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The Aude département (11 Languedoc-Roussillon) straddles the Autouroute des Deux Mers (A62) as it heads east from Narbonne towards Toulouse and eventually Bordeaux. The autoroute follows the flattish valley bottom which has for years formed a major transit route, most famously and spectacutlarly with the Canal du Midi, followed by the railway and then the A61 motorway. To the north lies Minervois and to the south is Corbières AC - this is my sort of wine - rich and complex, great body from the Grenache grape and with enough tannin and fruit to make it a wine to savour.
My favourite wine of the region has to be the Grande Cuvée de Castelmaure - because it is a really good wine, but also because we drank it with a superb Cassoulet in a very idiosyncratic restaurant in the heart of the old medieval city of Carcassonne - a memorable ocassion.
We imported this wine for the last few years of our Allez Vins! wine importing business, despite it coming from a Co-operative cellar - so often a recipe for mediocre wines, especially in the south of France. Sure, the winery is rustic, but the approach and the wine is extraordinarily good - in part because it is a small community of vignerons, but also because they have an excellent winemaker who has ensured that quality is the first priority. It’s worth a visit up narrow twisting lanes south of Durban and nearly in Fitou country - a ruggedly beautiful landscape.
Unlike New World wineries, fancy marketing has never been the strong point of the Midi winemakers. However, what they do employ is a lot of words extolling the virtues and mysteries of the local soil, the elusive “terroir”, the traditions and the horny handed skill of the sons of the soil. They have a way of waxing lyrical about what they do which is quite unlike British understatement. Hence my surprise to find that the Castelmaure winery has a new, and very lyrical website - it tells you little of significant interest, but it does it with real flair!
As anyone who has ever got his fingers sticky in the fruity blood of the Grenache grape under the blazing sun of Castelmaure knows full well: wine must have the taste of what it is, its terroir. A taste that rings true. A deep, fundamental, earthy truth that all the frills of vinification and oenology will never manage to replace. But don’t see in that a plea for some obscurantism, for some Virgilian naivety, but wine is, and must remain the child of its earth. Likewise, its sincerity, its grandeur too, pass through the callous hand of the grape-picker, hard work and the respect for a job well done. Wine is a child of the soil and the sweat of men. The grape-harvest, which gushes forth each year from the same barrel as all the old human rituals, betrays the ambiguity of the links that unite Man and Nature. Struggle and love. On the one hand, the Ancients who called the vineyards the “galleys” because of the slope, the stones, and the climate… On the other hand, this vine-grower who secretly talks tenderly to his old vine stocks to congratulate them, to thank them … It is true that here, in Castelmaure, things have changed considerably. The men have changed. The impetus came at the beginning of the eighties. Under the leadership of Patrick de Marien, the chairman, and of Bernard Pueyo, the director, the 70 members of the village old co-op began by asking themselves about their vines : which terroirs? Which varieties? This led them to upgrade the majority of their vines by replacing certain poorly-suited Carignans with Syrahs, Grenaches and, more recently, with Mourvèdres.
It is so French, and who can blame them when they make such great wines.
For more on Castelmaure see www.castelmaure.com
For a map and more info on Corbières see www.frenchduck.co.uk
The wines of Castelmaure are available in the UK from www.thewinesociety.com
Late November/early December the Vignerons Independants (independent winemakers) hold a series of public wine fairs, most notably in Lyon, Reims, Lille and Paris where you can taste a seemingly mind- and tongue-boggling array of wines from all over France. The exhibitors are mainly small independent winemakers (no co-operatives, negociants or multi-nationals) who are keen to show off their wines.
In Lille alone, there were over 460 stands covering the whole of France and Corsica, and for the wine-enthusiast it really is a great opportunity to discover new wines.
The problem is that you cannot physically taste more than a small fraction of those wines on offer, so a bit of pre-planning or a good helping of serendipity is required.
I usually go with a few friends, and our strategy is to split up for the first couple of hours and then meet up to compare notes and share “discoveries”. So the following mix of old favourites and new wines to watch is not a scientific analysis of all that is available, but a personal selection from those that I did visit::-
Mas de Martin, Coteaux du Languedoc AC
Here Christian Mocci makes some excellent and very drinkable wines which he blesses with mythical names - Ultreia and Cincarca. These are really well-structured blends of Syrah and Grenache (plus Mourvedre for the Ultreia) but with juicy red fruits predominating. Regrettably not available in the UK as yet, but hopefully someone will start importing them, especially as they have won two “Coups de Coeur” in the Guide Hachette and a bronze in the Decanter World Wine Awards 2007. See www.premiumwanadoo.com/masdemartin The Domaine also offers self-catering accommodation - see www.frenchduck.co.uk
Domaine de Cauhapé. Jurancon AC and Jurancon Sec AC
I am a great fan of good Jurancon wines from the foothills of the Pyrenees. These idiosyncratic wines are primarily based on Petit Manseng, Gros Manseng and Petit Courbu, and range from steely dry (Sec) through to gloriously rich dessert wines. Domaine de Cauhapé produces some of the very best, and this year Henri Ramonteau, the owner was present to show his stylish wines. I personally prefer the dry wines, although I will confess that his dessert cuvee Quintessence du Petit Manseng is a really exceptional wine.
Of the dry whites I like them all for the wonderful combination of crisp, delicate acidity with exotic fruit flavours. Even the names of his cuvées are enticing - Chant des Vignes (song of the vines), Ballet d’Octobre and Symphonie de Novembre (from the late harvesting), la Canopée: “The aroma has a rare complexity, combining hazelnuts and quince paste with smoky notes and mineral characters. The palate is extremely aromatic - an explosion of fruits and spices.” For more on the Domaine see www.cauhape.com. UK stockists for Domaine de Cauhapé include Arthur Rackham
Domaine Octavie, Touraine and Touraine Sauvignon AC
An old favourite, but I was really impressed with even their basic cuvée of Touraine Sauvignon 2006 - good clean crisp, fragrant Sauvignon Blanc from the Loire - and at just €5.00 at the stand and vineyard this is incredible value - and such nice people. For more info see www.frenchduck.co.uk
Available in the UK from Eton Vintners and others
Chateau Ricardelle, Coteaux du Languedoc, la Clape AC Back to the Languedoc for the other star of my tasting - the Cuvée Closablières from this fine vineyard near the coast near Narbonne. “La Clape” is a rocky outcrop between Narbonne and the Mediterranean and this slope on the North East side of the outcrop is able to produce wines of great intensity probably due to low rainfall and cooling sea breezes. This wine is a blend of Grenache, Syrah and Carignan aged in oak for 12 months.
This wine is stocked by Pic Wines
This chateau also offers self-catering accommodation amongst the vines! For more info see www.frenchduck.co.uk
Overall I still think that the Languedoc continues to improve in terms of quality and value for money - by contrast the Rhône wines were a little disappointing - a personal view based only on a fairly random selection of wines available in Lille.
A highlight of the wine year has to be Yapp’s pre-Christmas sale which runs on 23 and 24 November 2007 (9am-5pm) at their delightful premises in Mere, Wiltshire. The setting is the Old Brewery and the range of wines on their list is an impressive choice of some of the best and most interesting growers in the Loire and Rhone, Provence, Alsace, Champagne, the Savoie, Roussillon, the Midi and Corsica.
To add to the offerings there is also an exhibition of contemporary still life paintings running from 9th-29th November 2007.
Amongst my selections from their list (not necessarily in the sale) I would highlight:-
- the Pic St Loup wines of Mas Bruguière (Languedoc)“.. rich, compelling wines with vivid garrigue fruit aromas, an earthy palate and good firm tannins.”;
- Menetou-Salon AC Domaine Jean Teiller (Loire) - “An atypically fruity wine with a scent of newly mown grass. The ripe, juicy palate yields a fresh, dry finish.”;
- the biodynamic Savennieres AC Coulée de Serrant (Loire) ;
- the red, white and rosé Lirac ACs from la Fermade (Rhone) “Sweet black cherry, touch of roasted sage, good brisk tannins - this is a Rhône red of finesse “;
- Bunan’s intense Bandol AC Mas de la Rouvière (Provence)“A deep ruby colour with intense aromas of truffles and peppers. The palate displays liquorice and tobacco with plenty of firm tannins.”
And let us not ignore some of the lesser-known offerings of Jasnières AC and Thouarsais (Loire); and the selection of wines from Savoie and Corsica.
Yapp Brothers Ltd, The Old Brewery, Mere, Wiltshire BA12 6DY
The beautiful and elegant Viaduc de Millau designed by Norman Foster is a breathtaking sight in the middle of an otherwise little-known region of France. The stunning photograph above comes from the Independent and Mercedes magazine Poise - available with the Independent (22 Sep 07) and available as an online ezine.
Michelin has also published a new Green guide (only in French at the moment) on the A75 Autoroute (la Meridienne) which runs down from Clermont Ferrand (63 Puy-de-Dome, Auvergne) to Pezenas (34 Herault, Languedoc) across the Tarn Gorge at Millau (12 Aveyron, Midi-Pyrenees).The whole area is ripe for exploring. So the guide has 12 suggested itineraries including one which focusses on the vineyards of the Languedoc and Auvergne - other attractions include the vulcanic landscapes of the Auverge, thermal spas, Templar castles…….
New Michelin Green Guide - France (in English)
| May 7, 2008 | to | May 12, 2008 |
| September 19, 2008 | to | September 21, 2008 |
Nimes (30 Gard, Languedoc-Roussillon) like many towns and cities on or close to the Mediterranean coast, has a long tradition of bullfighting and many of their festivities are centred around the “corridas”..
Most Brits will find the idea very unappealling, but that is no reason to avoid the whole of these festivals, as they are but one element of the events, and what you will miss is a tremendous festive Mediterranean atmosphere.
19–21 September 2008 are the dates for the Feria des Vendanges (Wine harvest) A Feria is a feast day often associated with bulls in the south of France.
7-12 May 2008 are the dates for the Feria de Pentecote
Anthony Peregrine in the Telegraph (22 Aug 2007) provides an excellent introduction and guide to the city of Nimes and its nearby attractions such as the Pont du Gard.
From the point of view of wine, Nimes lies on the boundary between the Provence, Languedoc and Rhone, which is also reflected in the style of the local wines. But the Costieres de Nimes AC is classified as part of the Rhone appellations. The grape varieties for the red and rosé wines are Syrah, Grenache, Mourvèdre, Carignan, and Cinsault. For the white wines: White Grenache, Marsanne, Roussane as well as Clairette, Bourboulenc, Maccabeo and Rolle.
Well worth a visit would be the Chateau de la Tuilerie just to the south of Nimes where Chantal Comte produces some excellent wines – a good tasting room experience is guaranteed – and they even have their own helicopter landing pad if you are planning to arrive in style!
For more info on Nimes see http://www.ot-nimes.fr/
The grape harvest began early in 2007, on 2 August grapes were harvested in Rombeau, Rivesaltes (Pyrennées Orientales) as reported on Europe1
This is the second time in less than 10 years that such an early harvest has happened in this region, the previous occasion being on 3 August 1999, one day later than this year. A mild spring and a rainy month of May accelerated the maturing process. According to first indications, Muscat 2007 shows an equivalent of 12% alcohol content with a sweet and aromatic nature. Producers have commented that this will allow them to make a fairly fresh white wine this year.
Rivesaltes signature wine is the Muscat de Rivesaltes AC, a Vin Doux Naturel (sweet dessert wine made by stopping the conversion of some of the sugars into alcohol by adding spirit alcohol to stop fermentation), which can be delightfully fragrant and perfumed oozing the grapey taste of the Muscat à Petit Grains grape (literally small grapes). Avoid cheaper versions though, which can be over-syrupy to my taste.
Also be careful not to confuse the Muscat de Rivesaltes AC with Rivesaltes AC which can be quite different. Muscat de Rivesaltes AC can only be made as a sweet white wine from Muscat à Petit Grains and/or Muscat d’Alexandria grapes.
Rovesaltes AC can be made from a wider variety of grapes - hence producing a wider range of styles: Grenache Blanc, Grenache Noir, Grenache Gris, Maccabeo, Malvoisie,and the two Muscats - producing wines varying in colour from pale yellow to deep gold, and from pale rosé to chocolate or crimson.
One of the best producers is Domaine CAZES, who also produce Côtes de Roussillon and Vin de Pays d’Oc wines - see www.cazes-rivesaltes.com
Winestore.co.uk in Perthshire stock Muscat de Rivesaltes AC from Domaine Cazes.
Individual Wines in Oxford stock a Rivesaltes AC from Domaine Cazes “100% Grenache Blanc sourced from 50 to 55 year old vines that produce a miserly 20hl/ha. Traditional addition of grape spirit at the beginning of fermentation to increase alcohol and maintain natural sugars, then the wine is matured for 22 years in seasoned oak casks. Only 1000 cases made annually.” (£22.90 a bottle)
For more news on Muscat wines and the Muscats du Monde competition see www.spittoon.biz
Searching for a decent warming red for this wet and windy summer, I found a bottle of Pic St Loup AC from the Coteaux du Languedoc - from La Bergerie de l’Hortus - and an excellent choice it was, demonstrating how powerful and well-made Languedoc wines can be.
North of Montpellier the summit of the Pic St Loup (Wolf Peak!) rises some 2000ft (658m) and dominates the landscape and provides some of the best wine-growing terrain in the whole of the Languedoc. The name “Pic St Loup” is something of a mystery - some argue that from a certain aspect the shape of the Pic looks like a howling wolf in full cry, neck extended, nose at the summit. others claim that a`giant wolf stalks the slopes in the winter guarding the dormant vines from predators - and the howling wind is actually a howling wolf! A further superstition (cleverly thought up by wine merchants probably) is that the absence of a bottle of Pic St Loup on the vignerons table will mean the wolf turns to stone and leave the vines unprotected!
The Bergerie de l’Hortus (shepherd’s hut) is at Valflaunes (34 Herault, Languedoc-Roussillon) was created as a wine domaine in 1978 by the Orliac family, where they make red wines from the tannic Mourvedre, Syrah and Grenache grapes; and a few whites from Chardonnay, Viognier, Roussanne and Sauvignon Blanc.
The reds in particular get their great structure and complexity from the clayey limestone soils which are typical of the area, and the Cuvee Classique is aged in new oak casks for up to 15 months.
This is definitely a good wine area to visit and explore - Pic Wines specialises in Languedoc wines and are based in the area.
For more info on these wines - see Syndicat des Vignerons du Pic St-Loup at Maison de la Charte in St Mathieu-de-Treviers (34 Herault, Languedoc-Roussillon)
There is a path which leads to the cross at the top of the Pic St Loup if you’re feeling energetic (probably before tasting the wines!) - but beware it is a steep climb, and the limestone can be slippery when wet. However the view from the top on a fine day will be well worth the effort.You can access the path from the village of Cazevielle.
An article in the weekend press draws a strange contrast between the history and the current state of Languedoc wines. In the Independent (2 June 2007) John LIchfield reminds us of the turbulent and often violent history of the Languedoc wine country starting with the riots in the early years of the 20th Century when the wine business and the workers’ way of life was severely threatened by the devastation of phylloxera. Narbonne, Montpellier and Beziers in particular witnessed rioting and the army militia being brought in to subdue the protestors.
It is tempting to dismiss all this as history, when the region was hugely dependent on wine, and where so much was produced. Every worker throughout France would have a glass of wine with his or her lunch, supper and often breakfast - especially in places where the water supply was suspect. It was cheap, rough and simple.
The 1970s and 1980s were also difficult times for the Languedoc vineyards - the arrival of the new World wines, a growing sophistication in wine drinking even amongst the French, and the threat of bulk imports from Spain and Italy led to a major restructuring of the vineyards - the EU paying many to uproot old, poor quality vineyards and encouraging diversification into other crops, tourism or light industry.
But elements of the rebellious nature remain, and even in recent years the vineyard workers have emptied tankers, set fire to various buildings and officers to highlight their campaign for higher bulk wine prices - i.e. the price for the surplus wine which often gets distilled into spirit alcohol. Along with French farmers, they are used to a significant degree of state support, and can get a bit nasty if they do not get what they want. Even in recent weeks it was deemed too risky for an EU bureacrat to visit the region to discuss their grievances.
And yet, at the same time the Languedoc is now producing wines of great character and good value - the innovation of the Vin de Pays d’Oc has led to a significant increase in the quality of good (and sometimes excellent) country wines, whilst at the middle and top end of the market the region has demonstrated that it can produce absolutely stunning wines in a range of different styles. Every appellation (and sub appellation) now boasts some superb winemakers - transforming previously rustic wines into really fine wines worth a place on any restaurant’s list. Hence the success of merchants such as Pic WInes and Stone, Vine & Sun and producers such as Charles & Ruth SImpson at Domaine Sainte Rose as stocked by Leon Stolarski Fine Wines
The slow food movement and the wines of the Coteaux du Languedoc come together in a celebration “the origins of taste” at Montpellier (34 Herault, LanguedocRoussillon) from 13-16 April 2007
This savoury trip to re-discovering food includes several events : International Markets, Taste Workshops (reservations required), a showcase with 800 wines for tasting, and the new Eating Slow space.
For all that Montpellier is in the heart of the Languedoc, this is a modern and lively city which is well worth a visit - the fact that it is twinned with Glasgow and Barcelona gives you an idea of its style!
But it is also the capital of the Languedoc wines - an impressive and increasingly high quality range of wines from the region - Coteaux du Languedoc and Vins de Pays d’Oc come from most parts of the region, whilst smaller appellations such as Pic St Loup, Picpoul de Pinet, St Chinian produce very distinctive styles.
For a good selection of wines carefully selected by people who know the region well see Pic Wines
Links:-
Montpellier Tourist Office
Slow Food and Wine Festival
Recommended Reading:-
Languedoc Roussillon Tarn Gorges Green Guide (Michelin Green Guides)
