Roussillon: Domaine du Mas Rous, Montesquieu-des-Albères

Domaine du Mas Rous
Mas Rous stretches across 38 hectares (95 acres) in a beautiful spot snuggling up to the Albères hills along the border with Spain, roughly between Le Boulou and Collioure. Tender loving care of vines and winemaking is provided by José Pujol, aided by his wife, who took over this family-owned estate some thirty years ago. I tasted these three wines at this year's Vinisud wine show (Montpellier, Feb. 2008); more stuff to follow when I get round to visiting them.
2006 Tradition Côtes du Roussillon (Syrah Carignan Mourvèdre Grenache 13.5%) - lovely liquorice and black cherry fruit, peppery and lively mouth-feel set on a backdrop of chunky tannins. 87+
2003 Cuvée Côtes du Roussillon (Syrah Mourvèdre Carignan 13%) - nice mature leather-tinged fruit with 'sweet' v savoury edges; ripe and rounded palate v smoky meaty tones, well-balanced dry grip v fullness to finish. 89
2004 Cabernet Sauvignon Vin de Pays des Côtes Catalanes (13.5%) - not bad actually (considering Cabernet isn't always very successful in this region): a bit stalky to start yet becomes more savoury and cassis in flavour, quite concentrated too. 87

Mas Rous, 66740 Montesquieu des Albères. Tel: 04 68 89 64 91.

Roussillon: Clos Saint Georges, Trouillas

Claude and Dominique Ortal's extensive 60 hectare (150 acre) estate lies tucked away in the open rolling countryside between the villages of Trouillas and Pollestres (south of Perpignan), not far from Château La Casenove. The initial, slightly alarming 'alterations' to the landscape, caused by nearby work on the new Perpignan to Barcelona TGV line, have now grown back and settled in while providing Saint Georges with a new road, signpost and large roundabout to conveniently slow people down so they notice it!
Saint Georges makes quite a big range of different local styles - including rosé, vins de pays varietals, traditional fortified Muscat and Rivesaltes - out of which their cru red Les Aspres cuvée is a real highlight (see below), which they don't make very much of. This Roussillon sub-appellation has its critics and supporters (click here and scroll down to "Straining at the Leash...", or browse through other estates in this area on these Roussillon pages for more on that): the Ortals are vociferously in the latter camp and it shows in their wines. I talked to and tasted with Claude at this year's Vinisud wine show (Montpellier, Feb. 2008), this is what he said: "We talked about it (Les Aspres) and did research for ten years parcel by parcel. Renou (the former head of France's AOC regulatory watchdog who sadly died a couple of years ago) thought it was the only AOC that fitted his new ideas on appellations. Things might change as we'd felt left out of the whole cru thing. It's a shame some aren't supporting it."
2003 Cuvée de Pierre Côtes du Roussillon Les Aspres (2/3 Syrah 1/3 Grenache) - attractive mix of rustic and inky fruit v lush and vibrant flavours; nice grip of textured tannins layered with maturing fruit richness. 89+
2005 Cuvée de Pierre Côtes du Roussillon Les Aspres (2/3 Syrah 1/3 Grenache) - richer and riper fruit than the 03, less smoky and developed too with more minty spicy characters; very nice wine, shows promise. 90+

Clos Saint Georges, 66300 Trouillas. Tel: 04 68 21 61 46, clortal@wanadoo.fr, www.clos-saint-georges.com.

Languedoc: Les Caves de Sieur d'Arques, Limoux

Les Caves de Sieur d'Arques

One of the biggest and most enterprising co-op cellars in the Languedoc (for example, they supply the wine for Gallo's hit US brand called Red Bicyclette, although they did allegedly get their fingers burnt over a certain "Pinot Noir" cum Merlot wine!), who produce very nice examples despite the substantial volume of the whole variety of Limoux styles. Recommended sparkling wines include their Bulle de Blanquette Brut, aged in bottle on the yeast lees for 24 months, and stylish Crémant de Limoux rosé (see tasting notes below, sampled at Vinisud Montpellier February 2008). They also do guided tours around their enormous factory-like winery and show a touristy film, which is nevertheless interesting to see how the local fizz is produced on a large scale compared to the family-run estates featured in this guide. See below under Domaine Fourn for a bit of blurb on the production of the different Limoux sparklings. Caves Sieur's still Limoux wines come from four separate vineyard areas and are also worth a taste: the best ones are arguably from La Haute Vallée, higher altitude plantings that help express more finesse perhaps.

Bulle de Blanquette Brut (Mauzac Chenin Chardy 12.5% alc, 24 months lees ageing) - elegant toasty/yeasty aromas, quite rich honeyed mouth-feel with crisp backdrop and a bit of class too. 89-91
2005 Crémant de Limoux Brut (15 months ageing) - finer in a way and more floral, less textured though with light honeyed fruit then subtle refreshing finish. 87-89
Bulle de Crémant rosé (same plus a bit of Pinot Noir) - touches of red fruits with toasted-bready undercurrents, nice mouth-feel with crisp intense length. 89+
Méthode Ancestrale tradition (100% Mauzac 6.5%) - quite sweet yet refreshing with oily developing fruit, a bit odd although nice. 85+


UPDATE: latest Sd'A wines and vintages are here (Limoux report, April 2011).


Avenue de Carcassonne, 11303 Limoux. Tel: 04 68 74 63 00, www.sieurdarques.com.

Languedoc: Domaine Stella Nova, Pézenas

A winemaking consultancy team called Natolix headed up by Jean Natoli, who created the well-regarded www.oenoconseil.fr, had a stand at this year's Vinisud wine show in Montpellier, where they lined up a wide selection of their clients' wines on tasting. They work with some of the leading estates in the Languedoc, and I've picked one of my favourites below with a bit of info about this equally well-known estate winery. It may or may not be worth adding that I found a few others, which didn't exactly set the world alight or were a bit heavy-handed on the winemaking front with some of the wines swamped in chocolatey new oak. And one particular white was corked but already sampled, rather inexcusable considering the stand was full of highly qualified winemakers who should have checked every bottled opened...
Anyway, enough of the cheeky telling-off, here's one of their seductive reds from Domaine Stella Nova plus a bit of blurb about them:

Philippe Richy is yet another refugee Paris businessman who packed his bags and headed south, learned about vines and wine and in 2002 purchased vineyards near Caux, in the new Pézenas subzone. He's also converting the estate over to biodynamic farming methods, man.


2004 Les Pléiades rouge Coteaux du Languedoc (Syrah Grenache Mourvèdre) - very lush and extracted but it has lovely ripe resiny fruit on top of those BIG tannins and powerful finish. €13.50 90


546 Route d’Usclas, 34230 Paulhan. Tel: 04.67.00.10.76, www.stellanova.fr.

Languedoc: Le Prieuré Saint Sever

A winemaking consultancy team called Natolix headed up by Jean Natoli, who created the well-regarded www.oenoconseil.fr, had a stand at this year's Vinisud wine show in Montpellier, where they lined up a wide selection of their clients' wines on tasting. They work with some of the leading estates in the Languedoc, and I've picked one of my favourites below with a bit of info about this equally well-known estate winery. It may or may not be worth adding that I found a few others, which didn't exactly set the world alight or were a bit heavy-handed on the winemaking front with some of the wines swamped in chocolatey new oak. And one particular white was corked but already sampled, rather inexcusable considering the stand was full of highly qualified winemakers who should have checked every bottled opened... Anyway, enough of the cheeky telling-off, here's one of their seductive reds:


Le Prieuré Saint Sever


Thierry Rodriguez is a winemaker and broker specialising in sourcing top end Languedoc wines for export and also owns Mas Gabinèle, a 10 hectare (25 acre) vineyard in the Faugères appellation, and a rather smart-looking holiday gite too.
2007 Basalte cuvée Stratagème Coteaux du Languedoc (Syrah Grenache) - rich dark colour and fruit profile, perfumed herbal and mineral in style with bitter chocolate and fig undertones; subtle length and freshness too, again somewhat different and rather good although not for everyone this one. €9 90-92

Campagne de Veyran, 34490 Causses et Veyran. Tel: 04 67 89 71 72, www.prieuresaintsever.com.

Languedoc: Domaine de Familongue, Terrasses du Larzac

Domaine de Familongue

Martine and Jean Luc Quinquarlet's recently created estate is located 30km west of Montpellier and grows vines and olive trees side by side, the former classified under the new Terrasses du Larzac Languedoc subzone.

2006 Le Carignan de Familongue Vin de pays Mont Baudile - almost reduced in character but in a complex way, showing tangy cassis and liquorice fruit; tight palate with a dry coating of attractive tannins and underlying fresh acidity too, it's different for sure. €6 87-89

3 Rue Familongue, 34725 Saint André de Sangonis. Tel: 04 67 57 59 71, www.domainedefamilongue.fr.

Roussillon: Domaine Pechpeyrou, Banyuls-sur-mer

Domaine Pechpeyrou

Bertrand de Guitaut, who started Pechpeyrou in that year-of-heat 2003, makes slightly eccentric wines in the micro-winery underneath his house above Banyuls town (you're not allowed to build a cellar on farm land i.e. next to the vineyard, stupid rules huh), using grapes sourced from his tiny 1.7 ha of vineyards (about 4 acres) to produce a grand total of 3000 bottles. One parcel is located on the way towards the Col de Banyuls, the thrilling little 'road' that climbs over the pass into Spain behind the town, which is 100m higher top to bottom and planted with mostly red Grenache and Carignan & Mourvèdre (see sample 1 below) plus a couple of white varieties (mainly Grenache gris and blanc), all mixed together. The other overlooks the sea and contains a bit of clay in the soil, planted with red Grenache (sample 2) and again a few whites.
Bertrand thinks: "it's the best way to go for Collioure and Banyuls if you have small plots, by naming each cuvée after the parcel, or its Catalan name, like a 'clos' in Burgundy" (where he's from originally). In addition, he follows organic growing methods, thanks largely to "300 windy days a year" making mildew and oidium less of a threat. In 2007 for example (I visited in the spring), "I only applied sulphur (treatments) twice." Anyway, I tasted the following wines in his not-quite-finished cellar down below and panoramic kitchen upstairs.

2006 red (vat sample 1, no sulphur dioxide) – lovely rich black fruits and olives, very lively and fresh yet quite lush and powerful with subtle grip and length; fine v fruity with attractive dry coating. 88-90
2006 red (cask sample 2, made in 5th-fill barriques and not de-stemmed) – less open than above but still showing richer dark chocolate tones suffused with very subtle spicy oak, firmly structured and dry v rounded mouth-feel with nice depth of fruit; finally closes up a bit on a solid peppery and fresh finish. 90-92
2006 white 1 (from both parcels, part barrel-fermented separately) – lovely fragrant honeysuckle and apricot with very light coconut spice, slightly oxidised nutty side too; powerful finish (16% alc!) with a little residual sugar remaining.
2006 white 2 (with first pressings from sea-facing parcel, just GG & GB) – less exotic and spicier with again honeysuckle and peach tones, quite rich v citrus zest on the palate. 89+
2006 white 3 – ("bottom of the vat mixed with barrique wine") – spicy cider notes v fatter apricot and toasted nuts, attractive texture v freshness as well.
These three white samples will probably end up as one blend...
2005 Capa Casa, vin de table blanc (blend of vat and barrique wine, 15%) - lightly fizzy with orangey colour; nutty toffee fruit enhanced by honeysuckle and dried apricots, spritzy fresh bite v weighty mouth-feel, slightly yeasty tanginess in a Fino kind of way yet not oxidised. Odd but it works, try it with anchovies, marinated grilled peppers, goats cheese etc. 87-89
2005 Soula d'en Couvartet, Collioure rouge (14.5%) - dark cherries and elderberries with chocolate tones, aromatic and fruity with liquorice richness v dry finish and solid structure; nice balance between fruit, tannins and freshness on the finish. 88-90

The above 2005 Soula tasted again at Millésime Bio wine show, Jan. 2008 - herby spicy floral red fruits lead on to a lusher raisiny palate, finishing with leather v wild herb tones. Quirky but good. 90

12 Les Hauts de Marisol, 66650 Banyuls-sur-Mer. Tel: 04 68 82 57 24, mobile: 06 70 76 22 76, bertrand.evelyne@wanadoo.fr.

Roussillon: Château de l'Ou, Montescot

Château de l'Ou

Philippe Bourrier has 24 organically farmed (for ten years) hectares (60 acres) of vines with two more close to being officially certified. L'Ou's wines, which I think means egg in Catalan (which does feature on some of their labels so could be a good guess), are sold about 50-50 in France and abroad - email them for more details if you're interested in trying them in your neck of the woods. Yet another Roussillon estate I haven't got around to visiting, but I've tried their wines and met the people on a few occasions (wines below gleaned from two Millésime Bio events: click here for more on the 2006 edition) and find them pretty good overall. You'll find the Bourriers in-situ just out of the quiet village (like most of them around here) of Montescot, off the main road heading for Elne or Argeles.

This first one was gleaned from this year's Millésime Bio wine fair (Perpignan Jan. 2008):

2006 Côtes du Roussillon rouge (mostly Syrah Grenache) - nice tart black cherry fruit with spicy liquorice edges; grippy coating of tannins with powerful finish, closes up a little but shows promise. 88-90

And in 2006:

2002 L'Harmonie (Syrah, Grenache & Carignan) - soft and forward, mature fruit set against more structured finish; good for 2002. 85+
2005 Côtes du Roussillon (from barrique) (Syrah & Grenache) - shows lovely depth of black fruits and spices, long elegant finish; promising. 87-90

LATEST L'OU HERE (updated May 2012)


Domaine du Lac, 66200 Montescot.
Tel: 04 68 54 68 67, chateaudelou66@orange.fr.

Languedoc: Domaine Canet Valette, Saint-Chinian

Domaine Canet Valette

One forgotten yet plush red (re)discovered from the tasting table at Millésime Bio organic wine show held in Perpignan back in January 2008. I've tried a couple of more recent vintages of their wines since then, sometime in early 2010 I think, and wasn't so sure about them. Natural classics or faulty and overpriced? Discuss in less than ten words... I'll dig out my notes again, if I can find them, and might add a few inspiring words at some point in the not too distant!
2006 Ivresses... Saint-Chinian (90% Grenache + Syrah Mourvèdre) - ripe lush and vibrant with attractive liquorice and tobacco notes; shows real depth of fruit v big tannins, well balanced despite its power and grip. 90

www.canetvalette.com

UPDATED Jan 2014: see in-depth interview and profile on Marc Valette, with several new and old vintages tasted, in my mega Saint Chinian supplement published HERE.

Roussillon: Domaine Jorel, St-Paul de Fenouillet

Manuel Jorel has seven organically farmed hectares, with three more undergoing 'conversion' (a three year monitored period without synthetic chemicals before being officially certified, so to speak; not that I'm implying that organic growers are mad!), around the village of St-Paul lying on the western side of the stunningly raw Fenouillèdes area. Jorel also makes a lovely Maury fortified VDN wine as well as red & white Vins de Pays; probably because they only have some superb old-vine Grenache (red and white varieties) and Carignan and no Syrah (I'm guessing as I haven't been there yet), meaning the wines don't fit silly AOC CDRV rules. Anyway, some of his cuvées have the name of the parcel it came from, so you can't get much more terroir-ist than that. This one was tasted at Millésime Bio wine show 2008 (Jan. 08 Perpignan):

2005 Pétaillat Vin de Pays des Pyrénées Orientales (Grenache) - attractive 'sweet' and rich liquorice and tobacco aromas/flavours with quite firm-tannined mouth-feel, lovely finish and style. €10 89-91
More Jorel wines filed under Millésime Bio 2006.

28 Rue Arago, 66220 St-Paul de Fenouillet. Tel: 04 68 59 19 31, domainejorel@orange.fr, www.fenouilledes-selection.com.