Roussillon: La Préceptorie de Centernach, St-Arnac

For your pure enjoyment, here are some tasting notes on a few well-shaped white and red, dry & sweet, wines from man of nature Vincent Legrand (pictured right). La Préceptorie covers some 40 ha/100 acres (that's a lot of ploughing) producing mostly Vin de Pays wines in all colours (5700 cases) followed by AOC Roussillon styles and 2000 cases of small bottles of luscious Maury. I tasted these in March 2007 along with Domaine de la Rectorie's (see 'R' under winery A to Z) range (see below, they work together) at their Argeles warehouse and office:

2006 Coume Marie Réserve l'Almandin, Côtes du Roussillon blanc (Grenache Gris Macabeu 14.5%) - barrel sample: milky and juicy with fresh mineral length, the high alcohol and light wood toast aren't very noticeable and should integrate nicely. 87-89
2006 Les Terres Nouvelles Réserve l'Almandin "écrits de lumière", vin de pays Côtes Catalanes blanc (Grenache Gris 13.5%) - barrel sample: delicious flowery white peach aromas with very light creamy tones, fresh bite v power and poise. 88-90
2005 Zoé vin de pays Côtes Catalanes rouge (Syrah 13.5%) - nice juicy black cherry fruit with fragrant spicy edges, attractive full palate v light dry bite. 87-89
2005 Coume Marie, Côtes du Roussillon rouge (14.5%) - richer and more structured but still has fragrant black cherry and spice, quite brawny v tangy fresh fruit. 89-91
2005 Cuvée Aurélie Pereira de Abreu, Maury (Grenache & Carignan 17.5%) - youthful aromas and flavours, shows enticing lush peppery blackberry fruit with lightly savoury leather notes; the alcohol's a bit obvious at the moment but it has attractive sweet texture, bite and finish. 90

Centernach near Maury: 1 Route de Lansac, 66220 St-Arnac. Tel: 04 68 81 02 94 / 06 82 67 04 17, legrandvin@wanadoo.fr. See La Rectorie below for more web contacts. Summer 2009: Vincent Legrand is no longer at La Préceptorie, update to follow...

Roussillon: Château Valmy, Argelès-sur-Mer

The road up to Martine and Bernard Carbonnell's remarkable Bavarian/Disney-esque castle cum winery & hotel is well signposted off the Argelès bypass, but you absolutely could not miss it (even if it was dark and you were wearing sunglasses...). Perched up on a hill and surrounded by neatly terraced cascading vineyards, the Carbonnells have spent a fortune restoring this old family estate. Bernard started by replanting all the vineyards in the 1990s, building a show-piece glass-inner-walled cellar with tasting bar and finally had the peeling château itself renovated. They now offer five sumptuous and well-equipped guest rooms that retain a certain timeless Old World charm; priced from €150 to €350 depending on time of year, size and meal options (it's not open in the winter by the way).
As for the wines, I found them attractive and well-made although a bit over-glossy and lacking substance given the quite high prices they charge (€8 to €16); then again, most of the vines are still young so the wines should gain more depth in time. They currently produce about 70,000 bottles and "need to get to 100K to really be profitable, in terms of the investments made," taking a long-term view like so many who believe in the Roussillon's quality future and have gambled a lot of money on it. The whole set-up is clearly geared to getting numbers of wine tourists to come to them, and why not when you have an extraordinary estate like this in a superb location? And it appears to be paying off: Martine said they now sell around 60% of production on-site, way above the average; and it's a great place for them to entertain their trade customers too.

These wines tasted in March 2007:
2005 Valmy rosé (Syrah Grenache Mourvèdre) – fruity chunky and rounded with quite fresh length; good but looking a little old, look forward to trying the 06. 85
2005 Les Roses Blanches de Valmy (Viognier Marsanne Grenache blanc) – pretty toasty (fermented in oak) but does has nice aromatic apricot notes and creamy full palate too. 85
2004 Côtes du Roussillon rouge (Syrah Grenache Mourvèdre) – attractive creamy blackcurrant and raspberry fruit, soft and ripe with dry bite and subtle finish. 83-85
2004 Le Premier de Valmy, Côtes du Roussillon (Syrah Grenache Mourvèdre) - coconut spice dominates the nose (14 months in oak), quite lush with elegant fruit texture, dry v rounded then tighter finish. Quite good but €16? 87
2004 Valmya Rivesaltes Grenat VDN (Grenache) – enticing blackberry/cherry nose moves on to savoury v dark chocolate and wild fruit flavours; nice balance of tannin texture, sweetness and alcohol. 89
2005 L'Or de Valmy, Muscat de Rivesaltes (Muscat petits grains) – delicious floral honeyed nose, fruity and rich palate with lively finish showing roundness and freshness. 87

Chemin de Valmy, 66700 Argelès-sur-Mer. Tel: 04 68 81 25 70 / 04 68 95 95 25, contact@chateau-valmy.com/ chateau.valmy@tiscali.fr, www.chateau-valmy.com

Organically focused on Corsica: Abbatucci & Granajolo

Corsica was one of my three main themes to stay organically focused at the Millésime Bio 2007 showcase, held in Narbonne (Languedoc) a few days ago (the other two were Alsace and Tuscany: that link takes you to the other two-thirds of the wines on WineWriting.com). Read my reports on Millésime Bio 2006 and 2005 for a slightly less eclectic selection of wines and comments on organic viticulture. Plus winners (honoured or should've been) and views from last year's Signature Bio competition.

CORSICA

Okay, there were only two estates from Beauty Island at the MB show - maybe the only ones farmed organically? - so hardly representative. Domaine Comte Abbatucci is now run according to biodynamic principles: whatever the methods, it's recognised as one of the best producers, which I agree with wholeheartedly. Jean-Charles Abbatucci has been experimenting with 18 previously vanished Corsican varieties with some interesting results - see my notes on his 2006 white vat samples. And his red Faustine blend is delicious: he had three different vintages at the tasting.
On the other hand, Domaine de Granajolo perhaps exemplifies the disappointment I've felt before with Corsican wines - admittedly it's been a few years since I've been there though. Or their reds at least, which lack real ripeness and generosity. I'm not sure why: are the varieties planted in the wrong sites or the growing techniques unsuitable or do they just pick too early? Either way, when will Corsica as a whole fulfil what appears to be such great potential? While you're mulling over these cumbersome questions, enjoy the wines:

Comte Abbatucci - Casalabriva

2006 Vermentinu (tank sample) - nice concentration v aromatic fruit, zesty v ripe and rounded; unusual. 87-89
2006 rosé (tank sample: Barbarossa Sciacarellu) - floral redcurrant, very zesty with nice extract and fresh length. 87-89
2006 white blend 1 (I didn't write the grape names down and couldn't find them on their website) - banana and peach notes lead to a creamy concentrated palate and fresh length; interesting. 87+
2006 white blend 2 - zesty extract v rich fruit, quite yeasty at the moment yet should be good. 87+
2005 cuvée Faustine, Ajaccio AOC (Sciacarellu Niellucciu and a touch of old vine Carignan) - smoky ripe Italianesque raisin and liquorice fruit, soft fruity mouth-feel v quite firm and fresh, nice power v elegance. 89-91
2004 cuvée Faustine (Sciacarellu Niellucciu and a touch of old vine Carignan) - less smoky, more structured yet similar in character, nice grip v ripeness. 90-92
2003 cuvée Faustine (Sciacarellu Niellucciu and a touch of old vine Carignan) - more developed and complex on the nose, quite rich 'tar' tones v firm and fresh, power v lovely fruit. 92

By the way, if you're feeling well-off, you can drink Abbatucci's wines in Gordon Ramsay's London restaurants.
ABBATUCCI WINES TASTED PREVIOUSLY (biodynamic wines report May 2006).

Domaine de Granajolo - Ste Lucie de Porto-Vecchio

2005 blanc, Corse Porto-Vecchio AOC - fresh perfumed and zesty with lemon and banana notes, tight steely finish. 87
2005 cuvée Monika rosé (Niellucciu) - nice creamy fruit showing toffee-like edges v tart raspberry flavours, weighty v appealing freshness. 87
2003 cuvée Monika rouge (Syrah Niellucciu) - herbal red pepper tones v rustic richness, tannins are a bit hard but this has more generous fruit than the two 04 reds I tried. 83-85

LATEST ON GRANAJOLO HERE (profile, 2009 reds and 2011 white and rosé...)

Roussillon: La Coume du Roy, Maury

The de Volontat-Bachelet family has a shop down on the main road coming into Maury, but the real fun goes on in the cellar up the hill. At least, fun to watch Jean-Francois ("a bit crazy") clamber around behind and on top of huge old casks drawing off samples of different ages and styles of Maury wines, and tasting them just as they come - the vintage dates below are correct by the way. He amusingly described himself as "only the husband and winemaker, my wife's (Agnès) the owner," who is in fact the sixth generation owner of these cramped cellars (built in 1932) and 25 ha (62 acres) that provide those precious grapes.There are essentially two styles of Maury - on a basic level: in reality, there are almost as many as any producer wishes to make! (Same principle for Banyuls, more or less) - both using mainly the same variety: Grenache noir (and Macabeu, Grenache blanc and/or Grenache gris for the rarer white). The more (or less) oxidised, aged one where (for red) the grapes undergo a 4-5 day maceration on skins (or less even) and short fermentation to obtain colour and desired sugar level, then are pressed and the juice fortified with spirit (leaving about 100 grams/litre residual sugar). The other style is said to date from around the mid 1980s: "muté sur grains," meaning the entire must with the berries macerating in it is fortified, stopping fermentation with around 80-85 g/l RS; followed by 2 to 4 weeks maceration on the skins before pressing (avoiding oxidation), which gives much richer colour and tannins. This type of Banyuls is sometimes bottled relatively soon, depending on the exact style you want - after a period in vat or filled-up barriques - and sometimes aged a little longer in bottle before release (so, technically similar to Vintage or Late Bottled Vintage Port, depending on if and how long in barrel). Whereas the traditional approach is to mature it in vats and/or large old casks, and usually not topped up, or even glass demijohns outside, to promote oxidation, like e.g. Banyuls "Grand Cru" or Tawny Port styles.
Coume du Roy also make Muscat de Rivesaltes and a little Côtes du Roussillon Villages red. As for Maury, there's often a story behind each of the great vintages kept back and when they're transferred from cask. There's still a tiny bit left of the original 1880 (see note below); the 1939 was replaced by the 2000, their daughter's birth date; the 01 with the 98, the year they took over the property etc. Apparently up to 10% of the wine is lost per year in evaporation. Apart from doing 35 wine shows in France every year, Jean-Francois is active in the US, Japan, Belgium and Denmark. They also "sell a lot to British tourists but very little in the UK," he said, proving that people do like unfamiliar wines once they've tried them. 

Tasted 4th Sept 2006:
2004 Maury from vat ('muté sur grain') - lovely spicy blackberry fruit, aromatic and rich with light leather notes; power v sweetness v nice bite. €10 87+
2004 Maury from vat (traditional) - more subdued with more chocolate and leather, lighter palate with alcohol and sugar less integrated at this stage.
1998 ('muté sur grain') - browning colour, nice pecan and caramel notes turning into richer pruney fruit tinged with Madeira-type complexity; wild mint edges mix with lush sweetness v tannin dryness, plus oily pure fruit finish. €12.40 50cl 90-92
1932 - orangey brown, very interesting volatile Madeira-type nose with toffee and orange peel edges; the 16.6% alcohol seems more obvious here, but this is delicious with its savoury v sweet, old yet youthful class. €190 50cl 95+
1880 - wow: liquid treacle, dark and thick; very volatile with coconut notes, incredibly rich molasses and caramelised raisins with dense lush finish; extraordinary stuff, seems pathetically futile to give it a score!

Tasted Feb 2007:
2003 Maury (17%) - enticing developing savoury leather notes on top of spicy liquorice and prune, rich earthy chocolate palate with nice bite of tannins and alcohol keeping check on the sweetness. Drinking now but plenty of life in it yet. 90+

13 Route de Cucugnan, 66460 Maury. Tel: 04 68 59 67 58, mobile 06 86 49 39 52, 04 68 59 02 11 (shop); www.lacoumeduroy.com

Fitou splits from Languedoc

This story was posted on www.decanter.com on 1/12/2006.

The entire Fitou appellation and its producers have left the CIVL, the regional association of Languedoc wineries. When revealing export marketing budgets at the CIVL’s AGM in Narbonne, Fitou’s letter of resignation was also conspicuously on the agenda.

The move towards a single, united wine trade federation called Inter-Sud - combining CIVL, CIVR (Roussillon), Inter-Oc (vin de pays d’Oc) and ANIVIT (vins de pays & table) - has been too slow for some members. The concept of managing and promoting the whole region as ‘South of France’ was agreed a year ago and the Inter-Sud charter signed in June this year. Jean-Marc Astruc, Fitou winegrowers’ president, commented: “If we want to do this, we have to do it quickly. Everyone is talking about unity but people are dragging their feet.” Katie Jones, export manager at Mont Tauch, the progressive co-operative based in Tuchan and major player in Fitou production, added: “we’re committed to South of France, it’s a fantastic idea. The CIVL was just one level too much…”

“The reason why Fitou left is because what we were paying in was too much compared to what we got out of it,” clarified Astruc. “The administrative structure was too expensive and Fitou wasn’t very visible,” he added. “South of France is simple, clear and easier for the consumer. There’s no point in paying to complicate.” Philippe Coste, CIVL president, endorsed reducing the timescale: “we must make this happen over the next year, especially with the Languedoc regional AOC; how can we if we’re still each doing our own thing?”

South of France earmarks €7 million for export

An edited version of this news item was posted on www.decanter.com on 25/11/2006.

Ambitious plans were announced by Languedoc wine producers at their recent AGM in Narbonne. In an unprecedented move to boost export sales, around half of the overall €15 million budget has been allocated to key European, North American and Far East markets. The total pot consolidates funds from the CIVL (Languedoc wineries’ association), CIVR (Roussillon) and Inter-Oc (vin de pays) into the new Inter-Sud super-body, which will promote all the region’s wines as South of France/Sud de France. These joint funds have been matched by the Languedoc-Roussillon regional parliament thus doubling the projected budget, which will be spent on PR, supermarket promotions, on-trade events and trade & consumer wine shows. The export share has also been split 50-50 between ‘mature’ – the UK, Germany, Netherlands, Belgium and Denmark – and ‘developing’ markets – the US, Japan and Canada. Currently 35% of Languedoc appellation wines are exported and 57% of vin de pays d’Oc.

Progress towards creating one united wine trade federation in the South has been gathering momentum since the InterSud constitution was signed in June. However, legal and administrative fine detail appears to be slowing down the process, despite, on the whole, vocal support throughout the region. Government representative Eugène Julien described all the existing organisations as “a luxury” re-emphasising the need for “one cohesive body, very quickly too.” A further setback could be the delay in Paris ratifying the new cross-regional Languedoc AOC, which forms an essential part of marketing strategy and has been agreed by the INAO (national body controlling appellations). An unnamed commentator mentioned “rumours in the corridors of the Ministry” of possible problems ahead. Another unsettling development is the shock resignation of Fitou from the CIVL in October: it’s not yet clear whether they intend to be part of InterSud.

Languedoc: Domaine Lerys, Fitou

Domaine Lerys

A serene daytrip back in late September 2006, taking in the wine villages of western Fitou country, set the scene ruggedly for discovering three wineries, one big (Cave de Mont Tauch) and two (Bertrand-Bergé and this one, obviously) small... Maguy and Alain Izard farm 45 "low-yielding" hectares (110 acres) around the pretty lost village of Villeneuve; they also do chambres d'hôte with two rooms above their nice shop, one double and one family with a terrace.

2003 Fitou tradition (Carignan Grenache, 13.5%) - perfumed and pure, liquorice and pepper fruit with light rustic notes; firm tannins v ripeness, elegant bite and length. €6.20 87-89
2003 Fitou Prestige (Carignan Grenache Syrah) - more floral and herby followed by nice black fruit, firmer and more austere with lightly bitter bite; structured finish with coating of tannins. €7.30 88-90
2001 Fitou Fût de Chêne (Carignan Syrah) - coconut spice with nice fruit underneath, layered tannins with long bite; attractive but would be better with less oak. €7.70
Rivesaltes (Grenache blanc & gris) - appealingly oxidised walnut and toffee notes, quite subtle freshness v sweetness. €6.20 87+



Latest HERE - 2012 Fitou report featuring their 2008 vintage.


11360 Villeneuve-les-Corbières

Roussillon: Domaine Fontanel, Tautavel/Estagel

Laid-back Pierre and Marie-Claude Fontaneil (not a spelling mistake) have 25 ha (62 acres) around Tautavel, where their small yet soon-to-expand winery is found, and 10 ha (25 acres) in the village commune of Maury. I like those traditional village cellars found on a narrow residential street like any other, where you just walk in as if you were going into a large garage. The domaine was set up in 1989, before that the two families were cooperative growers. Their focus is red, mostly Roussillon AOC wines, producing around 10,000 cases in total per year, 80% of which is exported particularly to Asia and the Far East. In the UK, the wines are listed by Stone, Vine & Sun and Indigo Wine.

Tasted 5th Sept 2006:
2004 Côtes du Roussillon rouge (Grenache Syrah Carignan, 14%) - smoky black cherry with minty notes, elegant fruit despite fair concentration and weight, tight fresh finish v dry coating of tannins. 87
2003 Tradition Côtes du Roussillon Villages (Grenache Syrah Carignan, 13.5%) - firm and a bit closed up, subtle ripe fruit underneath; attractive tannin texture, needs 6-12 months to express itself as it's concentrated and structured. 89+
2004 Prieuré Côtes du Roussillon Villages Tautavel (Syrah Mourvèdre Grenache) - elegant perfumed nose and black cherry fruit, good grip and length. 89-91
1997 Rivesaltes Ambré (Grenache blanc & gris, 16.5%) - appealing mix of aged toffee notes and mature cheese complexity, finishing with fresh long bite. 88-90
2002 Maury (Grenache, 16%) - deliciously concentrated spicy blackberry and liquorice fruit, nice grip bite and power on the finish; not so sweet. 90-92

25 Avenue Jean Jaurès, 66720 Tautavel (cellar address, from April to October) or 37-39 Avenue du Docteur Torreilles, Estagel (shop open all year round 10am to 7pm). Tel: 04 68 29 04 71, 04 68 29 45 21; domainefontanel@hotmail.com, http://www.domainefontanel.com/.

Mediterranean Jazz 3-6 August

Château l'Hospitalet, part of the energetic Gérard Bertrand empire located in the unfortunately named La Clape wine area near Narbonne, is hosting wine tasting jazz concerts over the next few days. Artists include Nicole Croisille on Thursday 3rd, on Friday 4th the Louis Martinez Quintet  with Charlie & Sourisse, Sat 5th: Guy Marchand with 'Amor y Perfidia' and a homage to Frank Sinatra with the Big Brass Band on Sunday 6th August.
The 'Jazz in l'Hospitalet' shows start at 10pm (it'll be nice and cool by then) with tickets priced at 25 €uros (hopefully including some wine!). Ring (+33) 04 68 45 36 00 for more info and booking, or the town hall on 04 68 90 30 30 or check out their site www.gerard-bertrand.com. Château l'Hospitalet also has 22 rooms in its on-site Hôtel Mona Lisa plus two restaurants: l'Olivet and La Grange; phone + 33 (0)4 68 45 28 50 or fax : + 33 (0)4 68 45 28 78.

Languedoc: Château de Sérame, Corbières/Minervois

Château de Sérame

"...Delving deeper into the Corbières, this huge region has been witnessing an impressive transformation with several very serious investors on the scene. Château de Sérame is an extensive property straddling both Corbières and Minervois, who went into partnership with Bordeaux magnate Dourthe four years ago. With 120 hectares in production and 10 being replanted every year, “our aim is benchmark wines” commented winemaker Vincent Bernard..." Read the rest of this article for more info (scroll down to OLN 2006).
Tasted July 2006:
2003 Minervois (Syrah Grenache Carignan Mourvèdre) - warm blackberry and liquorice fruit with light toasty oak, slightly 'reductive' tang and complexity; nice soft-ish texture v depth of fruit, weight (13.5%) and chocolate coating; quite big yet the fruit wins the day. 87-89
2004 Minervois (Syrah Grenache Carignan Mourvèdre) - touch more vanilla but also lively floral spice notes; attractive juicy v fresh and tight mouthfeel, enough black cherry fruit to absorb the choco oak; more elegant and perfumed than the 2003. 89+
2004 Corbières (variation of same grapes) - tighter more blackcurranty fruit, again very light oak and reductive notes; nice concentration v firm tannins, elegant and long; needs a little time to express itself. 87-89
2003 L’Icone Corbières - powerful barrel-fermented, limited series red: pretty rich, spicy and toasty nose leads to very concentrated choco palate, sweet fruit v solid rounded mouthfeel, actually 15% but not so obvious. Quite wow Parker-esque style (sorry Robert for that sweeping comment), not sure I'd want to drink more than a glass. 90 (purely as a 'show' wine)


Domaine de Sérame
2005 Merlot Réserve, Vin de pays d'Oc - appealing plum and cherry aromas with very background oak, good varietal character; aromatic v chunky, attractive style. 87-89
2005 Cabernet Sauvignon Réserve, Vin de pays d'Oc - quite tangy and tight, perhaps bottle-shocked needing a few months; it does say Cab with less charm than the Merlot, maybe an awkward adolescence...
2005 Viognier Réserve, Vin de pays d'Oc - delicious floral apricot notes, gummy and fresh v fatter 'sweet' fruit, clean long finish. 87-89
2005 Muscat sec Réserve, Vin de pays d'Oc - sexy pure piercing orange peel and grape aromas build to a very zesty palate, 13.5% adds weight yet it's long and fine. 90

Latest vintages tasted here (Corbières report May 2011).


North of Lézignan: www.chateaudeserame.com