamed up to sister ship FrenchMedWine.com: Domaine Bertrand-Bergé, Domaine Jones and Domaine du Grand Arc are in the limelight - follow those links for words and wine reviews.

International Grenache Day

It's this Friday apparently, September 24th. I wouldn't want to start counting how many Grenache-based wines are talked about and reviewed on this blog or sister site Frenchmediterraneanwine.com. From full-on lush reds to lavish Port-like "vins doux naturels" both from "black" Grenache (noir) or Garnacha / Garnatxa, to exotic whites crafted from white Grenache (blanc) / Garnacha blanca and/or Grenache gris, a pinkish skinned relative that can also work for "grey" style rosés; to fruity rounded rosé / rosado / rosat itself made from the "black" version (and sparkling too...)

Still with me? Here are just a few, off the top of my head, that I've particularly enjoyed (sensibly of course) over the last couple of months (mostly from southern France and Spain although Grenache certainly can excel in Australia, California...):

2008 Mas Mudigliza Maury (see post below this one)

2007 Domaine La Fourmente Les Vieux Grenache des Garrigues, Visan (southern Rhone)

2005 Domaine du Chapitre (Ardèche)

2007 Llopart Rosé Cava

2005 Château des Estanilles Faugères Prestige

2007 Domaine Bertrand-Bergé Rivesaltes Tuilé Ma-ga

2009 La Chevalière Grenache

2008 Domaine de Fenouillet Faugères

2006 Mitchelton Crescent, Victoria

2009 Domaine Jones Grenache

2008 Domaine Treloar One Block red

2007 Les Manyes Terroir al Límit, Priorat

2006 Château La Nerthe Châteauneuf-du-Pape "cuvée Cadette"

2007 Inferno Domaine Vinci, Roussillon

1980 Millésime Maury Mas Amiel, Roussillon...

Do a search for lots of links to features / guides / profiles including these and many more Grenache wines:
winewriting.com/search?q=Grenache
frenchmediterraneanwine.com/search?q=Grenache

Or click on any Grenache 'label' at the bottom of a post.
Photo = Grenache from vins-rhone.com

Roussillon: Mas Mudigliza, St-Paul-de-Fenouillet

This slightly curiously named estate is Dimitri Glipa and Muriel Samson's fairly new operation based to the west of Maury. Not much on their site at the moment except this nice picture of an old casot, one of those cute little stone shelters you see around in the middle of vineyards, just waiting to be converted into a trendy little studio (I jest)... I tasted these two promising wines at the now internationally famous (I've mentioned it often enough!) and rocking Fenouillèdes show in late April 2009:

2007 Caudalouis white - floral 'mineral' notes turning honeyed and juicy with lightly toasty edges; very dry and crisp vs subtle yeast-lees and toasted texture. 85+

2007 Carminé red Côtes du Roussillon - lovely spicy nose with violet, dark cherry and chocolate tones; tasty 'sweet & savoury' palate with chunky but ripe tannins, powerful and fruity on the finish. 88-90

UPDATE summer/autumn 2010

To fill in the blanks on some of those unanswered questions above, I called in at Dimitri's cellar in Saint-Paul in July to catch up and taste the latest. He told me their vineyards are "mostly around St-Paul on the south side, although often north-facing as you head towards Maury... and some parcels in St-Arnac at altitude (south of Maury)..." US importers include Thomas Calder (based in Paris I think?), Garagiste wine in Seattle and R Wine in NYC (not sure if I've got that right?); and Champagne et Chateaux who sell to a number of independents around the UK.

2009 CaudaLouis vin de pays Côtes Catalanes (mostly Grenache gris + Macabeu 14.5% alc.) - toasty mealy and spicy vs floral apricot notes; nice rounded mouth-feel with subtle concentration, still quite woody with creamy lees edges vs zesty and lively; powerful too yet well-balanced and mineral on the finish. 87-89

2008 Carminé Côtes du Roussillon (Grenache Carignan Syrah 14.5% ) - delicious perfumed black cherry, liquorice and spice aromas; quite tight crunchy and fresh on the palate vs subtle richness with ripe cassis and wild berries, underlying vanilla coating too with power and dry/sweet tannins; fairly elegant actually despite that weight. 87-89

2007 Symbiosis Côtes du Roussillon (Carignan Syrah Grenache 14.5% ) - from schist soils at altitude. Richer darker and toastier with chocolate and coconut on the nose; big mouthful of lush fruit vs grippy yet textured tannins, tight toasty finish vs nice concentration and spice. Needs 1-2 years to open up. 89-91

2008 Symbiosis (more Syrah this vintage, barrel sample) - spicier coco nose, lighter crisper mouth-feel even with tight and grainy texture; subtle spicy berry fruit underneath, closes up on the finish. Less full-bodied than the 07 but less wood and nice bite too.

2008 Maury - delicious ripe black cherry fruit with savoury leather edges; tannins softening up nicely although still has good bite vs sweetness (75-80 g/l residual sugar = less than many Maurys), youthful fiery finish vs lovely balance of 'sweet/savoury' fruit. 88+

2009 Maury (from tank) - very black cherry and liquorice, more intense and lush with nice peppery touches; tasty sweet vs dry finish, promising.

20 Rue de Lesquerde, 66220 St-Paul-de-Fenouillet. Tel: 04 68 35 01 99.

www.masmudigliza.fr / facebook.com/Mas-Mudigliza

Mas Mudigliza

Update on FMW.com: "This slightly curiously named estate is Dimitri Glipa and Muriel Samson's fairly new operation based in St-Paul-de-Fenouillet..." Featuring their 2009 CaudaLouis white, 2007 & 2008 Symbiosis red Côtes du Roussillon and 2008 & 2009 Maury. Click here for latest notes on these wines...

Languedoc: Domaine Virgile Joly, Saint-Saturnin

Virgile Joly, with several years grape-growing and winemaking under his belt working at a few leading estates in France and Chile, founded his own winery in 2000. Starting out with just one hectare (2.5 acres) in the Saint-Saturnin area on the edge of the Larzac hills, the estate grew bigger the following year coupled with him fully implementing organic farming methods. It's now nearly 10 ha in size planted with white and red Grenache, Syrah, Carignan and Cinsault (plus a couple of quirky unexpected varieties for their odd but nice liqueur wine: see below). Virgile's different vine-plots lie around three villages on pebbly slopes at between 100m and 400m above sea level. I met him and his Polish wife Magdalena in mid September 2010 at their harvest party in the winery, when they also test-drove the Vinolodge "prototype" to be launched next year: more on that here .

2008 Saturne white (Grenache blanc) - zesty green fruit with light peppery tones vs fuller juicier mouth-feel; attractive subtle and quite fresh length. Served a bit warm and probably time to move on to the 09, but nice enough style. 85

2009 Le Joly rosé (Grenache, Syrah) - attractive mix of creamy red fruits vs crunchy and crisp texture, a bit of oomph too (14.5%!) but it's not out of balance amazingly. Rosé for food and thought. 85+

2008 Le Joly Languedoc red (Syrah, Grenache, Cinsault, Carignan) - enticing liquorice and white pepper aromas; "sweet" vs dry mouth-feel with a touch of punch, fairly easy going and refreshing too actually, for a red. 85+

2007 Saturne red (Grenache, Syrah, Carignan, Cinsault) - peculiar earthy herbal red pepper notes (unripe? reduced?), powerful palate then slightly bitter finish. Not sure.

2003 Virgile red (Grenache, Syrah, Carignan) - mature nose with liquorice and leather, spicy pruney and dried fruit aromas/flavours too; dark and rich mouthful, powerful with dry tannins vs attractive savoury finish. Good stuff for a heatwave 2003. 87-89

2004 Virgile white (Grenache blanc) - surprisingly good still with its old nutty Burgundy charm vs oily Riesling characters! Rounded mouth-feel with lightly toasted and hazelnut notes, quite lush vs a touch of fresh acidity underneath. 87-89

2004 Carthagène Vin de liqueur rosé (Chasselas, Servant, Cinsault, Syrah) - odd elderflower wine / old tawny Port combo, pink flowers and perfumed cherries; quite rich caramelised / oxidised with tangy vs punchy palate, sweet floral vs aged notes. Strange but nice! 87

These wines are available in wooden gift-boxes via their website (rather dear though).

Oct. 2011 UPDATE: click here for a note on their 2005 Virgile white.
And his latest vintages are discussed and tasted HERE (posted Dec. 2012)

22 rue du portail, 34725 Saint-Saturnin de Lucian. Tel: 04 67 44 52 21, www.domainevirgilejoly.com.

Languedoc: Château des Estanilles, Faugères

Château des Estanilles
New kid on the block Julien Seydoux (pic. right, obviously, next to the previous owner) is quite laid-back considering what he's taken on, an exciting-potential Faugères winery / 35 ha (85 acre) estate; with a little help from its well-established vineyard and name. He told me his philosophy wasn't so different from previous owner Michel Louison, although in the vineyard Julien's already on the way to organic certification and has been implementing changes in the cellar as well. "I'm getting rid of 70 barriques this year replacing them with more demi-muids (a larger 450 to 600 litre cask) for the malo-lactic fermentation and small wooden vats for the Grenache," he explained. "I'm not interested in making "natural wines" as such, as I want to be sure the wines will all age well with no unexpected problems. But I do go for minimum intervention after fermentation and using as little SO2 as possible." All sounds reasonable to me.
Julien also took me for a hairy spin up the steep (and rather muddy/slippery on that rainy mid-June day) south-facing Clos du Fou vineyard (runs up to 300m/1000ft), which Louison compactly planted with Syrah, much to the amazement of the locals at the time ("he must be mad" type comments hence the name), where you get a grand view of the vine-scape around Lenthéric. Julien exports to the UK (Terroir Languedoc and Yapp Bros) and Denmark, the Netherlands, Germany, Canada and Japan - see website for more info. A few notes on his wines follow - well, mostly his predecessor's actually as Julien only took the place over last year... As I said, I went there in June 2010, talked and tasted.

2007 Faugères blanc (Marsanne, Roussanne) - oily nutty maturing nose; rounded and mealy palate with aromatic floral honey flavours too, fair weight vs a touch mineral on the finish. Captivating little number. 85
2008 Le Rosé M (mostly Mourvèdre 15% alc. oak-aged!) - rather toasty and punchy, oily texture vs crisp bite vs alcohol vs toasted chocolate flavours. Odd but why not I s'pose. Not sure if Julien's going to carry on with this quirky style: he already does a classic unoaked rosé, which we didn't taste for some reason.
2007 Faugères Tradition (1/5 each Syrah, Grenache, Mourvèdre, Cinsault, Carignan 14% alc.) - ripe maturing and smoky with dominant black cherry notes; attractively lush and ripe mouth-feel with peppery vs "sweet/savoury" edges, light bitter twist and dry grip. €6 85+
2005 Faugères Prestige (Grenache, Syrah, Mourvèdre 14.5% alc.) - complex "cheesy" tones underpinned by subtle vanilla oak and dark berry fruits; smoky and rich vs grippy and structured, touch of coco/choc tannins yet quite dry and austere still; has power, weight and richness to finish though. €9.50 87+
2007 Grande Cuvée (mostly Syrah 14.5% alc.) - lightly toasted chocolate again although it's pretty rich; "rubbery" oak dominates to start vs concentrated blackberry and cherry, punchy mouth-feel then tight firm and grippy with chocolate tannins on top; a touch extracted maybe but has lots of nice fruit too, taut and long vs big and textured. Needs time still. €16.50 88-90
2003 Grande Cuvée - more savoury and developed vs ripe cassis with herby edges; quite big and grippy with powerful streak, sweet vs dry texture; a bit too much vanilla/cloves/cinnamon still present from the oak vs chunky and concentrated finish. Not sure if it'll improve much, it's big and impressive but a bit forced and out of balance. 87
2006 Le Clos du Fou (Syrah 14.5% alc.) - showing quite a lot of smoky new oak still but it's lush and concentrated with much nicer tannins than above; still very structured and tight with better balance of power and wood texture vs "sweet/savoury" richness underneath. Wow. €24 90+

Lenthéric, 34480 Cabrerolles. Tel: 04 67 902 925, www.chateau-estanilles.com.

Château des Estanilles

New Languedoc "profile" on FrenchMedWine.com: Château des Estanilles in Faugères, taken over by Julien Seydoux last year, with seven wine reviews. Click here to go there!

"Sud de France" now in London

Nothing to do with climate change, but a couple of "South of France" wine & food events coming up this weekend. First, there's a Sud de France market this Friday 17th September in Cavendish Square (London W1) in front of the Maison de la Région Languedoc-Roussillon, where you can taste a nice variety of wines from the region and sample olive oils, savoury snacks and biscuits. Wines worth checking out include sparkling Limoux from Sieur d'Arques in the seafood bar, Gérard Bertrand, Skalli, Sainte Cécile du Parc, Mont Tauch (all Languedoc), Domaine du Traginer, Château de Péna and La Coume du Roy (Roussillon - profiles on my other blog). If you miss that, there's another market on Saturday 18th in Duke of York Square, Chelsea. Both part of the "SdF" festival running until 30th September around London: more info @ festival-suddefrance.com. Photo from traginer.fr: profile on JF Deu (bottom right on his mobile!) on FMW, and why not taste his wines at the festival...

Fizz of the moment: Royal Seyssel Brut

Obscure fizz of the moment perhaps: I had to do a google search to get the low-down on this bottle, lonely and neglected as it was on my local supermarket's dusty bottom shelf. Made by Varichon & Clerc from the Altesse variety in the not very well-known (!) Seyssel wine appellation nestling on the Rhone on the way up to the Alps in the Savoy region, this 2004 vintage has 12% alc. and was about €7.50 (latest vintages are dearer). What a find: vintage Champers, eat your heart out. This stuff was tasty and complex with lovely balance of toasty oat-cakey richness, maturing oily texture and refreshingly clean lively and elegant finish. Another quick search on the net also revealed plenty of stockists in the UK and US. Some useful info on this fizz brand can be found on Wink Lorch's blog here, a semi-resident Savoy wine (and Jura actually) knowledgeable person, and @ lambert-de-seyssel.com (the brand owner) where I pinched the picture from.

Pink of the moment: M&S Cape rosé

2009 Cape rosé from Breedekloof region, South Africa, made by Nicolaas Rust (14%) - quite full-on style with rounded oily mouth-feel and underlying "sweet" red berry and cherry fruit; smooth and fairly easy (with food anyway, a bit punchy on its own perhaps) with attractive and off-dry finish. £4.29 Marks & Spencer.

Beer of the moment: Fischer, France

Summer weather usually dictates less red and more white and rosé hues, around Mediterranean parts anyway, and occasionally a smidgeon of refreshingly chilled beer. Many of my favourite French beers come from the Alsace region - and I don't mean that well-known monster brand I won't bother naming - and one in particular, Fischer, always hits the spot. Even if it's now owned and brewed by Heineken, it's much better than most Brit-type lager or US-style 'lite' stuff, although isn't perhaps as characterful as certain Belgian beers or quite as incisively Pilsner-like in that German or Czech way. But their classic Blonde Tradition is consistently tasty and palate-cleansing while being fairly full-bodied too (6% alcohol by volume); and there's a good Ambré beer as well (darker). It also comes in one of those cute bottles with a stopper on a wire type closure.

Costs about €1.75 for a big (two-thirds of a litre) bottle in most French supermarkets (such as Carrefour -- the image was taken from their site), and is widely exported too.

Argentina: Malbec & Cabernet Sauvignon

Malbec and Cabernet at a glance: my notes and ratings, for your pure pleasure, of twenty diverse reds made from arguably Argentina's forte on the variety front - varietals or blends of the two (or sometimes with a third grape such as Merlot)... Highlights: 90-pointers from Septima, Piedras Pura Vid, Calle, Vistalba/Fabre. Tango tango! Picture from winesofargentina.org (a bit of a cliché, I know). Click here to find out more.

Fizz of the moment: Bach Cava

Bach Extrísimo Cava Brut Nature (varieties: Macabeu, Xarel.lo, Parellada. 11.5% alc.) - not the greatest "Brut Natural" style Cava (very dry, no added dosage) but one of the most consistently brilliant value: I've tried it several times before and recently bought a bottle in Spain on offer for under €3! Attractive combo of floral bready and light oat-biscuit notes, with hints of honeyed almond flavours too; followed by refreshingly appley, crisp and dry finish. Good with light summer food or very easy quaffing as an "apero." Bach also makes a delicious dry still rosé ("rosat" or "rosado") and is part of codorniu.com. Lots more Cavas in my WineWriting.com Cava guide here. Photo from bach.es.

eastern Slovenia: "taking on New Zealand..."

"Yet another catchy-titled tutored tasting... featuring wines from eastern Slovenia, which threw up several lively and/or unusual aromatic white wines... Slovenia has perhaps grabbed a bit of attention for certain intense styles of "macerated" and "natural" whites from the west... bordering northwest Italy and trendy regions such as Collio..." Expect Renski Riesling, Laški Rizling, Šipon, Sauvignon Blanc, Gewurz... Favourite wineries include Protner, Valcl, Kupljen, Steyer and Simčič... Read this feature here on WineWriting.com.
Picture from vino-kupljen.com.
NB - new feature on Slovenia coming soon in 2014...

Douro, Alentejo, Algarve and beyond...

New on WineWriting.com! Focus on Portugal with over 50 smouldering Atlantic wines reviewed including a "Douro masterclass" and eight featured producers from the Douro, Alentejo, Algarve and Vinho Verde... My best wines at a glance: Crasto, Favaios, Graham's, Duorum, Lagos, Outeiro Mouro, São Miguel, Quevedo, Dona Matilde. Also have a look at my "winery snapshots" page for more detailed Portuguese "profiles"... Photo = storks from herdadesaomiguel.com

Red of the moment: "Cellar Reserve" Fitou

2008 Mont Tauch Fitou Vieilles Vignes "Terroir d'Altitude" (old-vine Carignan, Grenache, Syrah) - smoky and spicy with tobacco and leather edges; chunky palate with quite rich blue/black berry fruits, fair grip and bite vs lightly coconut texture, nice peppery finish too.

Available in the UK at Morrison’s for £7.99.

More Mont Tauch wines and profile via Languedoc 'winery A to Z' in the right-hand column, under 'M' (doh!).

Red of the moment: "Cellar Reserve" Fitou

2008 Mont Tauch Fitou Vieilles Vignes "Terroir d'Altitude" (old-vine Carignan, Grenache, Syrah) - smoky and spicy with tobacco and leather edges; chunky palate with quite rich blue/black berry fruits, fair grip and bite vs lightly coconut texture, nice peppery finish too.

Available in the UK at Morrison’s for £7.99.

More Mont Tauch wines and profile here:

french med wine.com