The Vignerons Independents come to London
The beginning of the year started well with lots of sunshine
and wine in the Languedoc, but old favourites rather than new discoveries, so nothing of note for a blog - hence my silence. And then back
to London a week into the year for a complete immersion in the 2011 Burgundies
– 2011 Chablis tends to pale alongside the razor sharp minerality of the 2010s, while many of the red wines are
deliciously forward and fruity and almost ready for drinking – and then yesterday
there was the London version of the Vignerons Independents tasting, with a healthy representation from the Languedoc,
providing an opportunity to discover some new names.
But first I said hallo to friends:
Constance Rerolle
from Château l’Engarran outside Montpellier was there with a new vintage of her
Cuvée La
Lionne. The 2011 is a blend of Cabernet
Franc, Syrah and Grenache. Deep colour;
a rich concentrated nose. The palate is
quite perfumed with ripe spice and nicely integrated oak, with a satisfying
streak of tannin on the finish.
Christine Mouton Bertoli from Domaine Sainte Cécile du Parc,
a new estate outside Pézenas, was there too, so an opportunity for a quick
update.
2011 Notes Pures, Sauvignon is quite golden, with ripe
rounded nose and a textured leesy palate and some lovely depth. Dry and mouth filling.
2012 Rosé,
Notes Frivoles, A blend of Grenache, Cabernet Franc and Carignan was a vat
sample, and still fresh and crisp with a rounded ripe finish. It promises well.
Christine’s red wines from the 2009 and 2010 vintages were ageing
very nicely, with some smoky understated oak and rich tapenade notes on the
palate. See an earlier posting from last
summer for more details
Pic St. Loup was represented by:
Château
de Lancyre, owned by the Valentin and Durand families. I’ve not tasted these wines since I was
researching The Wines of the South of France at the end of the 1990s..
2011 Languedoc – a blend of Roussanne, with 10% each of
Marsanne and Viognier. Ripe and perfumed;
with Viognier peachiness and some white blossom.
They were showing three reds, Coste d’Aleyrac, Clos des
Combes and Vieilles Vignes, from Syrah and Grenache planted in the early 1970s
– so not that old. The style of the reds
was ripe and supple, with spicy fruit.
Coste d’Aleyrac was very gourmand, and Clos des Combes quite warm on the
finish, with more concentration. None
were aged in oak, so fruit dominated the palate.
I had a jolly conversation with Guillaume Granier from
Domaine les Grandes Costes, another Pic St. Loup estate at Vacquières on the edge of the appellation. It is his brother Jean-Christophe who makes
the wine, and according to Guillaume, looks for rounded tannins, with an
élevage in older barrels. They have Coteaux
du Languedoc, or Languedoc too.
2007 Sarabande, Languedoc, from Cinsaut, Grenache, Syrah and
Carignan had some nice evolving fruit with tapenade notes and some dry spice on
the finish.
2010 Pic St. Loup from Syrah and Grenache, was sturdy and
more concentrated, with ripe fruit and a firm streak of tannin. A satisfying
contrast with the Languedoc. And the
2009 had some ripe spice and tannin, and was nicely balanced and mouth filling.
Frederic Mezy from Clos des Augustins in the Pic St. Loup made
his first vintage in 2003 from 3 hectares.
He now has 32 hectares. He is a friendly young guy, with some engaging
enthusiasm who deserves to do well.
I particularly like d his 2011 Pic St. Loup, a blend of
Syrah, Grenache and Mourvèdre. Deep
colour. Quite solid, ripe and rounded with a tannic streak. Youthful with some fresh fruit. Good balance.
Then there were some wine growers from the Minervois.
Domaine Saint Michel Archange, in Bize-Minervois Charles Janbon used to be a professor of
medicine, before he joined the family estate in 2005, in retirement, so we had
a reassuring conversation about how good for you wine is – phew .....
He was showing two wines, Cuvée La Tour de Boussecus, one third each of Grenache,
Carignan and Syrah, with some spicy fruit and a certain sweetness. Élevage in vat and vinification by carbonic
maceration for the Grenache and Carignan.
Cuvee Joséphine
was a Grenache, Carignan and Mourvèdre blend, with 12 months élevage in oak,
which I found a bit drying.
Domaine du Bosc-Rochet in Aigues Vives was also an unknown (to
me) Minervois estate.
2010 Minervois Carpe Diem from Syrah and Carignan,
including some very old Carignan, planted in 1901, was rounded and spicy with well
integrated oak, making for a supple finish.
Nor had I come across Domaine Terres Georges before. Roland
Coustal’s father was called Georges, and the vines came from him. They are in Castelnau d’Aude, close to the
Canal du Midi. There were two cuvées, Et Cetera, with some
ripe spicy fruit and a streak of tannin, and Quintessence which had spent eight
months in three year old wood, with some more structured spice and a steak of
tannin. Both easy drinking.
René-Henry
Guéry of Chateau Guéry
in the village of Azille explained how he is the 8th generation of
his family to own the vineyards, but his father had sold grapes to the négoce. He bottled his first wine in 1998. And as well as Minervois he makes various
varietal wines. I liked his 2010 Minervois
Grès, a blend of
Grenache , Syrah and Mourvèdre, with an élevage in vat. Quite a firm nose; rounded structured palate
with firm fruit, and a sturdy streak that
is the benchmark of good Minervois.
He has a Cuvée
les Eolides, named after a piece by César
Frank, who composed the work in the village of Azille. It also recalls the importance of the wind in
the area. The 2010 vintage was rounded
and ripe, with some solid oak and firm tannins and a solid youthful finish.
There was also a pure Petit Verdot, a more unusual varietal of
the Languedoc, which he made for the first time in 2004. 12 months in wood. Ripe and rounded with good fruit and tannins
and some acidity. Youthful balance.
The pioneer of Petit Verdot in the Languedoc was Bernard
Jany at Château Condamine Bertrand in Paulhan.
His son-in-law, Bruno Andreu, explained how 40 years ago he had planted
just one hectare in the middle of a plot of Merlot – so that it was always
declared as Merlot. Now that Petit
Verdot is allowed, since 2000, they have planted a second hectare. And the wine is fresh and tannic with some
perfumed fruit.
I also liked their 2011 Coteaux du Languedoc Tradition with
quite a deep colour and some firm leathery notes on both nose and palate, with
a tannic streak and a sunny finish.
Sylvie Ellul was the directrice of the Vin de Pays d’Oc
syndicat before she became involved in the family vineyard of Domaine Ellul-Ferrières outside
Castries. She explained how they are hoping to extend the zone of St. Drézery, to include eight wine growers. Currently Domaine Puech Haut is the best
known estate of St. Drézery. Inevitably these things take time, and for the moment they are within the terroir of Grès
de Montpellier – I suggested that Grès de Montpellier might provide a more
obvious identity than St. Drézery. At least the mention of Montpellier gives you
a clue as to where the wine might come from, unlike St. Drézery, but Sylvie did
not seem convinced.
1997 was their first vintage and they have six hectares, and
make two styles of red wine, les Romarins, which is given a long élevage in
vat, and is a blend of Syrah and Grenache, with no fining or filtering. The wines are ripe and harmonious and very gourmand,
with some lovely red fruit. The alcohol
levels are quite generous, but you do not taste it.
Grande Cuvée
is given twelve months élevage in oak and again is a blend of Syrah and
Grenache. The wine is solid and intense,
with ripe fruit and firm tannic steak, with ageing potential.
And there was one lone estate from Roussillon, with Marie
Claude Mathieu, from Château de Lacroix in Cabestany. She
makes a range of Côtes du Roussillon, both red and white. Cuvée Louise was perfumed and supple, with a
small amount of oak élevage, while the Réserve was more intense and
concentrated with ripe fruit and oak.
There was a characterful Muscat Sec, les Petits Grains, Côtes
Catalanes, and an elegantly grapey Muscat de Rivesaltes, and best of all was a Rivesaltes
Ambré. Hazelnut on the nose and a taste
of sherry trifle. Have you ever tried
explaining sherry trifle to a French woman?
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