Languedoc: Clos du Gravillas, St-Jean de Minervois

2012/13 update: oops, it's the old 'take far too many months to get round to finding and typing up these notes' ploy. So, here are their 'latest' tasty vintages sampled at The Real Wine Fair in London in May 2012 (including a white made from Terret gris and a 'Fino' style, for the first time); and some of them again in Jan. 2013 at the premiere of the Terroir-istes du Languedoc film screening in Montpellier (they're part of this terrorist band). There's some more info on Nicole, John and Gravillas below these updates (mostly extracted on my first visit in 2007).
2010 Emmenez-moi au Bout de Terret (gris) - intense nutty nose, concentrated richer almost 'toasty' side vs green 'mineral' freshness. Different. £12-£15
2010 L'Inattendu white Minervois (mostly Grenache Gris/Blanc and a splash of Muscat) - rich toasty and yeasty vs exotic fruit and roast hazelnut edges, delicious lush vs crisp and intense palate. £15-£20
2010 Sous les Cailloux des Grillons red - intense fruity vs 'inky' nose, grippy and fresh mouth-feel with smoky dark berry side. Yum. £10-£12
2008 Rendez-vous du Soleil red - pretty grippy with meaty edges, coconut texture/flavours too, quite rich vs savoury finish. £12-£15
2008 Lo Vièlh (ye olde Carignan) - similar savoury developing vs grippy and pretty intense profile, smoky and lush vs still tight and fresh. Needs time to open up. £15-£20
Oxytan (Grenache blanc aged under flor yeast (like Fino sherry), 2006 vintage plus topped up with others) - hazelnutty and yeasty 'Fino' characters, intense long and tangy; again, a little different and nice with it.

2011 update: John Bojanowski was one of several winemakers from the region to make the trek to London SE1 for the mucho-mentioned, on this blog anyway, first ‘natural’ wine fair (click there for more info) back in May. Read on below for a wee profile on this always worth tasting/drinking/visiting estate. These wines are priced from about £10 to £20 in the UK available via their agent Les Caves de Pyrène; send him an email for info on where to buy in the US and elsewhere. Latest reviews feature my 1 2 3 "scoring system" (see right-hand column for explanation); previous words and notes from a visit and tastings in 2007 and 2010 feature ye olde 100-point thing. And there's more here too, an enthusiastic note on their delicious Muscat de Saint-Jean 2009. As usual, it seems, my favs in London were his top Carignan, the 2007 Lo Vièlh ("the old one" in the Occitan lingo, I think) and the 09 vintage of their dry white Minervois was/is pretty impressively done as well.

2009 L'Inattendu white Minervois (mostly Grenache Gris/Blanc/Muscat) - honeyed nose and palate with subtle toast and creamy lees tones, refreshing mineral mouth-feel vs concentrated and quite rich, elegant balanced finish too. Unexpected in fact (ho ho: what it means in French...) 2

2009 Sous les cailloux des grillons red blend (see below for varieties) - nice juicy cherry fruit with soft tannins, has a bit of attractive 'bite' too. 1

2007 Rendez-vous du soleil red blend (see below for varieties) - liquorice with enticing wild herby edges, tight intense mouth-feel with nice spicy notes, gets lusher on the finish vs still firm and structured. 2

2007 Lo Vièlh (senior-citizen Carignan) - maturing nose with savoury and leather notes vs rich concentrated palate, lovely 'sweet/savoury' profile, again still quite solid vs nicely textured tannins then attractive smoky blast. 2-3

2010 update: I caught up with John and Nicole at Millésime Bio in Montpellier (meaning they go officially organic this year) and sampled some new vintages and new wines too. They are now distributed in the UK, US and Canada as well as Japan, Germany, Netherlands and Belgium.
2007 L'Inattendu white (Grenache gris, Grenache blanc) - nutty, lightly leesy, exotic and oxidative style nose; rounded with subtle wood tones, mature feel vs mineral touch. 87
2008 "sous les cailloux des grillons" (similar red blend to RdVdS below plus Counoise/Terret Gris) - lively cherry and blueberry fruit with smoky edges; juicy and tasty with mouth-watering finish, very nice now although has enough depth to hold back. 85-87
2007 Rendez-vous du soleil (Carignan, Syrah, Cabernet, Mourvèdre, Grenache) - firmer and more savoury in style; somewhat closed up and unrevealing yet has appealing, subtle intensity. 87+
2006 Lo Vièlh (ancient Carignan) - developing smoky fruit with ripe blueberry notes and a hint of tobacco; juicy vs solid with underlying sweet oak, great depth of fruit plus enticing dry vs ripe and rounded texture, powerful yet elegant. Needs a couple of years yet. 90+
2007 Côté obscur (Carignan) - "I've wanted to make a wine with this name for ages!" John explained (it does indeed mean "dark side" so start your Darth Vader heavy breathing now): wilder, funkier and spicier aromas; lively tasty fruit with crunchy berry vs liquorice profile, intense and long too. 89+

Nicole and, a little later, American John Bojanowski (becoming husband: "I just came here to drive the tractor," he quipped) arrived in the timeless Languedoc outback in the late 1990s. They have since planted Syrah, Mourvèdre, Counoise, Cabernet Sauvignon, Viognier, Marsanne and Muscat among others, to complement Nicole's original 1 ha/2.5 acres of cherished 1911 Carignan and Grenache Gris. The estate now amounts to over 6 ha planted with no less than 13 grape varieties (a bit of a ner-nerdy-ner-ner to Chateauneuf-du-Pape perhaps?); all found on a 300m/950 foot-altitude plateau composed of the meagre chalky gravel soils that surround the tiny village of Saint-Jean, set in a stunning remote spot between the gorges of St-Chinian and the old Mediaeval city of Minerve (a must-visit when you're in the area). Their signature reds Le Rendez-vous du soleil and Lo Vièlh are made from old-vine Carignan (the above mentioned, almost 100 year old plus 1 ha planted in 1952 and relatively youthful 1970) - the RdV is now a broader blend, by the way, see below below. John is a big fan of this sometimes unloved variety and founder-member of a growers' group called Carignan Renaissance, who are actively shouting about their wines crafted from this awkward Med grape (see www.carignans.com). The family (there is a petit Bojanowski) also rents out the converted old village café, a two-bedroom gîte with terrace and quite nice view! Details are on their website below.

I tasted these wines with John on a daytrip in sunny but chilly late November 2007:
2006 L'Inattendu Minervois blanc (Grenache gris Grenache blanc, 14%) - milky and toasty with honeysuckle notes; full, rounded and quite rich finishing with attractive bite and freshness. 87+
2005 Vous en voulez en voilà Vin de pays Côtes du Brian (that's a local river, by the way, rather than Monty Python homage; made from all reds except Grenache, 13.5%) - ripe blackberry/currant, floral and spicy with liquorice tones; rounded and fruity palate v serious edges as well, firm and quite long. 89+
2003 Le Rendez-vous du soleil (Carignan plus a touch of Cab Sauv) – maturing smoky and white peppery, quite complex; liquorice and tobacco flavoured palate, concentrated and lush with fresh tannins and bite; very nice wine. 90+
2006 Muscat de Saint-Jean de Minervois – very floral and perfumed with white peach notes, the sweetness is nicely cut by alcohol and acidity, so it doesn't end up so sweet. 87

Clos du Gravillas, 34360 Saint-Jean de Minervois. Tel: 04 67 38 17 52, nicole or john@closdugravillas.com, www.closdugravillas.com.

Spain: Cava

Perelada Reserva
castilloperelada.com

A trio of tasty 'fizzes of the moment' have also inspired a timely update to my Cava mini-guide kick-started back in 2006, which I’ve now teleported across from ‘old’ WineWriting.com and carefully stored in a new ‘Spain page’ nestling among the ‘wine words’ archive. Click here to check it out, which will soon be plumped up with other hot Spanish tasting and touring features such as: tripping, sampling and eating in dreamy Castilla - León wine country (experienced first hand and penned in 2009); cutting-edge tasting reports such as ‘new wave’ Spain, Monastrell from Jumilla and ‘Rioja-free zone’; various winemaker snapshots and wine reviews from across the country and more besides…

Belfast Wine Festival, 29 August

This apparently new wine gig is taking place on Bank Holiday Monday 29th August at the well-known St. Georges Market on the edge of Belfast city centre and sounds like a nice, and educational of course, winey day-out. TV wine taster presenter Olly Smith, and others, will be "live" doing a few tasting workshops throughout the day; and there'll be plenty of walk-around stands featuring local wine merchants and food outlets. Tickets cost £16.50: check out their website for more info belfastwinefestival.co.uk. See you there...

"Wines of the moment" - South Africa & Portugal

I've been a fan of Chenin Blanc for a long time and the sometimes stimulating white wines the South African climate, vineyards and their winemakers manage to mould from it. Here's a rather good-value one too, on offer at least at Sainsbury's for a Fiver: 2010 "Taste the Difference" Fairtrade Chenin Blanc from Wellington region (13.5% alc.). It earns its "white of the mo" status thanks to enticing and quite rich honey and melon fruit, juicy zesty vs rounded and towards weighty texture finishing with nice crisp dry bite. Try with fishcakes, fish and chips, prawn risotto and might even stand up to mackerel or goats' cheese, maybe...

And my coveted "rosé of the mo" award goes to... drum roll... another wine on offer, inevitably perhaps (was £4.50 in Asda stores, usually £5.98): Portugal's Tagus Creek 2010 rosé made from Shiraz and Touriga Nacional by the Falua winery (Tejo region, 13% alc.). This one is definitely in the deep-coloured and quite chunky rosé school with lush berry fruits, boiled sweet tones and rounded almost oily mouth-feel with off-dry finish. Good all-rounder on the food front. taguscreek.com

Languedoc: Domaine Alain Chabanon, Montpeyroux/Terrasses du Larzac

Alain Chabanon worked for the legendary (in his own particular way) Alain Brumont of Château Montus in Madiran country after getting his degree in viticulture and winemaking; then returned to the Languedoc in the late 80s, where he bought a few plots of vines around Montpeyroux and Jonquières. He made his first vintage in 1992 and the rest is history, as the cliché runs, since Alain now enjoys quite a reputation for his quality and sometimes slightly quirky wines - you wouldn't perhaps expect Merlot planted up here let alone that it makes good wine too, and his white from Vermentino and Chenin Blanc is something special as well. These blends/varietals are sourced nowadays from 20 ha (nearly 50 acres) of vineyards lying around his home in Lagamas on the way up to the awesome Larzac terraces, which spectacularly fall off the bottom end of the Massif Central range. Alain is a certified organic winegrower and also uses biodynamic techniques; the resulting wines are available in the USA, UK (distributed by Dynamic Vines) and Ireland among many other places: more info @ www.domainechabanon.com

My notes and reviews below spring from four different occasions (hence the mix of 'new' and 'old' scoring systems), although I only met Alain for the first time at the "natural" wine fair in London in May 2011 (the wines with the 1-2-3 ‘scores’: see blurb on the right-hand column) and previously to that (reviewed with the old ‘100 point scale’) in March 2010 and March 2009 at the “Languedoc Millésimes” tasting road-show in the region; and further back into the mists of time at Millésime Bio 2008 organic wine show in Perpignan (Jan 08). To add one of my “interesting to note” themed comments, just for the hell of it, I’ve rated two vintages of Alain’s Campredon red higher than three of his more expensive L'Esprit de Font Caude (although two of these were unfinished cask samples). Perhaps because the latter is less approachable when young – although I wasn’t so wowed by the 2004 vintage tasted recently alongside his other wines, for some reason – or perhaps I’m just too facile?! Or perhaps a winemaker’s reasons for pricing certain wines aren’t always obvious… personal taste vs so-called ‘intrinsic’ quality? Funny old game this wine-tasting lark: answers on an e-card please…

2007 Trelans white vin de pays d’Oc (Vermentino, Chenin Blanc) – complex maturing toasty notes with honeyed and buttery overtones, still lively actually and long. 2 £10-£15

2008 Tremier Languedoc rosé (Mourvèdre, Carignan, Grenache) – yeast-lees-y and rich with toasted red fruits, not sure about this style of rosé...

2008 Le Petit Merle aux Alouettes red vin de pays d’Oc (Merlot) – ‘sweet’ vs red peppery and herby aromas, quite concentrated vs fresh tight palate, nice style of Merlot actually. 1-2 £10-£15

2008 Campredon Coteaux du Languedoc (50% Syrah, Mourvèdre, Grenache, Carignan) – really minty and spicy on the nose with enticing black cherry fruit, delicious elegant style with taut tannins/acidity and good length. 2+ £10-£15

2006 Campredon Coteaux du Languedoc (Syrah Mourvèdre Grenache Carignan) - nice smoky black cherry fruit with light coconut edges; extracted tight palate leading to very dry finish, but there’s good depth of fruit underneath. 89+

2009 Esprit de Font Caude (50/50 Syrah, Mourvèdre; cask sample) - concentrated and spicy with nice "sweet/savoury" profile, solid mouth-feel although quite subtle too vs tighter commanding finish. €25 87+

2008 L'Esprit de Font Caude (cask sample) - a bit closed and unrevealing although it has fair depth of spicy floral v riper fruit then firm texture. 87+

2004 L'Esprit de Font Caude (Syrah, Mourvèdre) – maturing smoky leather tones, concentrated and meaty with light wood grain vs still quite firm tannins. 1+ £15-£20

2007 Le Merle aux Alouettes vin de pays d’Oc (90% Merlot, 10% Carignan) – richer than the “little” version above with a tad of oak still coming through, quite concentrated / extracted even, closes up to unrevealing finish. 1-2? £15-£20

Les Clos Perdus, Corbières / Agly Valley

Updated March 2014 - a tasty trio by Paul and Hugo revisited in London last year, imported there by Indigo Wine. Their (now quite pricey) wines are also sold elsewhere in Europe, North America, Japan and Australia - follow the web link at the bottom of this page. Read on for some words about the people and the places.

2011 L'Extreme blanc Côtes Catalanes (Grenache gris/blanc planted in 1903) – juicy and yeast lees-y, floral and nutty too then developing richer more honeyed fruit with lees notes vs fresh juicy mouth-feel to finish. Good white, should be for £27.50.

2008 L'Extreme rouge Côtes Catalanes (75% Lladoner Pelut + Syrah; total sulphites 40 mg/l) – developing 'tar' and meaty notes, quite extracted and chocolate oaky still yet lush and full palate, light bitter twist too but overall quite impressive. £27.50

2010 Prioundo Corbières (Grenache, Cinsault; total sulphites 30 mg/l) – ripe and smoky with dark yet perfumed berry fruit, maturing meaty notes too, concentrated with nice textured tannins, peppery and punchy finish. Yum. £18

July 2011 update: Paul Old, the winemaking half of "the lost vine-plots" which he established with Hugo Stewart in 2003, was showing and pouring their wines at the first "natural" wine fair in London back in May (click there for more info). These wines are imported by Dynamic Vines in the UK. Read on for more wise words and tasty wines dating from my travels 2007 to 2010 (extracted from WineWriting.com). Look at the little blurb on "wine scores" on the right for an explanation/rant on my curious 1-2-3 "marking"...

2009 L’Extreme white VDP des Côtes Catalanes (Grenache gris) – grainy toasty edges vs exotic peachy fruit, soft rounded mouth-feel then crisper finish. 1 although expensive at £15-£20.

2010 Macabeu (not bottled) – steely tight white wine developing light nutty tones, bright floral citrus fruit with a nice bitter twist, subtle refreshing finish. 1+

2007 L’Extreme red Côtes Catalanes (Lledoner pelut/Grenache) – a little closed up at first but it’s nicely perfumed slowly revealing peppery liquorice notes, has savoury leather touches on its rounded vs powerful palate, real depth too. 2+ £15-£20

2009 Cuvée 71 Corbières (mostly Carignan) – ripe berry aromas lined with hints of dark chocolate and vibrant black cherry, attractive dry vs ‘sweet’ tannins. 2 £10-£15

2006 Mire la Mer Corbières (Mourvèdre based) – maturing ‘sweet/savoury’ profile, black/blueberry fruit with ‘forest floor’ undertones; lovely concentration and style with firm yet still lively mouth-feel and elegant length. 2+ £10-£15

This scattered collection of old-vine parcels is owned, and transformed into the wines below, by English farmer Hugo Stewart and Australian winemaker, former dancer Paul Old (now there's an interesting combination of talents), who have vineyards in the Corbières region and in the northern Roussillon near Maury (hence the title of this post and inclusion in two 'guides'). They follow many biodynamic principles and tend the vines and their environment entirely by hand; well, using a few viticultural tools no doubt. The cellar is located in Peyriac-de-Mer on the coastal side of the Corbières, not far from Sigean and the sea obviously. Sampled at the Fenouillèdes in April 2007:
2005 Prioundo Corbières (around Villesques: Grenache Cinsault Mourvèdre) – quite tight and fresh, peppery v cherry fruit, a touch bitter perhaps but it displays nice elegance. 85-87
2005 Cuvée 31 Corbières (Peyriac area: Mourvèdre Carignan Grenache) – meaty black olive characters, more weight and power, again fresh bite and tangy grip but balanced. 87-89
2005 Mire la Mer Corbières (Mourvèdre Carignan Grenache) – splash of vanilla oak with black fruit coating underneath, rounder finish yet still pretty extracted; quite attractive in the end but lacks soul (too much wood probably).
2005 L'Extreme Vin de pays des Côtes Catalanes (Maury area: Lladoner Pelut/Grenache Syrah Mourvèdre) – lush palate v quite toasty oak, closes up on the finish; difficult to tell, could be good... come back to it in 6 to 12 months. 89+?

Clos Perdus update January & April 2009
I popped in to see Hugo and Paul in their well-chilled cellar in Peyriac in Jan. and tasted a few more wines on their stand at the Fenouillèdes wine show, in Tautavel in April. Latest news is the purchase of some "very old" Grenache Gris vines between Mas Las Frédas and Maury, to boost their white wine range; something I'm seeing more and more of generally, with increasingly impressive results.
2008 Grenache Gris (off the lees) - yeasty intensity v crisp mineral bite.
2008 Grenache Gris (older vines) - a bit more barrel adds nice roundness and texture v orange peel zestiness.
2007 Prioundo Corbières (mostly Grenache + Cinsault, from tank but final blend about to be bottled) - really perfumed and peppery with liquorice notes; fresh then fatter palate, very nice style. 87+
2007 L'Extreme (mostly Lladoner Pelut + Syrah from Mas Fred, nearly finished sample) - smokier and richer black fruits and spice; lively bite and length v light coconut oak texture. Paul wasn't "entirely happy" with this blend and might tweak it, but it's still v. promising though. 88+
2007 Mire la Mer (Mourvèdre Carignan Grenache) – dense smoky black olive, berry and cassis; dry and firm mouth-feel v lovely fruit, power and well-balanced tasty finish. 89+
2007 Cuvée 51 Corbières (mostly Peyriac: 50% Carignan + 35% Grenache + Mourvèdre, 14% alc.) - quite rich and medium concentrated with lively floral and dark fruit and light chocolate backdrop. 87+
2008 Lladoner Pelut (from tank) - tangy cassis v spicy v ripe dark fruit, dry rounded texture.
2007 Le Rosé (mostly Mourvèdre 13.5%) - deep orange colour, chunky and juicy with ripe raspberry fruit turning creamier, weighty v dry finish. Nice style. 87
2008 Cinsault - floral and plummy.
2008 Mourvèdre  - floral v black olive.
2008 Le Blanc - nice leesy edges v citrus and mineral bite; fresh and dry turning more interesting on the finish. 85
2008 L'Extreme blanc - fatter and more exotic, again nice yeast-lees and mineral bite v apricot notes. 87
2008 Le Rouge (Grenache) - very white peppery and explosive berry fruit; ripe v dry mouth-feel, attractive style. 87

2010 UPDATE: Paul was manning a stand at the enigmatically named "Salon du X" - it's not that much of a mystery, actually, a tasting organised by agent Xavier Peyrot des Gachons with a dozen Languedoc & Roussillon winegrowers present (there were originally 10, I think) hence the X - in April at Domaine Gayda's impressive winery & restaurant complex between Limoux and Castelnaudary.
2009 Le Rosé (90% Mourvèdre) - wild and herby edges vs creamier red fruits; tight and quite lean mouth-feel vs a bit of weight and roundness. 85+
2006 Mire la Mer Corbières (70% Mourvèdre etc. 14% alc.) – chocolate/coconut oak notes vs rich and smoky backdrop, quite toasty yet layered with ripe dark fruit and spices; attractive full rounded finish, tasty and well balanced in the end. 88-90
2007 L'Extreme vin de pays Côtes Catalanes (mostly Lladoner Pelut/Grenache + Syrah) - juicy black cherry, lush with "sweet" liquorice vs spicy undertones; quite soft tannins and finish vs 14% weight. 87+

17 Rue du Marché, 11440 Peyriac-de-Mer. Mobile France: 06 70 08 00 65, UK tel: 01725 511119; www.lesclosperdus.com.

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.