The Languedoc and the Dirty Dozen
The Dirty Dozen are a group of young dynamic wine
importers. They held a tasting recently, so I went along to see what was on offer from the Languedoc. Some specialise in Italy, Spain or Burgundy,
so I am afraid that I ignored them altogether, but from others I found some
interesting offerings.
Clark Foyster Wines :
www.clarkfoysterwines.co.uk
2011 la Coume
Mas, Mas Cristine, Côtes du Roussillon
Quite a deep colour.
A ripe rounded nose and palate. Lots
of cherry fruit from the Grenache, balanced with a streak of tannin, and a ripe
finish. Very warming.
Roberson Wine: www.robersonwine.com
Roberson’s are always a great source of Languedoc wines, as
it is one of Mark Andrew’s particular
enthusiasms.
2011 Domaine
Laurens, Crémant de Limoux. Graimenous - £13.95
A blend of Chardonnay, Chenin blanc, Pinot Noir and Mauzac. A lovely creamy glass of wine, rich and
rounded, with some notes of yeast autolysis.
Delicious.
2012 Mas Coutelou, Vin des Amis - £12.95
Light fresh fruit on nose and palate. Very refreshing with some acidity and an
appealing lift on the finish. This was
also amongst the Absolutely Cracking French wines.
2004 Domaine
Peyre Rose, Clos des Cistes.- £64.95
This was serious.
Rich dense and leathery on the nose and on the palate, rounded ripe and
concentrated, but also harmonious. Still
some firm tannins, but also some notes of maturity. A very satisfying mouthful. Very serious and also expensive.
2003 Domaine de Trévallon, Bouches du Rhone - £54.95
I’m straying into Provence here, but who could resist the opportunity
to taste Trévallon. In fact I found that
this wine was suffering from the hot vintage.
There were some tarry tannins, and some rich sweet fruit, but the whole
was not very harmonious. Not Trévallon
at its best.
Mark was also enthusing about his new Bandol, so I tried
that too.
2012 Domaine Maubernard, rosé. - £16.95 The neighbours are the famed Bandol
estate, Domaine de Pibarnon, so vineyards on a good site. A very pale delicate colour. A delicate nose, with some dry fresh fruit on
the palate. Initially quite ethereal,
but with an unexpected streak of flavour.
2009 Bandol Rouge, Domaine Maubernard. - £16.95
Light red colour.
Elegant leathery fruit on the palate.
Rounded palate, ripe and nicely
understated. Quite an elegant finish.
2011 Le Jeu du
Mail Pays d’Oc
A blend of Viognier and Marsanne,, aged mainly in large wood
with just one barrique. Quite a rich apply
nose, with more depth on the palate. Good texture and some rich fruit.
2011 La Grange
des Quatre Sous, Garsinde, Pays d’Oc
Another intriguing blend of Malbec 60% , Syrah 25% and Cabernet Franc 15%
Quite a deep young colour.
Firm ripe fruit on the nose, and on the palate. Ripe and concentrated, with rounded fruit and
balancing tannins. Youthful with lots
of nuances. Some ageing potential.
They also have Domaine de Cebène’s Faugères, les Bancèls, with its lovely spicy
fruit. Finely crafted and sunshine in a
glass.
Indigo Wine www.indigowine.com have taken on
Catherine Roque’s wines, so I had to check out her Viognier, les Aires,
and the Faugères, le Presbytère, with its peppery fruit.
And as well they were showing a good Corbières estate,
2011 Clos Perdus, Corbières, Cuvee 91
Carignan dominate, with some Grenache and Mourvèdre. I thought there was a touch of brett on the
nose, or it was just a bit viandé. But the palate is characterful and rich and
gutsy, with some firm tannins and some ripe fruit, and a slightly sweet note on
the finish. A wine with an attitude.
I had not come across Aubert & Mascoli before www.aubertandmacoli.com, so was delighted to see that they had a wine from Domaine Fontedicto,
namely 2003 Promise, Coteaux du Languedoc.
It was fascinating to try a wine that was ten years old, but I felt that
the bottle had suffered with constant pouring.
The flavour was rather leathery and losing its freshness. Younger would have been better.
And then there was a new estate:
2010 Domaine des 2 Anes, Corbières, Fontanilles
Apparently they are on the coast at Peyriac. A blend of Carignan, Grenache and Syrah. Medium colour. Fresh spicy fruit on the nose. Medium weight palate, with some lovely spicy
fruit and a fresh finish.
2010 Ocre Rouge, Chardonnay
This comes from an estate outside Dions, just north of Nimes
in the Gorges du Gardon. I tend to
avoid Chardonnay from the Midi, but it is refreshing to have one’s prejudices
overturned every so often. This had some
fresh fruit, with good acidity, and did not taste like a southern Chardonnay.
The Wine Treasury www.winetreasury.com had a pair of wines from Roussillon, labelled
Consolation
2011 Juliette, Roussanne.
Quite rich and leafy and on the palate, some oak but textured layers. A touch too much oak for my taste. I didn’t like this as much as at the Absolutely
Cracking Wines of France tasting. Shows
how wines and tastebuds can change from day to day.
The red version, Wild Boar Syrah, was deep in colour, with a
rich nose and some ripe spicy rounded fruit, and some orange notes on the
finish. Quite warming.
And finishing with H2Vin, there were a pair of Corsicans, www.h2vin.co.uk
2011 Domaine San Armettu, Sartène rouge
Light colour. A touch
bretty on the nose. I preferred the
palate which was quite ripe with some dry leathery notes.
And Clos Canarelli, Figari blanc. Light herbal notes on both nose and palate,
with a rounded finish. Initially it
seemed quite delicate, but with a ripe finish.
2011 Domaine de l’Oustal blanc Naïck
This estate is in the Minervois, but the wine is Vin de
France; I am not sure why. It is a blend of Carignan and Syrah,
supported by Cinsaut and Grenache and was rich and spicy on both nose and
palate, with some confit notes on the finish.
A rich gutsy wine from wild scenery.
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