Chateau Trillol in the Corbieres
The countryside of the Hautes Corbières is wild and
dramatic. You drive over the hills from
Maury in Roussillon, past the ruined Cathar castle of Quéribus, to reach the village of Cucugnan. On the
other side of the valley is the strategic fortress of Peyrepertuse. Cucugnan features in Alphonse Daudet’s Les
Lettres de Mon Moulin, with his story about the curé of Cucugnan, who looked for his congregation in
heaven, only to find them in hell. The
village boasts one of the best bakers of France, and an old windmill dominates
the skyline, as well as statue of the virgin.
There is a tempting look restaurant, but we were not there for
lunch. Our destination was Chateau
Trillol, whose wine won a Decanter trophy in their recent competition. Also see also my pre-Christmas post.
First some background. Peter Sichel, one of the eminent members of
the British Bordeaux wine trade, first came to the Corbières in the late 1980s and
had a coup de foudre for a bergerie at the foot of Peyrepertuse, which he
bought as a holiday home. He then
realised that there was terrific potential in the vineyards, and so vineyards
were bought and the first wines made in 1990.
Sadly Peter died in 1998 before he could achieve the full potential of
the project but Château Trillol is now part of the Maison Sichel, and has been run
by Henri and Martine Guiot since 1995.
The Corbières is not an easy place to grow vines. Although essentially Mediterranean, the
climate is extreme; the wind is a problem as it can reach speeds of 100 kms per
hour or more. The vineyards lie at an altitude
is 300 metres and the soil a mixture of clay and limestone. Altogether they have 40 hectares of vines,
in about 65 different parcels in two main plots, by Quéribus and towards Peyrepertuse.. Sadly time did not allow us to visit the
vineyards. They practice lutte raisonée,
and are considering converting to organic viticulture. The grape varieties are the classics of the Languedoc,
Carignan, Grenache, Syrah, Cinsaut, mostly about 25 years old, as they
replanted extensively when the vineyards were bought, and for whites,
Roussanne, but no longer any Marsanne – it was in the wrong place - and some
100 year old Macabeu. The cellar is functional,
a large shed with the usual concrete and stainless steel vats, and
barriques.
We tasted two vintages of the white Château Trillol, la Dame
d’Argent, the 2011 and 2009.
A blend of Macabeu and Roussanne and the two vintages
offered an interesting comparison. The
2009 was partly fermented in oak, just 15% and then given a five months élevage
in barrel. This was an experiment, but Henri found that the oak removed the fruit and freshness,
although it added body and richness.
Now he favours a slow fermentation in vat at 12ºC, taking one to two months, adding that in any case
Roussanne has a tendency to develop aromas that make you think it has been in
oak, with a certain tannic quality, so it does not need oak. And three months on the fine lees adds some
texture.
2011 – Elegant and fresh, with some white blossom on nose
and palate, while the 2009 was more golden in colour. Quite rounded with nice texture, but a
slightly drying taste of oak. White Corbières
is pretty unusual, accounting for just 5% of the appellation. It requires two grape varieties, with a minimum
of 15% in the vineyard for the second variety.
There are just four estates in the villages, Domaine du Grand
Arc, and two very small ones, Domaine du Verdouble after the local river, and Les
Vingt Citadelles. The village cooperative
has joined up with that of Tailairan. Thirty
years ago there were three local coops, with Rouffiac and Duilhac as well. They
initially pooled their resources, but even so failed to survive. A sorry but not uncommon story. The village survives on tourism and la chasse,
more than wine.
2012 Rosé
– 5.90€
85% Grenache with 15%
Cinsaut. Saigné after a few hours. Another slow fermentation – it is all treated
very carefully. Henri said he does not
like going fast. A touch of raspberry on
the nose. Nicely filling out on the
palate with a vinous touch, good acidity and nice depth and balance.
And now onto reds, all Corbieres:
2011 Le Fruité – 5.90€
50% Grenache, 30% Syrah and 20% Carignan. 20% carbonic maceration, usually for the
Carignan. An élevage in vat for four or five months Medium colour. Some red fruit with a dry leathery note. Quite rounded red fruit on the palate, some
supple tannins. It is intended for early drinking, but will last.
2008 Château
Trillol – the trophy winner 8.00€
The style has evolved.
Up to 2005 it was given a long vinification, with lots of extraction and
an élevage in old Bordeaux barriques. It
was elegant, but had lost the freshness of the fruit, which they really wanted to
retain. So they have moved towards less
extraction and shorter macerations of 20 – 25 days, with remontages and
delestages,. Henri keeps taking samples
and stops when he has enough fruit. And the élevage is in 350 litres barrels, from various different coopers, mostly from the south west, Boutes in Narbonne, St.
Martin in Buzet, and a cognac cooper – he has tried Seguin Moreau but didn’t
like it. The oak comes from the centre
of France and he varies the toasting, feeling that variety enhances the quality.
The blend is Grenache, 38% Syrah 34% and Carignan 28%- 50%
aged in wood for ten months, of which one third is new. Ripe fruit on the nose and palate; some well
integrated oak, with a good tannin balance.
Very elegant. Harmonious and balanced and still very youthful. 2008 was an easy year, with no climatic extremes
.
2009 Chateau
Trillol
42% Grenache, 35%
Syrah, 23% Carignan. Medium young
colour. Rounded fruit. Very harmonious, with good structure and
tannins. Smoky fruit. Balanced and youthful, Very good
potential. Henri described this as a fabulous vintage,
and better balanced than 2008
2010
47% Grenache, 28% Carignan, 25% Syrah. Quite firm young fruit.
Medium colour. Quite firm youthful leathery notes on the nose and palate,
with some dry spiciness and silky tannins and red fruit. However it was a tricky vintage. They had a terrible storm on 5th
May; the temperature fell to 0ºC,
with 120 km/hour winds, so the vegetation was burnt. The vines took 15 days to come to life again,
but 20% of the crop was lost. And then there was summer hail. July was cool and there was 300 mm of rain in
two days during the harvest. Fortunately
that was followed by the tramontane, which dried everything up. They waited for ten days and then started
picking. So a surprisingly successful
vintage considering the climatic adversity.
But ready for drinking earlier than 2009
2011 Henri described as fabulous – would that every year was
like that. They had a spring with rain
and sun, and good weather at flowering, a little rain in the summer, just when
it was needed, and perfect weather at
the harvest. But none was ready for
tasting yet.
The final wine was the Cuvée Prestige, a selection of what they like best, and
given one year in new wood. 2009 is a blend of 40% Carignan, 35% Syrah and 25%
Grenache, all maceration carbonique. Deep
young colour. Quite dense youthful smoky
oak. Very silky tannins, rounded and
elegant. Lots of depth and length, and
full of promise. 15.00€
2008 Cuvee Prestige - 15.00€
Half Grenache and half Syrah, and no Carignan, as that did
not perform well in 2008. Quite a deep colour.
More rounded nose, very ripe with supple fruit from the Grenache and
peppery Syrah notes. More shoulders; whereas
2009 was more elegant; this is more powerful.
I asked Henri about the tipicity of Carignan. He talked of fraicheur which comes from the altitude,
and elegant tannins, with depth and structure, but not weight. And what about the putative cru of Quéribus, that was talked
of a few years ago, when the cru of Boutenac was created. No, that idea is defunct.
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