Roussillon: Domaine Ferrer-Ribière, Terrats

Update: Denis Ferrer was at the hotly attended ‘natural’ wine fair (click there for more) in London a couple of months ago (doesn't time fly...) alongside several other Roussillon and Languedoc "natural" winegrowers. Read on for a bit of blurb about the people and estate, notes on some previous vintages and an indication of retail prices in euros. Their UK agent is the splendidly portfolio-ed Yapp Brothers, who sell these wines for about £10-£15. Refer to explanation on 1-2-3 "scoring" in the right hand column.

2009 Grenache blanc Vin de Pays des Côtes Catalanes – quite fat and juicy, a tad grainy perhaps (or something slightly intrusive?), lush and rounded although falls a bit flat on the finish. Preferred the 2008 (see below).

2007 Carignan Vin de Pays des Côtes Catalanes – ‘sweet’ ripe vs maturing savoury side, nice dry vs lively mouth-feel, quite elegant for warm-vintage 2007. 1-2

2007 Côtes du Roussillon red “tradition” – herbal peppery edges, again mature with ripe liquorice and turning meaty, a touch of oak grain on attractive tannins then lingering ‘sweet/savoury’ fruit. 1+

2007 Cana Côtes du Roussillon Les Aspres (Mourvèdre, Grenache noir) – richer with a tad more oak, again has that hallmark ‘sweet/savoury’ thing with liquorice then wilder edges; more concentrated too with firm punchy finish, needs a year or two to open up. 2

Set up in 1993, Denis Ferrer and Bruno Ribière are the partnership (not forgetting their wives of course) behind this slightly elevated (up to 250 metres / 800 feet altitude) estate - hence their original tag "terroirs des Hautes Aspres" (not heard that one before) - that spreads across different plots around the villages of Terrats and Fourques. Over 40 ha / 100 acres are now tended organically with 2010 being the landmark vintage as their first to be officially "certified" (where's that straight-jacket...). These two down-to-earth guys make quite a wide range of wine styles, from classic to quirky, at different qualities and prices; so, there should be something for everyone here.

I tasted these at Millésime Bio show in January 2010 in Montpellier:
2008 Grenache blanc Empreinte du Temps, Vin de Pays Catalan - nutty fino like nose and palate; peachy and lightly toasty flavours vs mineral streak, bit of rounded weight too. €9 87
2008 "F" Vin de Pays Catalan (Carignan, Grenache) - delicious juicy cherry, cassis, blueberry and liquorice fruit; tasty and crunchy palate making it an attractive quaffer. €5 85+
2007 Carignan Empreinte du Temps, Vin de Pays Catalan - quite elegant and tight in style showing sweet/savoury notes; quite concentrated actually with firm, spicy and leather-tinged finish. €10 87-89
2006 Cana Côtes du Roussillon Les Aspres (Grenache, Mourvèdre, Syrah) - pretty concentrated and chunky with wood spice tones; maturing vs tight palate with attractive texture and fruit underneath. €16 88+

20 Rue du Colombier, 66300 Terrats. Tel: 04 68 53 24 45, www.vinsferrerribiere.com.

Languedoc: Mas Bruguière, Pic Saint Loup

Guilhem, Isabelle, Xavier and Majorie Bruguière’s serenely nurtured 12 hectares (30 acres) and wine cellar are found down the road from Domaine de l’Hortus not far from the village of Valflaunès. The family farming and winemaking history goes back to the dawn of time – well, since the 13th Century and the Revolution respectively anyway – and the Bruguière name has become rather cult among Pic Saint Loup and Languedoc aficionados. I tasted these three wines with Xavier at the first ‘natural’ wine fair held in London, meaning they do vines organically, naturally (ho ho), and "prefer not to fine or filter" their quite sublime wines, it has to be said. See right-hand column for more on 1-2-3 ratings/rantings. UK importer: Yapp Brothers. mas-bruguiere.com
Photo = Xavier and Majorie Bruguière.

2010 Les Mûriers white Coteaux du Languedoc (Roussanne, Marsanne) – fresh and tight style vs milky edges and apricot fruit, nice texture and refreshing length. £12.50 2

2009 L’Arbouse red Pic Saint Loup (Syrah, Grenache) – lovely spicy cherry and cassis fruit, peppery vs ‘sweet’ profile with dry yet nicely textured tannins, tight fine finish. £11.50 2

2008 La Grenadière red Pic Saint Loup (65% Syrah, Grenache, Mourvèdre) – similar floral spice notes and tightly textured tannins, more intense though and firmer too, tasty elegant and long. £16.50 2-3

More Pic St. Loup here, or find other PSL estates by browsing the winery A to Z (right-hand column).

Wines of Lebanon in London

Wines of Lebanon had an impressive and suitably Mediterranean presence, for this blog and its vague themery (enhanced by a Middle Eastern twist of course), at this year's London International Wine Fair. The result: several new winery "profiles" & updates with nearly 50 wine reviews featuring Musar, Karam, Ixsir, Ksara, St. Thomas, Coteaux du Liban, Tourelles and Wardy... Read on (goes to Lebanon page in "more wine words").

I've also brought everything else Lebanese together on this page previously published on 'old' WineWriting.com (but not yet dead...), including:
Winery snapshot: Heritage... latest vintages reviewed March 2008.
Wine touring in Lebanon November 2005: Beirut, Baalbek and Bekaa.
Lebanese food by John Salvi MW.

Photo = Cedar and moon, copyright Jim Budd

Domaine les Enfants Sauvages, Opoul / Fitou

Update: I chatted and tasted with Carolin and Nikolaus at the first "natural" wine fair held in London back in May (click for more info); there's a bit of detail and philosophy on "the wild children" below scribbled after a laid-back visit to their cellar a couple of years ago. These wines sell for £10-£15 in the UK available via their agent Dynamic Vines; and from two US importers: Williams Corner Wine in Charlottesville, Virginia, and another one whose name escapes me in Boston. They're all monikered as vin de pays des Cotes Catalanes (read on for explanation...) and 'scored' using my now world-famous 1-2-3 'system' (see blurb, right hand column):

2009 Cool Moon white (Grenache blanc, Grenache gris, Carignan blanc) - very appley and nutty nose, almost fino/cider like; perhaps a tad too much so as it's verging on acetic, but not quite... that's "natural" for you.

2007 Les Enfants Sauvages red (Grenache, Carignan) - no wood: nice dark berry with fruity vs tangier side, easy going and ripe style with maturing edges, soft elegant finish. 1
2007 Roi des Lézards (Carignan) - aged 2 years in large casks: perfumed ripe blueberry vs liquorice hints, again attractive maturing fruit and tannins, subtle flourish. 1-2

Hesitating whether to head up this profile as Roussillon or Languedoc, since the "wild children," aka Carolin and Nikolaus Bantlin and sons (not so savage really), have a little winery/cellar underneath and adjoining their house up the hill in the village of Fitou itself; but the wild-child vineyards lie just over the 'border' towards Opoul, which is what counts at the end of the day if we must locate them on paper, so to speak. Carolin and Nikolaus' story is the kind-of love story I've written about before on this site, but I certainly don't mind telling it again. They fell in love with a beautiful place frozen in time, which was the catalyst for leaving their native Germany and settling in the area as soon as they could. So, in 1999 they bought some old vineyards surrounded by dry scented scrubland a few kilometres inland from Fitou and an elderly house in the village, which was refitted in 2004 to accommodate a new cellar.
Right from the start, like many young couples from elsewhere turned independent growers, they decided to nurture the eight ha (20 acres) of vines that "came with the land" as naturally as possible, using that "new-old approach" as they call it and by extension a minimalist winemaking touch as well. As their goal was to be certified organic (they are, as well as practising certain biodynamic methods), they realised - encouraged by Olivier Pithon among others - it didn't make a lot of sense to carry on being co-op growers (2001-2) and waving goodbye to their treasured grapes once picked. So, they took the plunge, went back to school and fused a mini-winery into their home, as I said. Good job too, otherwise these lovely wines (notes below) might not ever have seen the light of day. All the promising 2008s were tasted from vat or barrel (unfinished obviously) in March 2009.
2008 Carignan blanc - attractive fresh acid structure, tight and long palate; the barrel fermentation doesn't overpower it at all.
2008 Grenache blanc - slightly more exotic fruit aromas, again fresh tight and long in the mouth with a tad of light coconut flavour / texture.
2008 Grenache gris - fatter and peachier with apricot notes too vs nice taut mouthfeel and framework.
2008 Grenache rosé (barrel-fermented) - rounded and full-bodied rather than overtly fruity, long dry finish. Unusual.
2008 Carignan (60%+) Grenache Mourvèdre blend - six days maceration with foot-treading. Delicious black fruits and spice, firm framework on the mouth, fresh with lively fruit and attractive tannins. Lovely.
2008 Carignan (90%) Syrah - more perfumed with enticing blueberry fruit, 'sweet' and ripe vs tangy and tight, rounded tannins again.
2006 Roi des Lézards (Carignan Grenache Mourvèdre 14%) - nice "vinous" fruit and mouthfeel (wine like!) with very light chocolate / coconut texture; cherry and black olive notes, turning savoury & leathery vs vibrant and refreshing, solid yet rounded finish. Yum. €12 88-90
Muscat Vin Doux Naturel - very aromatic orange peel and grape nose; zingy and zesty with lovely fresh bite vs quite sweet and lush. 87+

10-12 rue Gilbert Salamo, 11510 Fitou. Tel: 04 68 45 69 75, www.les-enfants-sauvages.com.