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Spotlight on Languedoc-Roussillon: Vignoble de Loup Blanc “La Mere Grand” 2004 Minervois

November 28, 2010 By Shea 2 Comments

Minervois is one of the best known regions in all of the Languedoc-Roussillon, and still most people have never heard of it. Sitting about 50 miles north of Roussillon, the appellation, despite its relatively small size, has a varied range of soils and climates, from pebbles and sandstone to schist, chalk and white marble. Wind is important here, and its direction can determine the success of a particular vintage (rain vs. cool and dry). Thus, it can be hard to pin down a single style that is common to the entire region.

Increasing Quality and New Ventures

Despite the variation, one commonality is that the best wines manage to provide elegance and lightness that is uncommon in the southern parts of Languedoc-Roussillon. Allowed yields have declined twice since the 80’s and quality has increased accordingly. Vignoble de Loup Blanc is a relatively new winery, started about a decade ago by a Frenchman and a Quebecois sommelier.

Several grape varieties are grown in Minervois, but this cuvee from Le Loup Blanc combines 60% Grenache with 15% Carignan and 25% Syrah. The vines range from 20-100 years, with the Carignan vines being most likely the oldest as is common in the region. It also has a 15-20 day fermentation and 20 months elevage in oak.

Brooding Flavours in an Elegant Package

This is outstanding wine for the price and offers great elegance and acidic lift compared to many wines from Southern France. Fresh, and very clean this wine also has a pert texture and wonderful aromatics of herbs, sweet plumy fruit and tremendous minerality. The palate is dry, however, and the fruit is properly balanced with the secondary characteristics so that nothing seems over ripe or over the top. Balance, poise, and power – a great combination, particularly at this price point.

Very Good+ to Excellent
$30 at Marquis

Filed Under: $20-$30, Carignan, French Wine, Grenache, Languedoc-Roussillon, Syrah, Very Good

Spotlight on Languedoc-Roussillon: Domaine Gauby ‘Muntada’ Cotes du Roussillon Villages 2004

November 9, 2010 By Shea Leave a Comment

Gauby may be the leading producer not only in Roussillon but in the entire Languedoc-Rousillon region. The domaine is fully biodynamic, but more importantly Gauby is fanatical about hard pruning, green harvesting, low-yields and hand sorting. These sorts of practices tend to produce good wine. Gauby, however, makes great wine.

Hot Climate Finesse

These are also wines dripping tremendously with the trappings of terroir – which is not surprising given the limestone, schist, and sandstone soils. They taste nothing like we have come to expect from hot climate wines, particularly the reds. This wine, the Muntada, is made almost entirely from Syrah but you would never know it and would never place it amongst any other warm climate syrah.

Instead, the Muntada has an utterly compelling nose of violets, anise, herbs, red cherry and raspberry that broods as much as it expresses. This is a wine that tastes of stones and minerals but somehow makes them as delicious as a fresh orchard fruit. Light and long, the flavours yet remain intense and the 12.5% alcohol ensures an excellent accompaniment to many foods despite the intensity.

Old Vines, New Vines

The non-syrah Mourvedre and Carignan vines average 110 years of age in this blend and show how old vines and low yields can produce tremendous depth of flavour without requiring extreme ripeness. On the other hand, that Gauby is not only open to using syrah, but fully embraces it in his top wine shows that one can both honour terroir and be open-minded to the new.

Not only is this wine is of the same quality and finesse as a great Premier Cru Burgundy at a much better price, but it is also a personal favourite.

Excellent+
$78 at Kitsilano Wine Cellars

Filed Under: $60+, Carignan, Excellent, French Wine, Languedoc-Roussillon, Mourvedre, Syrah

Spotlight on Languedoc-Roussillon: Clot de L’Oum La Compagnie des Papillons 2005

November 7, 2010 By Shea 3 Comments

If Roussillon is sometimes known for overtly heady, viscous wines, then the Clot de L’oum would speak of a different place. This is a wine that conspires to offer the drinker more than what they bargained for with 60-year old vines, organic viticulture and solid terroir.

Biodiversity in Roussillon

Situated on the Maury river in Roussillon, Clot de L’Oum is a winery that loves what it does and where it does it (if you read French, check out their fantastic blog). Not only do these guys love what they do, but they actually went about revitalizing the land on which they grow their grapes. Ten years ago, the only visible organisms on the land were two worms every 2 hectares. After moving the domaine to biodynamic principles and stopping all the pesticide and herbicide use in the vineyard, so much life returned to the vineyard that they named their red wine after the butterflies who came back after a decade away.

Of course, it’s important to keep all this in perspective – the agricultural idyll is far fetched on a global scale. However, important lessons remain. Certain methods can bring life back to a place and restore biodiversity. Small, dedicated producers who sell to a wealthy clientele are particularly well suited to this paradigm. That said, these wines are not priced in the stratosphere like many of their prestige counterparts (at least not yet), and are thereby offering outstanding value for the quality of what’s in the bottle.

Will this trend to comparatively moderately priced wines made with methods that respect biodiversity remain sustainable as critics like James Suckling from the Wine Spectator start to get interested in biodynamics and ‘natural’ producers? Practically speaking, will these wines ever be accessible to the average person? These are tough questions.

A Wine of Weight and Clarity

That said, this is an excellent and brooding wine with black cherry and licorice aromatics and cherry and licorice richness married to a herbal and stoney secondary backbone on the palate. This has very nice balance, is a clean and expressive wine and is big and full flavoured without being heavy – perhaps something to do with the 60+ year old vines grown on gneiss and schist soils. A blend of Carignan and Grenache, with a touch of Syrah.

Very Good to Very Good+
~$35 at Kitsilano Wine Cellar and occasionally on the list at L’Abattoir

Filed Under: $30-$40, Carignan, French Wine, Grenache, Languedoc-Roussillon, Very Good

Spotlight on Spain: Torres Grans Muralles 2001

March 23, 2010 By Shea Leave a Comment

Torres is one of the most important wine makers in Spain, having introduced many modern varieties to Penedes and having brought international grapes and an international style to South America (Torres has a notable winery in Chile) when World War II shut off access to European markets. Torres was also, amazingly, a pioneer in bottling his own wines, which helped him to take control of his own branding, which accordingly resulted in some serious market penetration in the North and South American markets.

Torres’ range of wines is truly eclectic and comprehensive, ranging from good value blends of indigenous grapes, to single varietal bottlings of Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, and high end single vineyard field blends of indigenous grapes.

Catalonia as a region has seen some serious change starting from the 1950s, prior to which it originally made oxidized wines known as rancios and vinos de licor. Now, with Torres being a prime influence, Catalonia is making a huge range of wines, from ‘traditional’ to modern, using indigenous and international grapes and from large volume to small artisanal producers. Catalonia is truly a mash up of Spain’s schizophrenia.

This bottling is made with grapes grown in Conca de Barbera, a region just west of Penedes (where Torres is headquartered). Conca de Barbera is known mostly for producing high quality grapes for Cava producers. Soils here are chalky, alluvial ones over limestone bedrock. The region is sheltered by surrounding mountain ranges and produces wines mostly in a modern style, many from international grapes such as Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon.

This wine, however, is not made with international grapes nor is it made in a cheap quaffing style like Cava. This is another beast. A blend of Monastrell, Garnacha Tinta, Garro, Samso, and Carinena, the Grans Muralles is an extremely unique sort of wine made from a single vineyard of the same name. The vineyard is 94 hectares, and 32 of these are dedicated to producing this wine. While the soils in this vineyard are slate and gravel, perhaps the most interesting part of the wine here are the indigenous grapes: Garro being a traditional Catalan grape that nearly disappeared, and the strange Samso, which according to Torres has an “intense pigment, good body and a magnificent structure.” Of course, the other three grapes are also indigenous to Spain, although have since spread internationally.

Putting glass to nose exposes bread, cherry, blackberry and deep scented violets. This is really pleasant and intriguing to smell. The palate was fantastic, with a quite soft and silky structure, lots of earth, underbrush and herbs, and a nice cherry and blackberry fruit presence. The wine is also very floral, and it is this wonderful aromatic component that is so enticing. I might describe this as a cross between a modern Rioja, a classic Bordeaux, and a bracing Southern Rhone/Languedoc wine – really an intriguing and lovely combination. I think wines like this are the exact sort of wines that make Spain exciting and that are a model of how a large producer can and should be a champion of the history and tradition of their region, not only keeping the indigenous grapes alive, but showing their full potential.

Excellent
$90 at BCLDB

Filed Under: $60+, Carignan, Excellent, Garro, Grenache, Monastrell, Samso, Spain, Spanish Wine, Spotlights

Domaine Gauby Cotes de Roussillon Villages Vieilles Vignes 2004

December 23, 2009 By Shea Leave a Comment

IMG_3869It seems that this Christmas week is a Languedoc week. Technically the Cotes du Roussillon is distinct from the Languedoc, although traditionally grouped in together with it. This grouping reflects that despite the distinct AOCs there is actually quite similar ‘terroir’, or soil and climate conditions, in the two regions, with schist predominating, with bits of gneiss, granite and limestone. However, Roussillon is further south than the Languedoc (or more specifically, the Corbieres sub-region), and borders with Spain right on the Mediterranean.

Domaine Gauby is a 32 hectare biodynamic domaine, and is brought into BC by Farmstead Wines. Yields are low, and harvesting is done by hand at this estate. And, as with all biodynamic estates, this has natural (wild) yeasts and minimum sulpher dioxide. Apparently, Domaine Gauby has eased back on the level of extract in the last few years and aimed at producing more balanced wines. I think they’ve achieved that goal.

This wine, a field blend of many red grape varieties, is very expressive and clear, with a nose of baked earth, tons of bright and pretty red berry fruit, violets, and a hard stony edge. Really, this is an impressive nose, especially at this price point. The palate is also very soft, with tons of bright red fruit and acid – raspberry and strawberry come to mind. Additionally, this is incredibly mineral and stone driven while being exceptionally expressive, soft and pure. With impeccable structure, this is a very impressive wine and an amazing value for the quality. A terroir driven red if I’ve ever tasted one, but with a modern edge. The Languedoc is showing well this Christmas season!

Excellent
$35 at Kitsilano Wine Cellars

Filed Under: $30-$40, Carignan, Cinsault, Excellent, French Wine, Grenache, Syrah

La Peira Les Obriers 2005

December 22, 2009 By Shea 4 Comments

IMG_4425La Peira is a relatively new producer in the Languedoc region of France, which is situated south west of the Rhone on the Mediterranean coast. La Peira was started in 2004 by three individuals who believed that the undiscovered Terrasses du Larzac region in the hills of the Coteaux du Languedoc held great potential for grape growing, despite having no history of ‘greatness’ to support that theory. The first wines were bottled as recently as 2008 and were first tasted by U.S. “press” by none other than Gary Veynerchuck of all people – who by the way, loved them. Based on this bottle, I have to completely agree with him here.

To put this producer in perspective, there have been over the last several years as much as four million hectolitres of unsold wine in the Langedoc produced from clumsily machine harvested grapes cropped at high yields. For every Chateau Negly, there are 100′s of innocuous wines produced by wineries or co-ops. The Coteaux du Languedoc is also a massive AOC and much of the region contains sub-regions that, at some point, could become their own AOCs, such is the potential for distinctiveness. If La Peira is any evidence, the Terrasses du Larzac may deserve such an elevation in the future.

I need to put this frankly: this wine is the best red I’ve tasted under $30 in the BC market. It is insanely good for the price. Sure it got some good scores, but forget all that. Think about a wine with power and fruit, but also incredible finesse. If stone could be suave and sultry, then this wine would be stone’s ambassador. Made from a blend of Cinsault and Carignan, this reminds me much of the (much more expensive) top old vine cuvée from Domaine Gauby. The nose has stone, granite, earth, black cherry, and plum. But all those flavours are meaningless, really, since they don’t accurately capture why this wine is great. Moreso than the flavours – which are lovely – it is elegance, balance, and, real personality. That’s right, power (and lots of it) with personality. I cannot believe this is La Peira’s entry level wine. Wow. Oh, and please, don’t go buying all this before I do.

Excellent and Highly Recommended Value
$29 at Marquis ($20 USD at various stores, including K&L Wine Merchants)

Filed Under: $20-$30, Carignan, Cinsault, Excellent, French Wine, Highly Recommended Values