A morning at Chateau de Ciffre
It was a sunny October morning and I had arranged to meet Frank Flugge who runs the export department for the Lorgeril family. The main family estate is Château de Pennautier in Cabardès, mentioned in my previous post, but on this particular morning we met at the Château de Ciffre outside Autignac. Autignac is a village within the appellation of Faugères, but the vineyards of Château de Ciffre extend into neighbouring St Chinian. You can actually see the fault line between the two appellations, the schist of Faugères and the limestone and clay of St Chinian, literally side by side on the property.
First we admired a new vineyard of Grenache Blanc and Grenache Gris, with Vermentino, Marsanne and Roussanne. Frank talked about the growing trend towards white wine in the Languedoc. For the moment Château de Ciffre does not produce any white wine, but that will change, with a first harvest of white wine in 2024 as an IGP, and as an appellation for 2025, when the vines are old enough to conform to the appellation.
Altogether they have 35 hectares in 70 hectares of land. The rest is woodland, with lots of parasol pines. Wild boar can be a problem and there are some strategically placed electric fences.
They were picking Grenache on the day of our visit, but we did not see those particular vineyards. They both hand pick and harvest mechanically. The picking had been postponed by three days because of the recent rain, but they were happy with the quality. The summer heat had not been extreme, only one very hot week this year, as opposed to three last year.
The château itself began life as a windmill, with various additions to the tower of the mill, to make it a comfortable house.
They have a weather station in the highest vineyard, which registers wind and humidity and helps them decide about treatments with an accurate weather forecast. Data is conveyed to a mobile phone. The river Taurou, which is often dried up, crosses the estate with vineyards on both sides of the valley. And the altitude varies from 260 metres n Faugères to 150 -200 metres in St Chinian.
And then we adjourned for some tasting, beginning with a couple of vat samples.
A Syrah with 60% stems, picked on 16th September. We were tasting on 9th October. Deep colour and very firm peppery fruit on both nose and palate, with tight tannins and almost green acidity on the finish.
Syrah with 30% stems picked on 27th September. Smells and tastes very much riper, with a deep colour. Some acidity and supple tannin and riper, less peppery fruit.
And then we went on to wine in bottle
2022 Faugères Grand Vin
Bottled in spring 2024. 13.5% 50% Syrah, with 40% Grenache and 10% Mourvèdre.
Supple spice on nose and palate. Black fruit. Supple, fresh and youthful, with a streak of tannin. Only 20% of the blend has spent time in barrel. This is a gradual decrease from previous years. The characteristic fresh finish of Faugères.
2020 Faugères Grand Vin - 24€
Deep colour. Rounded evolved nose, Fuller, riper, fleshier palate, but with firm fruit and tannin. A hint of dark chocolate, and a hint of oak Again this would have had more oak ageing than the 2022.
2021 Faugères, Terroirs d’Altitude
45% Grenache, 40% Syrah, 10% Mourvèdre, 5% Carignan. Red fruit on nose and palate. Very fresh, with a lift on the finish. Some stony mineral notes. And some appealing spice.
2022 St Chinian Terroirs d’Altitude
13.5% Half and half Syrah and Grenache. Medium colour. Soft spices and the herbs of the garrigues on the nose. Fresh, but a fuller palate with red fruit, compared to the St Chinian. Nicely balanced and youthful.
2020 St Chinian, Terroirs d’Altitude
Medium colour. More black fruit on the nose. And a more mature nose. Rounded black fruit on the palate and nicely mouth filling. Well integrated oak. Good mouthfeel. Ripe and rounded with a firm finish.
2020 St Chinian Grand Vin
55% Syrah, 35% Grenache, 10% Mourvèdre. 14.5% A proportion aged in oak. Deep colour. Ripe black fruit. Rounded, supple tannins. A more fleshy palate, with more weight. Good texture and mouthfeel, Very satisfying and appealing.
And then we adjourned to the Faugères wine bar, Les Grands Terroirs, for a new discovery, a Grenache Noir vinified as a white wine, from Domaine Binet Jaquet. It made a delicious finale to an interesting and enjoyable morning
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