Les Grands Vins du Terroir at Faugères

Faugères has a new wine bar, and  wine shop, les Grands Vins du Terroir, which only opened in the spring and there is no doubt that it is already a great asset to the village and the appellation.   We went for a spot of lunch with friends and I can’t wait to go back.   The menu includes elegant tapas, sushi and seafood, from the fish shop next door, and summery flavours of ripe tomatoes with succulent burrata.   Each week there are seven different wines available for tasting, so that helped decide what we would drink with lunch.   They have the wines of 47 Faugères producers available, with some 170 wines altogether.  Inevitably there are some gaps, but you will find most of the serious names on their shelves, as well as some wines from other nearby vineyards.  

Charlotte is a trained sommelier and very articulate and knowledgeable about the wines.  So our tasting began with

2020 Mas Nicolas, Rosé Cydonia - 8.00€

Made with a high percentage of Cinsaut.  Very pale colour and  delicate fresh fruit on the palate and palate.  Nicely vinous and rounded with a fresh dry finish.

2020 Domaine les Serrals, Le Vilain Petit Grain Noir, Vin de France - 10€

This a pure Grenache Noir, vinified like a white wine.  There is a hint of colour, but not enough to make you think it comes from black grapes, and it works extraordinary well.  Indeed this is what we chose to drink with our sushi.  A fresh nose, Charlotte suggested citrus; I thought some stony minerality.  And the palate was very incisive with fresh acidity, making for a refreshing juiciness.

Domaine des Trinités, l’Imaginaire - 12.50€

A pure Roussanne.  A little colour.  Quite a firm nose, and on the palate firm fruit with good acidity and almost a touch of tannin.  Nicely structured and quite original.  From vineyards at 400 metres.  

2018 Mas Gabinèle, Rarissime - 35€

This comes from old Grenache Gris planted in 1968 and Thierry Rodriguez makes just one barrel, of 600 bottles.   A ripe rounded nose, buttery, with a touch  of toffee.  The oak is quite present, but the palate is rounded with good acidity.  It has benefitted from some lees stirring.  Quite a long finish.  

2019 Domaine Peyres-Grandes, Cuvée Charlotte - 14€

2019 was a hot year, with the temperature reaching  40ºC  in June.  A sélection parcellaire, mainly Syrah with 10% each of Grenache Noir and Mourvèdre.  12 months in barrel, of which one third were new.  Good colour.  Quite a rounded ripe, even powerful nose.  with ripe spicy black fruit on the palate, balanced with supple tannins.  A serious glass of wine.

2018 Domaine de Cebène, Belle Lurette - 18.00€

Mainly Carignan with a little Mourvèdre and Grenache.  No wood.  Red fruit on both nose and palate and the freshness of the Carignan with an elegantly rustic nose.   A little balancing tannin on the finish.

2018 Domaine Binet-Jaquet, Grande Reserve - 30€

Mainly old Carignan, with two years élevage in cement vars, plus a little oak ageing.  Medium colour.  A stony mineral note on both the nose and palate.  Some lovely fruit balanced by a firm stony streak.  Some ageing potential.   One of the stars of the appellation.   

Altogether the seven bottles made a lovely introduction to the variety of Faugères, and next week there will be another seven to try.