Languedoc and the Wine Society

The Wine Society has just held a tasting to show off some of the new wines on their Christmas List.  And the Languedoc was nicely represented.

2011 Chateau Rouquette-sur-Mer, la Clape Rouge, l’Esprit Terroir  - £10.50

Mostly Mourvèdre and Syrah with some Carignan and Grenache.   Refreshingly unoaked, with a bouquet of ripe red fruit and spice, and on the palate, more brambly black fruit, with supple and balancing tannins.  A lovely mouthful of sunshine for a winter’s evening.

2011 La Reserve d’O, Saint Saturnin, Bilbo.  - £10.95

A Grenache Syrah blend from vines grown above the village of Arboras at 400 metres.   Quite an evolved colour for a young wine.  The Grenache provides ripe spice and liqueur cherries, while the Syrah gives some backbone, with a fresh finish.   Marie Chauffray’s wine-making entails minimal intervention.   I’ve definitely ear-marked her for a visit.

2011 Montpeyroux, Initiale de Divem. - £14.95

This is a heady mouthful.  Deep colour.  The nose is quite firm and the palate ripe and concentrated with black fruit galore and a sweet finish.  It tasted surprisingly portlike, and then I looked at the alcohol level – 15.5⁰!  So for a port that is not a port.  But it’s is a tad too alcoholic for my taste, but certainly not lacking in character. 

And there were also a pair of South African wines, from Swartland, entitled A Fistful of Schist, which caught my attention, for the schist soils of Faugères.  The red was particularly appealing.  A blend of Shiraz, Cinsaut and Mourvèdre, with a ripe rounded nose and soft spicy fruit on the palate.  It was the Cinsaut that seemed to dominate the flavour rather than Syrah or Mourvèdre. And very appealing it was too. And only £6.50.   The white version was Chenin blanc, with some ripe honey on the palate.