Château de Luc with Jeanne Fabre.
The Fabre family is one of oldest historic families of Corbières, and owners of the medieval Château de Luc which dominates the village of Luc-sur-Orbieu. They actually run 300 hectares of vines in five different estates, of which Château de Luc is the most important. It seemed appropriate that Jeanne Fabre started my visit with a history lesson, while emphasing that their aim is to make good wine on their five estates. She works with her father Louis, who features in my book, Wines of the Languedoc and l had met her twin sister, Clémence, several times at tastings in London.
They have a diary of the expenses incurred for the running of another estate, Gasparets just after the Revolution. It illustrated the biodiversity of the estate. They bought grain, olive oil, sheep and they practiced polyculture and were self sufficient. Vines were planted on the poorest soils. Today Jeanne's brother, André, has planted fruit trees, particularly quince trees, from which he makes cider. Quince trees resist drought well. Jeanne talked about agriculture forestière, observing that trees can take too much water from the soil, if they are too close to vines. With very low rainfall - in 2022 just 200 mms - some vines have died. Hedges are important and double hedges are even better, as they a provide better protection against wind. The Aude is known for its wind. When they pull up vines, they plant other crops which can cope with drought, such as hops, for a partnership with a local brewery. Cover crops are important too, sown after the harvest for nutrients. One of the current problems with the recent years of very low rainfall is an increase of salt in the soil, not so much in the Aude, but certainly in neighbouring Roussillon. Too much salt and the land cannot be cultivated.
Jeanne showed me an old chronometre invented by her great grandfather Louis Andrieu in 1899, a variation of a microscope that measures colour. This was the golden age of the industrialisation of the Languedoc, with the region concentrating on a drink that would provide energy for the workers of north France, as Jeanne put it, petrol at 6 - 7%. At that time wine replaced water and people drank enormous quantities of wine. The darker the better - in other words no water added!
Jeanne’s grandparents bought the Château de Luc in 1860. This was the golden age of wine and they had risen above the basic farming community. But by 1907 things were going horribly wrong. Luc-sur-Orbiel was the home of a large demonstration of people asking for help. Wine was not selling and there was no bread. There was rampant fraud, overproduction and competition from Algeria. Wine from Algeria arrived in Sète, on what were called the bateaux pinardiers, bringing cheap wine across the Mediterranean, to be blended with wine from the Languedoc. The Aude was one of the poorest departments because of the monoculture of vines, with 1300 estates between Carcasonne and Narbonne, all producing nothing but wine. The Languedoc simply had no reputation and no investment. And when Jeanne’s parents arrived here in 1985, the château had been more or less abandoned.
But things did begin to change. Louis invested in a bottling line, realising that bulk sales were no longer profitable. If you didn’t bottle, you didn’t have customers. Today they consider that two things that have helped create a reputation are sales in bottle under your own name, and organic viticulture.
We looked at the cellar where the barrels are kept. It dates from 14th century. There are barrels from several different coopers, with different toasting levels and also some tronconique vats for fermentation, with a discreet impact of oak. An American oak barrel gives more vanilla. And there are also some amphorae for the top of the range, and for some orange wine, for a Sauvignon and a Viognier. They also make vin doux. There may be no appellation for it here, but it is an old tradition, with an old solera begun in 1940 by Jeanne’s grandfather, Henri. They only use Grenache from the oldest vines, and not every year. And there is also a younger cuvée. Altogether they make about 30 wines, but I did not taste them all! But here goes with a good selection.
2022 Grande Courtade, Pays d’Oc, Albariño - 10.00€
Albarino is a newcomer to the Languedoc and these vines are now ten years old. Delicate nose. Lightly peachy fruit. A little weight with a slightly bitter finish. Quite long. Classic white wine vinification.
2022 Grande Courtade L’Instant Sauvignon Blanc - 8.00€
From quite a fertile vineyard on a former lagoon. Lightly pithy on nose and palate. Quite rounded with fresh acidity.
2023 Grande Courtade L’Instant rosé
A blend of Pinot Noir, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon, all varieties with a lot of juice. Pressurage direct. Pale orange pink. Fresh dry fruit. Nicely rounded with a little weight.
2022 Grande Courtade Chardonnay
One of their biggest sellers. Quite delicate and lightly rounded, with a little buttery fruit. And then the 2023 by way of comparison. Also quite rounded with a little more depth. Lightly buttery and a touch of bitterness on the finish. Nicely balanced. Picked quite early. Some bâtonnage and some ageing in wood. Jeanne called this and the rosé vins d’oenologie.
2022 Corbières Blanc, Lux de Luc - 12.70€
Mainly Grenache Blanc with some Roussanne and a little Vermentino. With indigenous yeast to give some freshness. SO2 only at bottling. No malo. In stainless steel vats. Elegant white flowers on a the nose and more so on the palate. Some mineral notes. Good weight. Quite elegant, with balancing acidity.
2022 Louis Andrieu Vin de France, le Sauvignon -12.70€
Ten days on the skins in vat. A little colour. Quite a firm nose and palate, with a streak of tannin. Muted tannins with Sauvignon fruit.
2022 Fabre Gasparets, Camin Viognier - 23.30€
Three weeks maceration and 12 months in an amphora. Golden orange. Peachy and tannic on nose and palate. Good weight and mouthfeel. Refreshing tannins.
2020 Rosé Corbières, Les Amouries, Château Fabre Gasparets
Malo fait. Three months élevage in wood. Orange pink in colour. A touch of vanilla. Quite rounded. Ripe with some depth and texture. A serious food rosé
2021 Bourboulenc, Vin de France - 22€
Jeanne described this as an adventure, with a neighbour, who financed a new vineyard above Boutenac. and planted different varieties, including Bourboulenc which is very unusual to find as a single variety. Quite rounded. Quite salty. Good weight. Firm stony. Lots of character leaps out of the glass. Only a tiny production.
2022 Cinsault, Tour de Rieux - 10.00€
Made without any sulphur. Medium colour. Fragrant cherry fruit on the nose, and even more so on the palate. Indeed the fruit explodes in the palate. Fresh and ripe. Would be delicious served lightly chilled.
2022 Lux de Luc - 12.70€
Carignan with a little Mourvèdre, and no sulphur. Medium colour. quite firm red fruit on the nose and palate. A nicely rounded palate with a certain structure.
2023 Pinot Noir
Very small production as a result of the drought in 2022. Light colour. Elegant fresh red fruit on both nose and palate. Light tannins and a delicate finish.
2021 Cuvée les Jumelles.
Mainly Syrah, with Grenache, Mourvèdre and Cariginan. No oak ageing. Mediumweight with fresh peppery fruit on nose and palate, with a firm tannic streak. Quite youthful.
2020 Chateau de Rieux, Minervois.
The Fabre family also have a property in the Minervois. Syrah and Cinsault aged in demi-muids for twelve months. Quite deep colour. Quite solid, ripe fruit. Black fruit and a peppery note, and a certain weight in the mouth, at 14.5%
2020 Corbières Boutenac
Aged in barrel. Carignan is the dominant variety with a little Mourvèdre, even less Syrah and no Grenache - it is too oxidative. Quite solid peppery fruit. Firm youthful tannins. Structured and tight knit, with ageing potential.
2021 Château de Luc, Cuvée Verédus
Syrah is the principal variety, with some Carignan, Grenache and Mourvèdre. Aged American oak barrels for 12 months. Quuite rounded with some sweet vanilla and tannin from the oak. Firm tannins on the finish. I did find that the vanilla slightly overwhelmed the fruit.
The tasting finished with two vins de liqueur, fortified Rivesaltes lookalikes, but not within the appellation
Château Fabre Gasparets, Le G de Gasparets
Light red. Light spicy fruit, Mediumweight with a some alcohol on the finish
Château Fabre Gasparets, Les Trois Andrés - 39.00€
A solera of four vintages. Amber in colour. Mediumweight and Lightly nutty and quite sweeten the vintage.
And we adjourned for lunch en famille, with Jeanne's parents, Louis and Claire, for a wonderful feast of vegetables, with more wines to taste or drink.
2019 Côte Blanche rouge
Aged in 15 hectolitres foudres. Giving a gentle perception of oak and quite firm and structured.
2019 La Serre, Boutenac
Named for the lieu-dit of the vineyard. Just 4000 bottles were made. from 40% each of Carignan and Mourvèdre with 20% Syrah. This is very much handmade. The berries are sorted by hand. The malolactic fermentation takes place in a barrel and each grape variety is aged separately before blending shortly before bottling. The Carignan is aged in amphorae or jarres with barrels for the Syrah and Mourvèdre, for between 12 - 18 months. Deep colour. Firm dense rich nose. Oak and black fruit. Rounded ripe and structured, with a rich finish. A serious mouthful of wine. 14%.
Louis laughed about the enormous choice of wines, remembering his father saying: why don't you just make red, a white and a rosé? I am so glad he did not take his father's advice. There was a wonderful diversity in the wines, with as Louis put it, letting the terroir decide.
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