Violent demonstrations in Montpellier

Violent demonstrations in Montpellier
"Protesters clashed violently with police in Montpellier as up to 8,000 wine growers demonstrated against the latest government measures..." Decanter.com news alert 10/3/2005: click on the title above to go to their webpage. Original tamer story by your faithful correspondent is copied below (well, I was there in the thick of it after all...)

A reported 4500 wine growers from the Languedoc-Roussillon and the southern Rhône turned out yesterday in Montpellier to protest against the latest government measures and show solidarity in the face of escalating economic hardship. The €70 million rescue plan tabled by the Minister of Agriculture Dominique Bussereau has been widely criticised for not going far enough to support struggling French vignerons. Philippe Vergnes, representing the event organisers and president of one of the growers unions in the Aude, called on the government to “pay up so we can get over the worst. This region has given a lot in the past, it’s time to give something back to small producers.” He added: “if we’re guilty of anything, then it’s because there are too many of us. If market forces are to take over, help those get out of the business, if they want to, and those who wish to stay, roll up their sleeves and get out of this mess.”

The supermarket chains were also slammed as “the biggest racket going,” along with the government’s anti-alcohol measures: “This attack on consumption has lead to the worst crisis in history.” Growers present were also demanding the right to publicise the positive aspects of moderate wine consumption. A delegation from the Languedoc-Roussillon is due to meet the Minister of Agriculture on 22nd March. The demonstration started peacefully in Place Peyrou by the Arc de Triomphe, where speeches were held before the march down the hill to the station and back up through La Comédie. However, by the time the throng reached the town hall armed with nothing more than placards (sporting slogans such as “Chirac what a let-down” and “Get to work Bussereau”), firecrackers and a petition, skirmishes broke out apparently provoked by the heavy-handed police presence attempting to disperse the crowd.

Languedoc: Pic Saint-Loup daytrip

Pic Saint-Loup - March 2005

In further pursuit of Mourvèdre but not forgetting Grenache and Syrah of course... A few great wines discovered on a day trip to Château La Roque, Mas de Mortiès and Domaine de l’Hortus. All dotted here and there in the wild terrain north of Montpellier, watched over by the eponymous peak (650 metres high). Read this for more info and tasting notes: Vinisud 2004 - Pic Saint-Loup (post to follow...) or visit the PSL website.

Château La Roque

1998 Cuvée Mourvèdre (plus a splash of Grenache, all around 13%) - attractive complex mix of ripe sweet liquorice & berry fruit and maturing gamey savoury characters; again nice ripeness, softness and elegance on the finish set against a touch of grip, spice and bite. 92
2001 Cuvée Mourvèdre - chocolate and spice notes mix with complex rustic tones, ripe black fruits v firmer structure than the 02 or 03 (bordering on a touch bitter), long tight finish. Needs time. 90+
2002 Cuvée Mourvèdre - rainy vintage: maturing smoky aromas, shows good fruit ripeness and spicy notes, lighter and less concentrated than the 2003, drinking well now. 86
2003 Cuvée Mourvèdre - Very ripe, perfumed/floral liquorice and black cherry fruit with complex earthy notes; quite elegant and soft with subtle bite and length. 90+2003 Cuvée Clos des Bénédictins (Rolle Roussanne Marsanne barrique fermented) - Offers a touch more cream and weight than the 'tradition' white, yet has lovely citrus lift and aromatic length. 87
2003 Cuvée Tradition blanc (Grenache Blanc Rolle Marsanne Roussanne Viognier) - Attractive mix of aromatic and honeyed fruit, slightly exotic style leading to steelier mineral bite, nice zingy length. 87
2002 Cupa Numismae (61% Syrah 39% Mourvèdre) - Displaying quite a bit of coconut, spice and vanilla on the nose; firm framework v riper black fruits and more spice layered with oak, tight and quite long; perhaps too much wood. 85

Domaine de l’Hortus

2002 Grande Cuvée (55% Mourvèdre, 35% Syrah, 10% Grenache) - Quite light and forward (pretty typical for the wet 2002 vintage) yet shows reasonable fruit and ripeness v a firmer edge, attractive drinking now. 85
2003 Grande Cuvée (50% Mourvèdre, 40% Syrah, 10% Grenache tasted from barrique) - spicy and toasty at the moment (should be bottled soon) with textured tannins and tight finish; should be good. 87+

Mas de Mortiès

2001 Que Sera Sera (50-50 Mourvèdre Syrah) - Complex smoky ripe black cherry and olive, open and attractive nose; rich texture with leather and dried herbs, good depth of fruit v grip, powerful yet elegant too. 90

Languedoc: Le Petit Domaine de Gimios, St-Jean de Minervois

Le Petit Domaine de Gimios

Not far out of St-Jean de Minervois, taking a left off the winding road to St-Chinian, you’ll eventually find Anne-Marie Lavaysse's indeed little estate lost on the untamed final frontier between Minervois and St-Chinian country. Anne-Marie is quite a personality with a penchant for making ‘table wines’ from quirky blends, such as Carignan, Aramon, Grenache, Cinsault and Alicante. She also doesn’t use any sulphur dioxide in winemaking and farms biodynamically, of course (see www.bio-dynamie.org)! These two were tasted at Millésime Bio 2005, so not exactly up-to-date but I liked her off-the-wall-ness: I'll go there next time I go for a spin in this wonderful neck of the woods.

Rouge de Causse vieilles vignes, Vin de Table (Carignan Aramon Grenache Cinsault Alicante) - actually 2003 vintage but she's not interested in AOC rules, also doesn't use sulphur or SO2 anywhere. 'Sweet' liquorice and dark chocolate, dry tannins supported by lovely ripeness; delicious fruit v firm structure, unusual. 88-90
2000 Vin de Liqueur (Muscat petits grains, 115 gr/litre residual sugar) - lovely honey and maturing dried fruits, intense bite v that sweetness, long and refined. 90+

Gimios, 34360 Saint-Jean-de-Minervois. Tel: 04 67 38 26 10.

Fenouillèdes wine trip - Roussillon January 2005

Old vine Grenache, Carignan, Mourvèdre & Syrah-powered reds; a few interesting dry whites and Muscats; plus fab Vins Doux Naturels (sweet fortified white, amber and red wines) from Fenouillèdes country. This beautifully rugged, northwest corner of the Roussillon forms the 'border' between French Catalonia and the Pyrenees and Corbières hills. Most of these wines were tasted blind and others in the growers' cellars during an eye-opening trip in cold, crisp yet sunny Jan 2005. More Fenouillèdes here (6th wine show), here (wine travel article) and by flicking through the Roussillon winery A to Z on the right.

Côtes du Roussillon and Villages

 

2003 Domaine Hylari - Perfumed spice plus a hint of oak, chunky blackberry/cherry fruit, concentrated yet pretty firm and closed up on the finish at the moment; however, shows nice bite, elegance and ripeness with well handled oak. 87-89

2003 Cuvée des Schistes, Vignerons de Cassagnes-Belesta - Enticing floral liquorice nose, attractive soft fruit followed by firm tight finish and good length too. 90

2003 Bastoul, Domaine des Soulanes - Rather firm and closed up at first; however, it certainly seems to have subtle fruit concentration at heart, with fair power too without being heavily extracted. 87-89

2001 Domaine Salvat - Very ripe toffee fruit scented with violets too, attractive 'sweet' texture leads to firmer finish, not so concentrated but shows a bit of finesse. 89-91

2003 Domaine Terre Rousse - 'Tar' and ripe plum fruit with rustic edges, firmly structured yet also has attractive texture and weight. 87-89

2004 Domaine Barriot (barrel samples pre-blending) - Shows good pure fruit and concentration, a light touch of spicy chocolate oak adds texture to the firmly structured yet attractive mouthfeel, stylish balanced length. Look forward to retasting the finished bottled wine, could be a 90 pointer.

2001 Tautavel Prieurée, Domaine Fontanel - Lovely nose offering ripe smoky fruit and herbs, shows a touch of wood but it works, firm yet rounded tannins, power yet a touch of elegance too on the finish. 89-91

2004 Domaine du Possible (vat sample) - Pretty forward on the nose showing ripe and rustic liquorice fruit, nice grip and length on the palate. 87

2004 Domaine Rivaton (vat sample) - Quite chunky fruit and structure, tight long finish, shows promise. 89

2003 Dona Baissas Prestige - Lovely ripe fruit with herbal and rustic edges, firm rounded tannins finishing with a touch of elegance too. 90

2004 Jean Louis Majoral (vat sample)  - Aromatic pure fruit, good texture and concentration, very firm tannins but well handled overall. 89

2003 L'Alba, Domaine Tribouley - Peppery farmy nose, shows good concentration and finely grippy tannins. 89-91

Latest Tribouley here.
2003 Le Ciste, Domaine Laguerre - Aromatic fruit and very firm grip, yet this has concentration and roundness on the palate; shows potential. 89

2003 Pesquié, Domaine Jorel - Sweet raspberry fruit aromas, juicy yet firm palate, attractive style drinking now. 87-89

2002 Clos del Rey - Pretty rich extracted fruit and chocolate oak, firm in the mouth yet nicely textured; perhaps a little too extracted but this has much better concentration than most of the 2002s. 87

2003 Latour de France, Domaine de la Balmière - Smoky and rustic offering attractive fruit, good concentration and lingering balanced grip. 89-91

2003 Symphonie, Domaine des Collines des Vents - Enticing ripe fruit with lavender notes, leading to firm tannins in the mouth yet with underlying sweetness; has power and elegance too. 89-91

2003 Tramontana, Domaine de la Capeillette - Sensuous black cherry fruit, the palate's rather closed up but overall it's well balanced and promising. 89-91

2003 Trois Pierres, Domaine de l'Ausseil - Attractive smoky nose with menthol undertones, very grippy yet shows concentrated fruit, tight structure and good length. Should improve with a little bottle age. 89

2003 Voluptas, Domaine Semper - Very fruity on the nose and not overtly oaky; tighter palate and more chocolate textured, pretty firm yet mineral too, very light toast and liquorice on the finish; dry bite bordering on being a little extracted, but there's freshness there too despite the rather heavy 15+% alc. 87

 

Whites

 

2004 Vin de Pays (VDP), Domaine Terre Rousse - honeysuckle with light creamy tones, concentrated with mineral intensity balancing the malo-lactic fatness; lovely. 90+

2004 Côtes du Roussillon (CDR), Domaine des Vents - oily aromas lead to a zingy palate, weighty and textured yet crisp and long. 88-90

2004 VDP, Mas Karolina - zesty citrus style, perfumed and quite rich with nice bite. 87-89

2002 CDR, Domaine de la Serre - Aniseed and mineral notes, concentrated and complex with long finish. 88+

2004 Corbières, Domaine du Grand Arc - Lifted citrus Sauvignon Blanc-esque style, zingy with nice extract and length. 87+

2003 Terra Novo, Vignerons de Maury - Lightly toasty with dominant aniseed characters, has good weight of fruit v zing and length. 87+

2004 VDP, Domaine Arguti - Perfumed anise on the nose boosted by light cream and toast, tight and long palate; a bit closed up but could be good. 88+

2003 Muscat sec, Domaine Jouret - very perfumed Muscat style with citrus peel notes, zesty and crisp length. 87-89

2004 Muscat sec, Domaine de la Balmière - a bit closed on the nose, gummy extract with crisp citrus depth. 87

 

Vins Doux Naturels

 

Rivesaltes Hors d'Age, Dona Baissas - lovely aged richness and pecan nut character, elegant bite counteracts the sweetness with the alcohol also cutting through the finish nicely. 92-94

1991 Rivesaltes Ambré, Domaine du Rancy - rich complex toffee fruit with a lingering coating of sweet baked nuts; wow. 90-92

1997 Rivesaltes Ambré, Domaine Hylari - quite intense toffee and walnut notes, shows attractive bite and length v warming sweetness. 90
Latest Hylari here.

2002 Rivesaltes Grenat, Domaine de l'Ausseil - a little closed on the nose but shows attractive chunky black fruits and tannins, sweetness v grip; quite young but will develop nicely. 92

1983 Chabert de Barbera, Cave de Maury - volatile mature tawny style, nutty and tangy; Port like but grippier with sweetness and firmness on the finish; lovely aged character lingers. 90

2003 Maury, Preceptorie de Centernach - ripe spicy fruit with tobacco tones, good grip and balance, tight and concentrated. 90

2003 L'Oursoulette Grenat, Domaine Comelade - lots of raspberry jam on the nose then turning tobacco and spice, elegant palate with nice dry coating of tannins v sweetness. 90

2004 Muscat de Rivesaltes, Domaine des Vents - very floral and honeyed too, zingy with zesty concentration v sweetness, long finish. 90

2004 Muscat de Rivesaltes, Domaine Andreu - quite zingy and concentrated v sweet grapey fruit, lightly zesty with lively bite. 87

2004 Muscat de Rivesaltes, Vignerons de Lesquerde - again shows tight zingy mouthfeel v richer sweetness, stylish elegant finish. 87

Millésime Bio 2005

Here are a few worthwhile bottles gleaned from Millésime Bio, a feet-friendly organic wine show held in Narbonne (Languedoc, France) in January 2005, which include a number of biodynamic producers. As you can see, I was particularly fond of André Kleinknecht's classic Alsace wines...

Domaine de Malavieille - Coteaux du Languedoc
2002 Alliance - Sweet blackcurrant fruit tinged with rustic leather notes, soft yet dry tannins and elegant length. 87
2001 Permien vieilles vignes (Carignan Grenache Cinsault Mourvèdre Syrah) - rustic and leathery with mint undertones, tight mineral mouthfeel and firm tannins but plenty of nice fruit. 90-92

Domaine de Valescure - Languedoc
2003 Chardonnay, Vin de Pays du Gard - Nice elegant apple and white peach fruit style, crisp mineral palate showing subtle concentration. 87+
2004 Gris de Gris rosé, Vin de Pays - Intense berry and dried redcurrant fruit style, lovely crisp length and delicate concentration. 87+

Domaine des Soulié - Saint-Chinian
2001 Ch. Soulié des Joncs - minty blackcurrant notes lead to smokier palate, shows nice fruit and grip with spicy finish. 87-89

Le Petit Domaine de Gimios - St. Jean de Minervois
Rouge de Causse vieilles vignes, Vin de Table (Carignan Aramon Grenache Cinsault Alicante) - actually 2003 vintage but she's not interested in AOC rules, also doesn't use sulphur or SO2 anywhere. 'Sweet' liquorice and dark chocolate, dry tannins supported by lovely ripeness; delicious fruit v firm structure, unusual. 88-90
2000 Vin de Liqueur (Muscat petits grains, 115 gr/litre residual sugar) - lovely honey and maturing dried fruits, intense bite v that sweetness, long and refined. 90+

Château Pech-Latt - Corbières
2002 Alix - smoky ripe notes with herbal minty edges, firm framework with good depth of fruit and length. 88-90
2001 Vieilles Vignes (Carignan, Grenache, Mourvèdre & Syrah) - also smoky with lovely concentration, herbal v rich fruit; soft maturing edges v power and structure. 90-93

André Kleinknecht - Alsace
2002 Auxerrois vieilli en barrique - Toasty but lively blackcurrant leaf fruit, pungent and mineral v fat and creamy, fresh acidity to finish. 89
2002 Gewurztraminer - Lovely pure lychee and rose water style, shows nice bite v perfumed fruit with more elegant and dry finish compared to other Gewurz. 89
2002 Gewurztraminer Grand Cru Kirchberg de Barr - Rich and oily but has lovely youthful fruit too, very concentrated leading to tight fine length. 92-94
2002 Muscat - Still very fresh aromas, lively and quite concentrated palate, very dry with subtle acidity v developing fruit. 88-89
2003 Pinot Gris - Not revealing much on the nose at this stage, richer honeysuckle palate with good concentration, tight closed up finish; wait and see. 87-89
2002 Pinot Noir - Attractive perfumed v savoury cherry notes, a touch of tannin with nice fruit and elegant length. 87-89
2003 Riesling - Very floral racy style, chalky lime fruit on a tight palate with refreshing lively finish. 87-89
2002 Riesling Grand Cru Kirchberg de Barr - Attractive ripe oily Riesling nose, quite intense citrus and mineral palate set against rounder grapey backdrop, dry finish with subtle acidity and length. Try with scallops in a pepper, herb and pastis sauce. 90-92

Dominique Frey - Alsace
2002 Riesling Vieilles Vignes - Aromatic and zesty v ripe oily fruit, tight bite on its elegant length. 88-90

Domaine Emmanuel Giboulot - Burgundy
2003 Côte de Beaune, La Grande Chatelaine (Chardonnay) - Toasty lactic style, quite rich and concentrated with soft buttery fruit, weighty mouth-feel lacking a bit of fresh bite perhaps, but nice drinking now. 87-89
Latest Giboulot HERE (goes to my other blog).

Jean-Claude Rateau - Burgundy
2001 Beaune 1er Cru, les Bressandes - nice 'sweet and savoury' style builds to more austere palate, tight and long turning a touch bitter but should develop and round out... 87-89

Steffens-Kess - Mosel-Saar-Ruwer
2004 Riesling trocken - Lovely elegant clean zesty style, tight steely length v subtle extract. 87-89

Macatela - Castilla
2004 Tempranillo rosado, Vino de la Tierra - Plenty of appealing quaffable strawberry fruit, ripe and juicy finish. 85

Bodegas Lezaun - Navarra
2002 Crianza (Tempranillo Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot) - lively blackcurrant aromas, very firm structure yet has nice depth of fruit too, oak is well done; needs a few months to round out. 87-89

Aroa Vinedos - Navarra
2002 Deierri (Merlot Cabernet Sauvignon Tempranillo) - light vanilla aromas backed up by lively fruit and very grippy tannins; nevertheless balanced with quite powerful finish. 87-89

Hochkirch Wines - Victoria (Aus)
2003 Maximus Pinot Noir - attractive smoky 'sweet and savoury' nose, silky and ripe v elegant firm structure. 90-92
2003 Riesling - zesty limey v ripe grapey fruit, nice extract and concentration v zest and bite. 88-90

Majnoni Guicciardini - Chianti
2001 Riserva - smoky dried red fruits with tobacco tones, pretty firm bite of tannins and acidity but has textured 'sweetness' too; power v finesse on the finish. 88-90

Languedoc wines speak the same language

Here's the original version of my story published on Decanter.com 14/12/2004.

The Conseil Interprofessionnel des Vins du Languedoc (CIVL) has revealed plans to promote all the different appellations (AOC) under the one umbrella of ‘Languedoc’, and to work together with other producers to push the idea of ‘South of France’ in export markets. At the AGM held on 3rd December, the CIVL announced details of their marketing strategy for 2005 supported by a budget of €4 million, including a 30% increase in expenditure earmarked for export promotions and advertising. The boldest move is the willingness of the three largest regional associations – the CIVL, the Conseil Interprofessionnel Vins du Roussillon (CIVR) and Vins de Pays d’Oc growers – to pool their ideas and resources. The combined pot for export campaigns comes to €2.7 million. This new found cooperation takes in the ‘Printemps du Languedoc et du Roussillon’ tasting in London on 15th February, mini-fairs in Toronto and Vancouver in May and a joint stand at Germany’s Prowein exhibition.

The “common geographical ground focusing on the south of France” should communicate the diversity of the region’s wines better to the consumer. “The idea is simple,” Rémy Wuatelet, Marketing Director of the CIVL explained. “With intense international competition, we need to offer a complementary range that suits the market and consumer – still wines, varietals, sparkling and sweet – for a winning formula.” Individual Languedoc AOCs include traditional red blends such as Fitou and Corbières; the ‘cru’ subregions of Minervois la Livinière and Pic Saint Loup; dry whites Picpoul de Pinet and Clairette, Limoux sparkling wines and a variety of fortified Muscats. These will be marketed alongside Vins de Pays ‘cépages’ such as Syrah, Chardonnay and Grenache, and Côtes du Roussillon wines.

Michel Laroche, who already labels his varietal wines ‘South of France’, agrees working together “is fundamental; there’s too much complexity and we need to simplify things. South of France is more abstract yet means more.” Putting Languedoc in the spotlight also fits in with plans to launch an inter-regional AOC, which are awaiting approval from the INAO. The ad campaign in English centres on the Languedoc cross logo, which appears on specially embossed bottles, and the catchphrase ‘Fine French Mediterranean wines’. In addition, a ‘destinations’ theme links wine routes to tourism. Exports of Languedoc-Roussillon wines for the first eight months of 2004 were down 7% in volume and 3% in value. However, Canada, Japan and the US show positive trends outperforming all other countries, albeit from a smaller base.

Fête des Vignes, Montpellier 2004

Discover 18 worthwhile wines tasted at the first "Fête des Vignes de Montpellier Agglomération" (that's like the 'Greater Montpellier' area). While in town on a gloriously sunny, early December afternoon, I stumbled across this local fair ("for local people") in the elegant imperial Place de la Comédie. The wine capital of the South is literally surrounded by vines (although it probably shouldn't be given the location of certain vineyards) - all of the growers mentioned here are on the Montpellier wine route. This is Coteaux du Languedoc country taking in individual areas such as Grés de Montpellier and Pic Saint-Loup, as well as attractive vins de pays varietals too. Plus a few dry and sweet guest Muscats thrown in...

Domaine de Piquet, Confidence NV sparkling wine - Quite fine nose displaying light toasty notes, crisp v milky palate finishing with subtle yeasty touches. A surprise. 87

Domaine de Causse
2001 Cabernet/Merlot, vin de pays d'Oc - Lovely cassis fruit with rustic notes, tangy leafy edges too but it's ripe and rounded with a bit of bite and good length. 89
2003 Muscat, vin de pays d'Oc (Muscat à Petits Grains) - Aromatic dry and fruity, fairly fleshy style yet elegant and grapey, showing good depth of fruit.85+

Domaine de Rieucoulon
2003 Carignan rosé, vin de pays Collines de la Moure - Crisp dry and tight in the mouth set against nice elegant fruit and style. 85
2003 Merlot, vin de pays d'Oc - Impressive depth of plummy fruit tinged with leafy notes, quite weighty and concentrated within a firm framework. €5 87

Domaine de Terre Megere, 2001 'Clapas' Grés de Montpellier (Syrah, Grenache, Mourvèdre) - A touch 'reductive' on the nose (ever so slightly vegetal) but this disappears into the smoky plummy whole, with lightly herbal edges; richer riper palate, very firm and stonky finish. 87+

Château de Fourques, 2001 Coteaux du Languedoc (Syrah, Grenache, Cinsault) - Minty blackcurrant and cherry aromas, nice tangy fruit, firm tannins but ripe and textured. 85+

Château de Flaugergues, 2002 Cuvée Sommelière Grés de Montpellier (Syrah, Grenache, Mourvèdre) - Firm tannins and tight structure with long finish; not revealing much at the moment so difficult to say. €9 87

Latest wines and profile here (June 2011).

Le Chemin des Rêves, La Première Cuvée (Syrah, Carignan, Grenache) - Benoît Viot made this as vin de table because he felt like it: Soft fruity cherry notes showing elegant depth, fairly light yet quite long and attractive with it. 84+

Vignobles Baron de la Liquisse
2000 Lion d'Azur Grés de Montpellier (95% Syrah) - Herbal peppery nose leads to delicious black fruit palate, ripe v firm texture with subtle concentration and length. 92
2003 Rosé d'Aurore, Coteaux du Languedoc (Syrah, Grenache, Cinsault) - Attractive style showing elegance yet weight too, lively raspberry fruit then oilier texture on the finish. Drink with grilled red mullet. 85+
2002 Tradition 'Terroir de Verargues', Coteaux du Languedoc (Syrah, Carignan, Grenache) - Soft ripe and smoky with plenty of liquorice and 'sweet' red fruits, supple tannin mouth-feel and lovely mature fruit to finish. 88+

Château de Stony
2002 Lumière d'Automne, vin de pays d'Oc (Muscat à Petits Grains, 14%) - Made with over-ripe grapes in oak casks. Coconut oak notes mingle with quite rich sweetness (50 grams/litre residual sugar), fairly toasty/spicy but underneath it's concentrated, fruity and nicely textured. Unusual, needs time. €13 for 50cl 90
2003 Muscat de Frontignan, Cuvée Sélection de Vendanges (Muscat à Petits Grains, 15%) - Vin Doux Naturel fortified to 15% leaving natural sweetness. Starts with a fair kick of alcohol, but this also has delicious Muscat fruit intensity and sweetness balancing it out. €7.80 89
2003 Muscat Sec, vin de pays d'Oc (Muscat à Petits Grains, 13%) - Perfumed grapey aromas lead to crisp bite on the palate, yet it's soft and elegant too with very dry finish. €4.60 87
Latest Stony here (March 09).

La Magdelaine d'Exindre, 2003 Muscat de Mireval 'Vent d'Anges' (Muscat à Petits Grains, 15%) - Classic style Vin Doux Naturel fortified Muscat with delicious grapey orangey fruit, intense yet elegant sweetness, pretty full-on finish. €10.20 87+

Domaine Desvabre
2003 Pic Saint-Loup Fût de Chêne (Syrah, Grenache) - Spicier and toastier than the 'tradition' below with coconut vanilla edges, quite concentrated and tight with rounded tannins; more 'modern' style but good with it. 89
2003 Pic Saint-Loup Tradition (Syrah, Grenache) - Nice smoky rustic fruit, soft mouth-feel with a touch of dry grip too, finishing with elegance and power combined. 89

"Bandol harvest finishes early..."

This news story first appeared on Decanter.com in shortened form on 14th October 2004:
The costumed tradition of les Vendanges du Rond-Point des Mourvèdres – harvesting of 225 Mourvèdre vines planted on the roundabout near motorway exit La Cadière-Le Castellet north of the town of Bandol – took place on Thursday 7th October in temperatures of over 25°C, despite threats of rain issued by weather forecasters. The event usually symbolises the vintage in full swing but this year marked the finishing touches, and summed up the positive mood surrounding this year’s crop.
Michel Bronzo, owner of La Bastide Blanche and President of the Bandol Association, described 2004 as “following in the footsteps of 2000 and 2001, both great years for Bandol, after the difficult 2002 vintage and exceptionally hot 2003.” Nevertheless, he estimates production is 10-15% down on last year. Summer 2004 experienced more even temperatures, consistent sunshine and a little rain in August and September, followed by a drying Mistral. But, according to most growers, not enough rain to avoid near drought conditions. Bandol escaped the storms seen elsewhere in France, and the fine weather continued through September until the last grapes were picked in the first week October.
Eric de Saint-Victor of Château de Pibarnon, who finished picking their last parcels at the end of September, commented: “we already had excellent sugar and polyphenol levels, it would’ve been a pity to wait any longer… it could be a great vintage.” Freddy Estienne from Domaine de la Laidière was also enthusiastic: “we completed the harvest on Saturday 2nd October, it’s never been that early here.” He predicts 35-40 hectolitres per hectare (hl/ha) overall including whites and rosés. Yields for Mourvèdre for red wines will be nearer 25-30 hl/ha, also confirmed by Domaine de la Tour du Bon and Domaine de la Vivonne. Reynald Delille of Domaine Terrebrune in the commune of Ollioules ventured a cautious “very good” for the vintage, with average volumes of 35 hl/ha.


The ceremonial picking and pressing of grapes were followed by a tasting at the roadside (fortunately, the cops had partly blocked it off knowing what Med French drivers can be like...): I've highlighted a dozen favourites, a mix of young and older Bandol reds and rosés, on this page.
And either side of this event, I toured around several estates for some research I was doing on the Mourvèdre variety (links to article written for Wine Business, USA): Pibarnon, Laidière, Terrebrune, Vivonne, Tour du Bon, Bastide Blanche, Lafran-Veyrolles, Gros'Noré, Tempier, Ott and Sainte Anne. So overall, you'll find 150+ recommendations and reviews on this page including a few excellent older vintages...

Vinisud 2004: Minervois La Livinière / Pic Saint-Loup focus

Minervois-La Livinière was apparently recognised as a 'cru' village area within the Minervois appellation long before gaining official status in 1999, and, judging by the number of 90+ scores I've given to wines tasted at this year's Vinisud show, many of the wines prove the point. The appellation snuggles at the foot of the Montagne Noire hills around the village of La Livinière (and other neighbouring ones) roughly between Béziers and Carcassonne, and is for reds only. Once again Syrah (perhaps sometimes too much of it...), Grenache, Carignan, Cinsault and Mourvèdre are the main varieties, ranging from Clos des Roques majoring on 60 year old Carignan to Château Anger's super 100% Syrah wine La Chapelle de Calamiac. I'm not sure what Domaine de la Combe Blanche and Château la Croix Martelle - which is owned by Burgundian house Boisset and is experimenting with bio-dynamism - are up to with Pinot Noir, but their Minervois wines speak for themselves. Tasting notes / reviews on these producers' wines might follow, when I dig out that clunky old database copied from the original original WineWriting.com...

Pic Saint Loup is a subregion of the Coteaux du Languedoc appellation nestling on the garrigue (wild scrubland) about 20 km north of Montpellier. It's a good example of wines based on a distinctive 'terroir', I suppose, although it's the micro-climate and valley terrain (sandwiched between PSL itself and the Hortus cliff-face on the other side) here rather than soil that's particularly important), even if inevitably the winemaking styles vary from grower to grower (doh!). The Pic St-Loup name is only used for reds and rosés, and the grape varieties are Syrah, Grenache, Carignan, Cinsault and Mourvèdre, with Syrah tending to dominate the best barrique-aged cuvées. Noticeably, there were a lot of young enthusiastic faces representing the Pic producers at the show. I think it's an exciting area to watch, although I did only taste wines from half a dozen properties and the prices are already quite high. They were: Domaines Haut-Lirou (one of the largest at 40 hectares), Mirabel (a mere 3 ha making 550 cases), Saint Daumary (started in 1999), Château l’Euzière, de Lavabre and Château Valcyre-Gaffinel. Three wines from another relatively youthful estate (1980) are also included - Domaine Faurmarie, which is actually located next door to Pic in a yet another new subzone of the CdL called Grés de Montpellier. Ditto regarding their wines... watch this space...

Les Baux de Provence

Les Baux de Provence

An obscure wine sub-region centred on this historic village in the Alpilles hills between Avignon and Arles, the appellation encompasses only 12 growers spread over a mere 320-340 hectares. The Baux valley boasts beautiful wild countryside (and coach-loads of tourists), several rich individual reds and full dry rosés. Here Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon harmoniously collide alongside Grenache and Mourvèdre...
At the end of May 2003, I was invited to be a taster on one of three juries at an annual competition, the Prix Noël Michelin. Here I joined French wine journalists, sommeliers and winemakers and was confronted by a rather strange scoring system, linguistically poetic and at the same time mathematically complex (how French). I was on the red panel, and the results said interesting things about national palates. I didn’t score the winner, Domaine de la Vallongue, particularly well using a silly system that allocates over half the marks to appearance and nose. However, my favourite (unfortunately the identity of this and the other 10 wines tasted blind were never revealed to me) did also feature strongly in most of the panel’s top 3. So I’ve reverted to the usual method and scoring system for my tasting notes - click on the Cité des Baux shot - which shed a degree of new light on the wines.
Over lunch following the competition, we also tried several different wines including older vintages. The best reds do age well and may justify the high prices les Baux commands, but others need to work harder to convince at this price level. Nevertheless, overall they have something very interesting here. The white wines are currently classified as Appellation Contrôlée Coteaux d’Aix-en-Provence, and the growers talked about moves to lobby for AC Baux status for them. When I'd first heard about this, I thought it a cynical attempt to flesh out the prices of the generally average AC whites; or at the very least a dilution of their terroir (it seems best expressed by the reds). However, the producers want to base it, if it happens, on the Marsanne and Roussanne varieties - not permitted for AC wines at the moment - and Sémillon. Tasting some of the complex, barrel-fermented Vins de Pays made from these grapes confirms their potential, and a worthy improvement on Grenache Blanc, Rolle and Clairette blends.
The majority of estates in les Baux are farmed organically, and one, Château Romanin by biodynamic principles (see my article on Château Falfas for details on this). Others tasted and worth visiting are Mas de la Dame, Olivier d’Auge, Domaine de Lauzières, Jean-André Charial, Mas Sainte-Berthe, Château d’Estoublon, Château Dalmeran, Domaine Hauvette, Mas de Gourgonnier, Domaine de Terres Blanches and Domaine de la Vallongue.

Tasting notes etc. coming soon...