Languedoc: Limoux

You've guessed it: yet more insane ramblings squeezed out of the “Languedoc Millésimes” mega tasting week (21-25 March 2011); this time, lavish Limoux whites and fizz sampled amid the appropriately historic(al) setting of Château de Pennautier (profile to follow) near Carcassonne. I’ve again used my ‘new’ scoring system of one, two or three ‘ticks’ (good, very good, fabulous); or just plain 1 to 3 below. Euro prices are cellar door per bottle inc. taxes and were added after the event. There were mostly 2009 whites up for tasting, which generally are looking very good, along with the one 2010 lurking 'arrogantly' at the end of the table (see pic and note below!), and rather confirm that Limoux is possibly the most exciting place in the Languedoc for finding white wines with real depth of character and class. The single 2008 sample was in line with comments I made last year about this vintage being quite fine and more structured, even if a little less 'generous' than 07, 09 and probably 10.

As I also commented last year, not so sure about the reds; admittedly I only tried a couple (over-oaked/extracted) this time over dinner, but heard other tasters say the same thing earlier that day: disappointing, don't get it... Which leads me to reiterate what I've said before about the red Limoux appellation, based on Merlot, the two Cabs etc.: perhaps the future is Pinot Noir? There are already a few good ones made by some of the names you'll see below, e.g. Mouscaillo, L'Aigle, Mas that are classified as vin de pays, as PN isn't currently allowed in AOC wines. You could venture whether it matters a damn about 'classification' and the best wines will eventually take the limelight anyway, whatever it says on the label. One Limoux winemaker, who probably wouldn't want me to quote him so will remain anonymous, was talking about this on our table over dinner one evening and admitted that "we really screwed up there," and perhaps the 'rules' for the red Limoux AOC were a little premature, as, a few years down the line, it seems that Pinot could really be Limoux's star on the red front. That's not to say that all wines made from PN are good or all wines made from the existing red blends aren't. And Pinot has already found its place in some of the excellent Crémant de Limoux sparklers being made (see below below). "When all's said and done," I look forward to following developments on this front...



Château Arrogant Frog:
sense of humour but serious wine.



White Limoux (all 100% Chardonnay unless specified)

Domaine de Mouscaillo 2008 (98% Chardy, 1% each Mauzac & Chenin) – quite elegant with light toast and butter vs citrus fruit too, gets more exotic oily and nutty, subtle concentration and refreshing length vs weight too. 2 €15

Château Antugnac "Gravas" 2009 - toasty and buttery nose and palate, some exotic fruit too on a quite rich rounded palate, still quite toasty vs big vs touch of refreshing bite. 1-2 €15

Rives-Blanques "Odyssée" 2009 - aromatic ripe and zingy, subtle leesy toasty touches vs creamy vs crisp, more elegant than "impressive". 1-2 €10.85

Rives-Blanques "Dédicace" 2009 (100% Chenin blanc) - oilier with more melon then toasty tones, grainy texture and taste, quite tight and mineral too, closes up, less obvious at the moment. 1-2 €10.85

Rives-Blanques "La Trilogie" 2009 (50% Mauzac, 25 Chenin, 25 Chardy) - closed nose, grainy oak notes and tight palate, again not very revealing but it's concentrated and has nice crisp length. 2 €17.20

Domaine de Baron'Arques "Le Chardonnay" 2009 - full-on oak and cream, quite blowsy with rich buttery vs toasty finish vs punchy; is some freshness there but not enough. Impressive but perhaps trying too hard to be great Burgundy. 1+? Dear too at €30.

Domaine de Cassagnau "Les Sarments d'Hippocrate" 2009 - grainy nose, creamy vs greener edges, quite subtle with a bit more zest vs weight and milky side. 1-2

Domaines Paul Mas "DA" 2009 (Chardy + 5% Mauzac) - quite woody to start vs nice juicy and quite concentrated fruit, gets more buttery vs less toasty, bit of power on the finish vs crisper bite vs nice creamy side. 2 €8.50

Aimery Sieur d’Arques “Terroir Autan” 2009 – leesy and buttery, toasty nose and palate, nice balance of fat and quite crisp though, not too toasty on its nutty vs creamy vs mineral finish. 1-2 €11

Aimery Sieur d’Arques “Terroir Haute Vallée” 2009 – toasty but more citrus too, gets more buttery and rounded vs nice bite and bit of oomph on good length. More subtle though. 2 €11

Oustal Anne de Joyeuse “La Butiniere” 2009 – grainy cedary vs oily exotic and creamy, again more subtle and has quite tight and crisp bite, subtle length and tasty too. 1-2 €9.95

2007 “La Butiniere” - quite toasty but it's well done, oily and fairly fat too vs still crisp underneath vs buttery nutty development. 1-2

Alain Cavailles “Clocher Saint Julien” 2009 (50/50 Chardy/Chenin; converting to organic) – not much on the nose, bit sweet vs grainy, OK. €8

Gérard Bertrand L’Aigle Royal 2009 – toasty and creamy, nice hazelnutty buttery vs citrus, mix of fruit vs oak, bit of oomph and freshness too. 2

GB Domaine de l’Aigle 2009 – richer and more interesting although less up-front too, quite exotic fruit vs buttery and nutty, again fresher underbelly vs fat vs oomph. Classy. 2-3

Château Antugnac “Terres Amoureuses” 2009 – lovely oily buttery nose, grainy toasty notes vs rich vs nutty and crisp. Good stuff. 3

Château Arrogant Frog 2010 – aromatic pear and peach vs light toasty undercurrent, gets creamier and touch toastier but nice balance and style. 2

 

Crémant de Limoux (trad method sparkling: mostly Chardy and/or Pinot and/or Chenin)

 

Domaine J Laurens “Les Graimenous” 2009 – nice aromatic bready nose, lively vs toasty, good crisp bite and length vs yeasty vs oily. 1-2

Taudou Brut – not much nose, more honeyed vs yeasty palate, gets richer and breadier vs greener edge. 1

Antech “Grande Cuvée” Brut 2009 – elegant bready nose, richer more honeyed and tasty vs yeasty vs nice and crisp, softer too in the end. 1-2

Antech “Cuvée Eugenie Antech” Brut 2009 – finer vs toastier, quite intense vs oily and cakey, tight and fresh vs honeyed. 2

Antech “Cuvée Heritage” Brut 2009 – tight and steely almost vs toasty and tasty, showing less well but probably finer still, nice leesy intensity bite and bready coating. 2-3

Antech “Cuvée Emotion” rosé brut – subtle bready toasty with red fruits and roses, delicious cakey oaty fruit vs crisp and steely. Yum. 2-3

Antech Brut Nature – a bit lean and lacking excitement, I've had better BN Cava.

Taudou rosé – tastes a bit lean after the above but OK in style.

Click here for my Limoux report 2012.

Languedoc: Domaine de l’Hortus, Pic Saint Loup

The Hortus cliff-face from vignobles-orliac.com

Jean Orliac set up Domaine de l’Hortus in the 1970s, so has a lot of experience under his belt and is considered one of the pioneers in this area, helped along the way by the Orliac family team: Marie-Thérèse, Marie, François and Yves. The estate now comes to 60 ha (150 acres) extending from the Montagne de la Seranne to Pic Saint Loup itself. There are in fact two properties, Domaine l’Hortus and 'C du Prieur', supplemented by grapes sourced from neighbours to fill out their Bergerie de l’Hortus and Loup dans la Bergerie labels. I first went there in 2005 and talked to Jean about the Mourvèdre variety in particular (he has planted quite a bit), for some research (yawn) I was doing at the time. See blurb at the bottom for detail on that, if you're so inclined, which does also shed some light on characteristics of PSL's terrain and climate. And a group of us called in at his amazing wooden winery in March 2011, after a walk on the wild side along part of the PSL heights to view and understand the lie of the land better, and tasted these two wines:

2010 Bergerie de l'Hortus white (Roussanne, Viognier, Sauvignon blanc, Sauvignon gris, Chardonnay) - exotic fruit salad of a white, juicy vs fairly honeyed, crisp vs rounded texture; nice "commercial" style. 1 €10

2008 "Grande Cuvée" red (Mourvèdre, Syrah, splash of Grenache) - vanilla notes are quite strong to start with vs sweet berry and nice juicy cherry fruit, fresh 'mineral' side vs choco oak texture, a bit too much of the latter perhaps vs substance; attractive though for a 2008 (= lighter vintage here), balanced and stylish in the end with subtle length vs that layer of oak. 1-2 €20

And I sampled these wines, also in situ, back in 2005, as the intro says (originally posted on WineWriting.com):

"In further pursuit of Mourvèdre, but not forgetting Grenache and Syrah of course... A few wines discovered on a day trip to Château La Roque, Mas de Mortiès and Domaine de l’Hortus (4/3/2005)... all dotted here and there in the wild terrain north of Montpellier, watched over by the eponymous peak (650 metres high)..."

2002 Grande Cuvée (55% Mourvèdre, 35% Syrah, 10% Grenache) - Quite light and forward (pretty typical for the wet 2002 vintage) yet shows reasonable fruit and ripeness v a firmer edge, attractive drinking now. 85+
2003 Grande Cuvée (50% Mourvèdre, 40% Syrah, 10% Grenache tasted from barrique) - spicy and toasty at the moment (should be bottled soon) with textured tannins and tight finish; should be good. 87-89

And finally, a touch more detail taken from notes made at that time, which echo what Jean told us a few weeks ago about 'what, where and why,' when he established his vineyards in PSL:

Pic Saint Loup – thirteen villages to the north of Montpellier, 25 km long from north to south, 10 km wide east-west. 800 ha (out of 1500 demarcated) planted between ‘garrigues’ and limestone cliffs, the highest being the eponymous peak.

Domaine de l’Hortus (Valflaunès), Jean Orliac – 11 ha Mourvèdre (and increasing) out of a total estate of 55 ha (not all cultivated), the vineyard is located at an elevation of 120-200 m sitting between Pic St. Loup and Mont de l’Hortus. Planted in the early 80s, the Mourvèdre is now on the highest slopes facing south/southeast. Previously, this spot was occupied by olive trees with vines on the other side (north/northeast facing hence cooler) and wheat etc. on the flat areas.

Orliac thought Mourvèdre could be interesting here but was advised against it by a professor of viticulture, who believed the cooler damp Mediterranean microclimate to be at the limit for ripening of this variety requiring higher average temperatures. He then consulted another expert, who had carried out studies on the best terroirs for particular varieties in the Aude, who argued a better indicator, rather than waiting for ten years of research, was to look at the wild vegetation. He noticed the plants on this side were very Mediterranean and, on the other side, more typical of a mountain climate. So, thanks to its southerly exposure, the slope (10 to 20%) and cliff formation, Orliac planted Mourvèdre here and Syrah on the other side, the microclimate being closer to the northern Côtes du Rhône.

“Mourvèdre has a very long growing cycle but it gets by on the available light here, as it’s used to a Mediterranean climate. So temperature isn’t the only criteria – it’s important but so is exposure – as we sometimes have a difference of 5°C here. You also have to consider the movement of the sun: the other side gets more light early AM and late PM; here, because of the effect the cliff has, the day is slightly shorter but hotter at midday equating to a small difference in latitude.”

“Mourvèdre needs a good water supply; if it suffers from stress, it won’t ripen and the leaves dry out. c.f. Bandol is more humid because it's nearer the sea – here the north wind is very dry...”

Dom. Hortus wines are available in London from Berry Bros, Lea & Sandeman, Roberson; and on-line @ Slurp, Everywine, Joseph Barnes Wines Direct and Terroir Languedoc; and in the USA from European Cellars and Beaune Imports.

Languedoc: Pic Saint Loup

This time, I only tasted red Pic Saint Loup wines (there are PSL rosés too; the whites are classed as AOC Languedoc or vin de pays, don't ask why…) starting with a very mixed bag of half-a-dozen 2008s, which all lacked charm and/or ripeness or substance or were overdone oak-wise, except one wine by usually star winery Château La Roque: their "Cupa Numismae" 2008. And these reds are mostly expensive too, which brings out the cynic in me regarding PSL's perceived trendy status and convenient location close to Montpellier, i.e. where all the money is in the Languedoc! Moving on to 2009, well, this tasting table included a couple more attention-grabbing reds and, overall, this vintage was looking better although also more difficult to taste with a few of the line-up not showing much at all, as I noticed with the 2009s from other areas. As for 2010, taking a flyer on three samples noted here, it looks like one to watch; looking forward to trying many more 2010s next year!

RMJ lurking behind Lincoln S in the bush hat, pretending to do some exercise. Photo by Ryan O from facebook.com/lovethatlanguedoc

This is the next instalment in a continuing series of reports and winery profiles drawn from five intensive days spent at the “Languedoc Millésimes” tastings in the region (21-25 March 2011). We also met and talked to a few PSL winemakers and tried the odd bottle of their older vintages too. Jean Orliac of Domaine de l’Hortus led our merry band on a well-earned, hearty and occasionally verging on dangerous hike out in the field (see photo with yours truly lurking in the background). We trekked a little up and along the edge of part of the eponymous peak itself and the Hortus massif on the other side of the valley, where you get an inspiring view of a meandering slice of the PSL appellation and the lie of the land, sandwiched as it is between these two extended wild rocky limestone cliff-faces. It’s a beautiful spot for a concerted bit of ‘wine tourism’, with several good wineries packed into this rugged landscape lying less than 20km to the north of Montpellier. There are also organised walking trails and food & wine events, as well as a directory of places to stay and eat in the area on www.pic-saint-loup.com

I’ve used my ‘new-fangled’ scoring system of one, two or three ‘ticks’ (good, very good, fabulous); or just plain 1 to 3 for the wines below. Euro prices are cellar door per bottle inc. taxes, added after the event.

Château La Roque "Cupa Numismae" 2008 (65% Syrah, 35% Mourvèdre; converting to organic/biodynamic) - maturing savoury notes on a dark cherry backdrop, quite subtle although has a cetain lush side vs grainy texture and light grip, elegant length vs power. Nice 2008. 2 €15

Château La Roque "En Garde" 2008 (85% Mourvèdre, 15% Grenache) - light grainy oak vs maturing 'sweet & savoury', lightly leafy / cedary; bit more extracted than above, is quite concentrated but just less charming. €28

Domaine les Grandes Costes 2008 (Syrah/Grenache) - red pepper dominates the nose and palate, unripe or reductive? Bitter finish. €17.50

Bergerie du Capucin "Larmanela" 2008 (Syrah/Grenache) - complex maturing herby cherry nose, again very firm and heavy-handed on the palate. €17.80

Domaine Desvabre "Prestige" 2008 (Syrah/Grenache/Carignan) - a bit lean. €8

Mas de L'Oncle "Les Amours" 2008 (Syrah/Grenache/Cinsault) - oak masking a rather lean and hard wine. €11

Domaine Saint Daumary "Asphodele" 2008 (Syrah, Grenache, Carignan, Mourvèdre) - has a bit more to it but still oak heavy. €15 

Château de Lancyre "Vieilles Vignes" 2009 (65% Syrah/35% Grenache) - dark and brooding nose, delicious sweet herbs and black cherry, minty and peppery too, pretty firm vs lush depth of fruit. 2-3. Much better value too at €9.50 vs the quality.

Château de Lascaux 2009 (60% Syrah/40% Grenache; organic) - nice pure fruit and spicy notes, firm mouth-feel but quite nice tannins, dry vs sweet profile, power and good length. 1-2 €9

Château de Lascaux 2009 ?? (no more info available) - mintier perhaps, firmer grip, more difficult to taste.

Vignerons de la Gravette "Tourtourel" 2009 (65% Syrah/35% Grenache) - quite simple fruity then grippy.

Bergerie du Capucin 2009 "Dame Jeanne" (55% Syrah, 30% Grenache, 15% Mourvèdre) - quite savoury/meaty nose, turns sweeter with black cherry, again firm tannins vs bit of punch. 1 €9.80

Domaine Desvabre 2009 (80% Syrah/20% Grenache) - not much nose, quite nice fruit with minty edges, some oily texture vs firm but rounded, quite nice fruit flourish to finish. 1 €6

Domaine de la Salade Saint Henri 2009 "Aguirre" (SGM) – gets the prize for most entertainingly bizarre producer name, but the wine was too oaky and extracted for me. €15

Château L'Euzière 2009 - sweetish fruit vs oak and solid tannins, lacks charm. Disappointing for them.

Domaine de Villeneuve "Fol Envie" 2009 (80% Syrah/20% Grenache) - heavy bottle, heavy oak! Bit charred, probably is some rich fruit underneath but at the moment it’s not expressing itself... 

Les Coteaux du Pic "Les Déesses Muettes" 2010 - attractive enough fruit vs grip and nice texture, lacks a bit of flavour perhaps but is young and closed up. 1 €6

Ermitage du PSL "Guilhem Gaucelm" 2010 - nice perfumed pure spicy black cherry Syrah nose, juicy and chunky with attractive tannins vs seductive ‘sweet/savoury’ fruit. 1

La Roque 2010 - perfumed, quite concentrated and structured, power grip and lush dark fruit, closes up. Promising. 2-3

 

Other vintages/wines

Ermitage du PSL "Guilhem Gaucelm" 2003 red – rich smoky maturing truffle-y nose and palate, mature now really and a bit soupy/leathery, but nice enough old-fashioned style. 1

Ermitage du PSL “Sainte-Agnes” 2008 white – milky and toasty showing light oak although well done; quite fat, rich, honeyed and weighty, lacks a bit of freshness but quite attractive food white anyway. 1

Mas de Martin “Cuvée Ultreia” 2004 (14.5%) – not convinced they’re in PSL but pretty close to it anyway, this was a rather classy 2004 (an overlooked/shadowed vintage at first, now beginning to show well in a classic way, balanced and tasty rather than “great” or “impressive”). Lovely nose, maturing vs inky/leafy tones, nice liquorice vs crunchier fruit and firmer fresher finish vs drinking well now. 2