Albariño at Château Auzines with Laurent Miquel
An invitation from Neasa and Laurent Miquel to come and visit Château Auzines again found me driving to Lagrasse on a sunny April morning. From Lagrasse you take a winding road up into the hills, crossing more than one old stone bridge - and then you reach your destination. This is the home of Albariño in the Languedoc. I first visited Auzines in 2010 when Albariño was just an idea in Laurent’s mind. The property that he had bought the previous year, signing for it on Friday 13th February, had 14 hectares of Syrah, but Laurent had a hunch that this cooler part of the Languedoc could be perfect for Albariño. And he has been proved right. The area replicates the conditions that you find in Galicia. After all it grows in the coolest part of Spain. There is wind every day. The average wine speed is 50 kms per hour and it often reaches 70 or 80 kms. And the wind reduces the temperature. 20C d...
