Wine Focus for October: SW France and Provence!

Here is a wine map of South West France - http://winefolly.com/review/wines-of-southwest-france/ . The unnamed blue areas just to the north of Marcillac along the north bank of the Lot are Entraygues et Fel and Estaing, neither of which I have ever drunk.

And here is a wine map of Languedoc/Roussillon - http://winefolly.com/review/languedoc-r ... ne-region/ . I don't think that it is fully up to date. For example, I don't see Les Terrasses du Larzac, which are now a sub-region in Les Coteaux du Languedoc.

Can't read Tim's post!

[Robin Garr]

Can't read Tim's post!

Can you be any more specific? What do you see?

Here's what I see:

Here is a wine map of South West France - http://winefolly.com/review/wines-of-southwest-france/ . The unnamed blue areas just to the north of Marcillac along the north bank of the Lot are Entraygues et Fel and Estaing, neither of which I have ever drunk.

And here is a wine map of Languedoc/Roussillon - http://winefolly.com/review/languedoc-r ... ne-region/ . I don't think that it is fully up to date. For example, I don't see Les Terrasses du Larzac, which are now a sub-region in Les Coteaux du Languedoc.

Pic Saint-Loup – Languedoc - “Esprit Sauvage” - 2011 – Domaine des Lambrusques – Signatures du Sud – Alc.13.5% - (c.€9), made from Syrah 60% and Grenache 40%.

Colour was deep red. The nose was marked by liquorice on a dark fruit background. The palate was quite powerful, structured and savoury in character with again a strong element of liquorice with red and dark fruit more prominent than on the nose and some Mediterranean herbs and minerals. The finish was quite firm marked by ripe tannins. Good with maybe some development potential but not for the long haul, I think.

I don’t think that I would mistake this for a southern Rhône or a Roussillon wine where the Grenache tends to contribute a sweeter opulence. I don't have the experience to be able to point out terroir differences between Pic St.Loup and other Languedoc appellations. Maybe we'll get the visit of someone who can help.

The eastern part of Languedoc is currently suffering a wave of torrential rain and wild thunder storms with overflowing rivers. The département of le Gard is under red alert and Nîmes is extensively flooded. I guess that most of the grapes have already been harvested so there may be little consequences for the 2014 harvest.

2012 Sentinelle de Massiac, Minervois ($14.99 in upscale shop; alcohol level 14%). It is75% Syrah and 25% Carignan . A lovely wine that was lush and jammy with hints of peppercorn and wild herbs; it was spicy on the palate with a soft minerality, and a nice finish. We matched it with fillet steak in bacon rasher, rubbed with Morton rub and grilled over charcoal and mesquite chips; for sides we had baked sweet potatoes and baby peas.

Here in a wine from Mas de Daumas Gassac, one of pioneers of quality production in Languedoc in the 70s. It also has the peculiarity of using mainly Bordelais grape varieties with 70% CabSauv in its top red (there is just a little Syra (sic) to differentiate it varietally from Bordeaux). In the last decade or so Daumas Gassac is generally considered to have been overtaken by other estates using Mediterranean varieties and thus enjoying the AOP and in IGP/VdP blends (with CabSauv) by Grange des Pères and maybe others.

1990 Mas de Daumas Gassac Vin de Pays de l'Hérault - France, Languedoc Roussillon, Languedoc, Vin de Pays de l'Hérault (10/11/2014)
This wine was undoubtedly very good but I was expecting more given the ambition of its producer and previous experience of Daumas Gassac. Let me try to analyse. Colour, bouquet and palate ticked many boxes. No visual signs of excessive age in the glass. Round quite rich bouquet with some mature fruit and secondary aromas. Medium+ bodied palate with CabSauv character, some depth,more warmth than most Bordeaux, velvety texture, round mature fruit and an excellent balance of graciousness and smooth acidity. However, IMO, the shape on the palate was too up-front to rival the best left-bank clarets, as Aimé Guibert would wish, and I sensed a lack of firmness and grip towards the finish, diminuendo rather than crescendo. I guess this would have been more vibrant a few years ago though I detect no senility. I repeat very good, though.

Posted from CellarTracker

Recent vintage of Daumas Gassac have the appellation IGP Saint-Guilhem-le-Désert.

In Provence, Domaine de Trévallon produces an IGP CabSauv/Syrah blend of very high standard, at least the equal of Daumas Gassac IMO.

In the South-West proper (which for wine purposes does not include Languedoc!), Bordeaux blends are usual in such Bordeaux satellite areas as Bergerac, Duras, Marmandais and Buzet.

Drat, I was getting all excited when i saw title, thought it might be on their white.
I try to pick up when in London.

...and so another red that shows up better on day 2!

TN. 2012 Les Terrasses Regis Boucabeille, Cotes du Roussillon Villages.

14% alc, good natural cork, $24 Cdn, serve slightly chilled, no oak, 50% Grenache, 30% Syrah, 20% Carignan.

Medium depth in color with light purple rim. Typical meaty nose here, blackberry, cherry, not alcoholic, fresh, aromatic, spices
Initial entry is dryish, very berryish, soft tannins, approachable without food. "Juicy, smooth" from across the table. On day 2, very much advanced on the finish, more ripeness with peppery notes.
Excellent with pork tenderloin scallops and creamed penne pasta. This is the only red from Provence I could find up here. Think I might buy one more and see how it developes.

TN. 2012 Les Terrasses Regis Boucabeille, Cotes du Roussillon Villages.

This is the only red from Provence I could find up here.

LOL!!

Robin, having to login on each visit is no hardship but not being able to raise a Smiley is!

Nice wine, Bob. I'll look out for it. That reminds me that I mean to order from Jonathan Hesford now it's autumn but I have nowhere to put the wine.

Here's mine from yesterday, which adds evidence to my contention that Bandol is one of the world's great wines.

1998 Domaine de la Bégude Bandol - France, Provence, Bandol (10/13/2014)
Another lovely Bandol, decidedly one of my favourite wine types. Colour was deep and quite youthful looking. At first both nose and palate were striking but rather simplistic dominated by liquorice and anise notes but these notes rapidly receded into balance with mature dark but bright fruit, Mediterranean herbs and touches of mint. The shape on the palate was classical with a gentle crescendo towards the well supported and sufficiently grippy finish with a nice long tail of aromas. Furthermore it was fuller and more vibrant than the Pibarnons and '97 Tempiers, which have been my most recent previous Bandols. Is this a function of estate style and/or vintage? I don't know. Excellent.

Posted from CellarTracker

Nice one Tim. You seem to have better access to RVF, any chance you could check up on Mas Granier, C du Langudeoc? I have a very nice white here.

IGP Méditerrannée - Expression de Caladoc - 2013 - Boissy & Delaygue - Alc.13% - (€6), made from Caladoc.

How many people here have tasted a wine from the Caladoc grape variety? AFAIK it's a first for me. Indeed I had never heard of it. It is a cross between Grenache and Cabernet Franc.

I would have a hard job distinguishing this from a robust Grenache dominated S.Rhône blend. Colour was an opaque purple tinged dark red. The nose showed tangy sweet red and dark fruit. The palate was full bodied and dense with red and bramble sweet fruit, some spice, dark chocolate and noticeable but ripe tannic backbone. Good for the price point and easy drinking but showing no distinct varietal personality as far as I could detect.

IGP Méditerrannée covers quite a wide area including, in wine terms, Southern Rhône, Provence and Corsica. I have no information from where the grapes here were cultivated. The producer's address is Tulette, near Orange, which may give a clue.

LOL Tim, now including Corsica and S Rhone .

We did a wine dinner this past spring with Brice Jourdan from Chateau L'Argentier. All the wines are tasty and a great value, but this rosé stood out, as I had never seen this grape before.

2013 Château L'Argentier Rose d' Aramon - France, Languedoc Roussillon (10/15/2014)
A unique rosé from Aramon, a grape commonly grown only in the Languedoc. Intensely colored, this wine is as delightful to behold as it is to drink. Tart raspberry and watermelon rind with a dry mineral finish. Lovely pairing with spicy Indian food.

Posted from CellarTracker

Domaine Bru-Bache Jurancon Sec 2010. This is a white wine made from Gros Manseng. I personally really like wines that have a more mineral side. Gros Manseng is certainly off the beaten path. The color is between golden and amber. It smells of apples and melons with definite mineral overtones. It has a nice acid balance and works well with lots of seafood and chicken. This is not your average consumers type of wine as it has no oak and plenty of acid. This is a great educational style wine. If I were teaching a wine appreciation class, this would be on my list.

Les Paissels, St.Chinian 2012
Cherries, quince, licorice, supple tannins with uplifting acidity. Tasty now but definitely a few more years will only make it better. A young enterprise by Vivien Roussignol and Marie Toussaint, this is a winery to watch from Languedoc.

Disclaimer: Imported by Sierra Nevada Imports in which I have a stake.

Here is another white from just north of Languedoc .


2013 Chateau Mourges du Gres Les Galets Dores (Costières de Nîmes, France)
Wine - White $18.99
Costieres de Nimes is an appellation located between the ancient city of Nimes and the western Rhone delta. It is now part of the Rhone wine area and administered by the Rhone Wine committee headquartered in Avignon.

This very Rhone valley charactered white is a blend of Grenache Blanc, Roussanne, and Vermentino. Light yellow with golden reflections. Nose of citrus, orchid, juniper, and flint. Sharp mouthfeel with fleshy fruit. Silky balance and freshness. Good price at just $18 Cdn.

Here is another white from just north of Languedoc .


2013 Chateau Mourges du Gres Les Galets Dores (Costières de Nîmes, France)
Wine - White $18.99

Bob, it is actually in the Gard département which is administratively part of the Languedoc-Roussillon region, so you are within the boundaries .

Morgues de Grès is probably the best regarded estate in the Costières de Nîmes, which is mine of good QPR S.Rhône style blends. Terrible floods in the region recently.

Those who have read my posts though recent years will know that I have become a big fan of Marcillac, which is made from the local grape Masnois (AKA Fer Servadou) and has a character all its own. (To locate the appellation, please consult the map of the South-West to which I posted a link above).

2013 Domaine du Cros (Philippe Teulier) Marcillac Lo Sang del Païs - France, Southwest France, Marcillac (10/21/2014)
I have nothing to add or subtract from my TN on the 2012 without a side by side comparison -
This is a real delight with bags of distinctive local personality. Colour is a brilliant but not very deep red with purple tints. The nose is marked by red fruit infused with ivy, pepper and a slightly metallic tang. The medium- bodied palate shows some depth of fruit together with lively tangy acidity, decent backbone and length and plays variations on the aromas from the nose. This is fun in the manner of a great Beaujolais but with a quite different personality. It slips down so easily that the bottle seems too small. Very good. QPR!

Posted from CellarTracker

Infrequent visits to London always include a chat with the staff at The Sampler, Islington..plus the purchase of a few bottles including Marcillac. I have never come across wines from this appellation anywhere else.
`04 Jean-Luc Matha Marcillac Cuvee Peirafi. This was the last one I tasted .

A red from Gaillac has shown up on the shelves here..according to insider info so am hot on the trail! I know the whites but a red will be new for me. Guess Tim will have more knowledge?

http://www.winesofsouthwestfrance.com/p ... &a=53&p=19

A red from Gaillac has shown up on the shelves here..according to insider info so am hot on the trail! I know the whites but a red will be new for me. Guess Tim will have more knowledge?

http://www.winesofsouthwestfrance.com/p ... &a=53&p=19

Bob, I don't have a lot of experience of Gaillac. I am somewhat put off by a rather diffuse identity, there being a lot of producers making wines deprived of distinctive local character by a high proportion of international grapes like Syrah, deemed helpful for marketing. I was, however, very impressed at a tasting a few years back by Causses Marines, whose owner struck me as a man of uncompromising rigour and whose wines were very original (TNs somewhere in archive - viewtopic.php?f=3&t=42041&p=344369&hilit=causses+marines#p344369 ). Plageoles is probably the best regarded Gaillac producer but I don't remember ever having had one of his wines. Look out for wines with a high proportion of local red varieties, such as Duras, Braucol, Fer Servadou and Mauzac (white).

FWIW, none of the producers mentioned in that link as being imported into the USA figure amongst Gaillac producers in RVF's Les Meilleurs Vins de France 2014.

As always, Paul Strang's coverage of the Gaillac region is very thorough.

Thanks Tim. Diligent research as usual from you. Mine is in fact a blend so not exactly what I am looking for but its a first so what the heck. Pauls book is top notch eh.

This wine was specially purchased for this months Focus! It`s from Languedoc La Clape and I purchased on a heads-up from the rep. Chateau d`Angles is owned by Eric Fabre who used to be executive technical director at Ch Lafite for many years.

WTN: 2009 Chateau d`Angles Languedoc La Clape.

40% Syrah, 40% Grenache, 20% Mourvedre. $24 Cdn, 14% alc, good natural cork, decanted no sediment, big maritime influence on the estate.

Depth of color was medium plus, herbal aromatic nose, black fruits, intense. Hint of leather and brief pepper.
Initial entry thought ..ripe red and black fruits, soft tannins. Quite elegant, nice length but might be tad `new world`in style. I always find my Clape wines to have more grip and maybe tannins so need time. This one is ready to go however, no need to decant imo. I was rather surprised with the ripe fruits, which funningly enough Rosemary George did not mention in her recent article on this domaine. Good buy though.

[David M. Bueker]

2007 Château de Pibarnon Bandol - France, Provence, Bandol (10/23/2014)
Second half bottle of this wine in the last several months, and not much has changed. It's deep, dark and characteristic of Mourvedre with black fruit, meat and earthy tones. The tannins are mostly buried under a riot of fruit. This will reward patience, though it is quite pleasant to drink now.