Introducing the Languedoc
Friends
from Alsace came to stay. They worked in
wine, first in Burgundy and then in Alsace, and are now happily retired in Colmar. This was their very first visit to the
Languedoc, so they provided a great excuse to open a few bottles. The dilemma was; what to choose, to give them
a good overview of the region.
The first
evening we kicked off with a bottle of Domaine de Clovallon, les Aires,
Viognier. It was beautifully textured
and peachy, just what good Viognier should be, with a very satisfying mouth
feel.
2009 Allegro, Domaine Ollier Taillefer’s white Faugères, was quite mature and
rich. Probably just beginning to slide
off its plateau.
And then we
tackled a trio of Carignan.
First off
was 2010 le Carignan from Domaine Aupilhac.
Sylvain Fadat makes his Carignan with a view to some ageing
potential. This was young in colour,
with a fresh berry nose and some firm tannin and acidity on the palate. There was a rustic youthful edge that will
soften with some bottle age.
Next was
2009 Mas d’Amile, which spends some time in old oak. It had a pleasing freshness, with some berry
fruit and an elegant finish, combining tannin and acidity. It was a touch more refined than Sylvain’s
And the
third wine 2009 Domaine de Nizas, which had some satisfyingly, rounded berry
fruit and supple tannins. It was ripe
and rounded with supple tannins and good length and depth, and our favoruite of
the three.
The next
day saw us visiting two contrasting estates, Mas des Chimères in Octon with
Guilhem Dardé, and then Domaine du Pas de l’Escalette, with Delphine
Rousseau. More on those anon.
And for
dinner we went to our favourite local restaurant, le Presbytère in
Vailhan. But first we enjoyed a glass of
refreshing Vermentino from Domaine St. Hilaire.
It had that lovely sappy freshness of Vermentino, with a good balance of
acidity. Our white wine at Le Presbytère
was Mas d’Agalis Grand Carré, a blend of Terret, Clairette, Vermentino and
Chenin Blanc. This is a natural wine – I
realised afterwards that I had tasted it before, at the natural wine fair in Bédarieux
earlier in the year, and it was quite
edgy on the palate. Maybe it needed to
breathe. And our red choice took us
into Roussillon with 2011 les Calcinaires from Domaine Gauby. It was rich and textured, with some leathery
notes and red fruit, and still very youthful with plenty of potential.
For dinner
the next day we were at home, with no wine visits during the day. White Carignan had come up in conversation, so
Mas Gabriel’s Carignan Blanc was an obvious choice to illustrate the grape
variety. It was rounded and ripe with
some herbal notes, and nicely mouthfilling.
And after
our visit to Domaine du Pas de l’Escalette it seemed appropriate to try a mature version of Delphine and Julien’s white wine. 2007 Les Clapas is a blend of Carignan Blanc, Grenache Blanc
and Terret, aged in barrel. It was rounded
and buttery, combining elegance and weight, with a hint of nuttiness and a note
of maturity on the finish. A wonderful example
of just how well the white wines of the Languedoc can age. I wondered where I would have put it, given
it blind. I don’t think the Languedoc
would have immediately come to mind.
There was almost a Burgundian note about it.
And for
reds, we tried Domaine de la Croix Belle’s 2007 Cascaillou, their predominantly
Grenache blend. There was some lovely ripe liqueur cherry fruit on both nose
and palate, with soft tannins and good length.
2002 Prieuré
de St. Jean de Bébian amply demonstrated just how well the red wines of the
region can age. The colour was still
deep red, with some rich leathery notes on the nose and palate, combined with
some red fruit. Again there was length and
depth making a satisfying and harmonious mouthful. A really lovely glass of wine.
Bertrand
had expressed an interest in Clairette du Languedoc. This is an old appellation which tends to be
overlooked. I’ve not had any dry wines
recently that I can really enthuse about, but the sweet wines are more much
intriguing, so we opened Domaine de Clovallon’s, 1995 Clairette du Languedoc
Rancio, which has been aged in an old barrel. It has been sitting in our cellar for a while, waiting for the right moment. The colour was amber orange and the nose redolent of dry orange
marmalade. On the palate there is good
acidity, with rich honeyed fruit and a refreshing finish. It was delicious with the figs straight from
our tree.
And the
finale at lunch the next day, before our friends caught their train, was Château
Moyau, La Clape rosé, a refreshing pink, with raspberry fruit and hints of garrigues,
and the sunshine of the south.
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