Wine region: France, Languedoc-Roussillon

D’OC FILLED PLATITUDES…

From the Camargue to the foothills of the Pyrenees, from the rugged barren escarpments to the lagoons of the Mediterranean, the Languedoc and Roussillon vineyards throw up a rainbow spread of spectacular geologies and intimate human histories. The wines bear voluble testament to a landscape inhabited formerly by Greeks, Romans, the Knights Templar, Cistercians and Cathars, amongst others. The rich mosaic of terroirs allied to the scent of the garrigue: thyme, lavender, rosemary, sage and savoury grow wild on the hot chalk heath and scrubland, whilst parsley, fennel and annett thrive in the more permeable soils; these lend their subtle perfumes to the wines from this region. Before one is accused of rose-spectacled romanticism such aromas and flavours can be (and are) obfuscated by the nouvelle vogue for extraction; raw earthiness and fragrant subtlety too often masked by sweet charred oak.

Fitou, like other appellations, has a wonderful variety of landscapes, climbing from the sea and lagoons to the white schistous escarpments. The wines show potential, although have yet to garner the critical plaudits of Minervois and Corbières, for example. Gnarled Carignan and wizened Grenache rule the cépage roost here, with Syrah and a tad of Mourvèdre adding spike and length to the typical blend. Expect wines with red fruits, woody notes, hints of leather and prune. The Corbières massif, crowned by Cathar castles, is a wild, arid landscape speckled with tiny villages, ranging from sandstone and marl to the ubiquitous limestone and schist outcrops in the higher zones. Once again Carignan and Grenache are vital, delivering the intensity and spicy warmth to the reds, but Syrah is increasingly used to pep up the more garagiste wines. These wines can age developing mature aromas of old leather, coffee and cocoa, undergrowth and game.  The rich and unctuous white wines (which may be made from Grenache Blanc, Bourboulenc, Marsanne, Roussanne, Vermentino or Maccabeu) are Mediterranean in character i.e. oilier than thou, bearing pungent medicinal-herbal flavours. The quality of this appellation is continually improving with promotion envisaged for the best terroirs: Boutenac, Durban, Lagrasse and Sigean. Vines have been a feature of the Minervois countryside for more than 2,000 years. The vineyard, on mainly limestone terrain, runs down in a series of terraces from the foot of the Montagne Noir to the river Aude. Minervois-La-Livinière, granted a separate cru status recently, comprises five communes producing exclusively red wines from low-yielding Grenache, Syrah and Mourvèdre. Aromas of blackcurrants and violets dominate the reds in their early years, especially those based on Syrah, whilst secondary scents of spice, vanilla, truffle and cinnamon are bestowed with time.

Saint-Chinian and Faugères are contiguous appellations in the northwest part of the Hérault. The former (a corruption of Saint Anian – the ‘t’ pronounced ‘ch’ in Occitan) encompasses twenty communes with the vines planted on the southeast facing slopes of the Montagne Noire all the way down to the Bitterois plain. The terrain to the north of the Vernazobre (a tributary of the Orb) is predominantly schistous, and the south mainly argillaceous limestone, producing the two styles of red wine. The schist expresses the darker, more extracted wines with smoky notes which, in riper vintages exhibit mellow-mature notes of roasted coffee and cocoa, low acidity and ripe tannins, whereas the limestone gives lighter coloured wines, perfumed with fresh and floral notes (violets, crystallised berries), garrigue tones of bayleaf and spice, vanilla and liquorice on the oak-aged versions. Faugères has a higher proportion of schist with the resultant wines acquiring that toasted/roasted character. They tend to be full-bodied, rounded and powerful, with summer fruit compote flavours, and with age tend to develop leathery, animal undertones. As well as Grenache, Syrah and Carignan, the late-ripening Mourvèdre gives distinctive flavour and texture to many Faugères reds.

The Coteaux du Languedoc is France’s oldest wine growing region, situated between Narbonne and Nimes. The land is an amphitheatre open to the Mediterranean with Mistral and Tramontane winds to each side. 75% of the wine produced is red, the rest split between rosé and white. The best-known designations are La Clape, Pic Saint Loup and Montpeyroux and, for white wines alone, the endlessly drinkable salt-sharp Picpoul de Pinet.

ROUSSILLON

Greek traders planted the first vines in the 8th century BC in this region close to the border with Spain, nestling between Corbières and the Pyrenees. Today the wines are produced in 118 communes of the Pyrenees-Orientales. The region contains the most southerly and sun-drenched vineyards in France on a network of ancient terraces overlooking the picturesque fishing villages of Collioure (summer home to Fauvists such as Matisse and Derain), Port Vendres, Banyuls and Cerbère. The vines, pruned in the gobelet fashion, are well adapted to the dry climate, wind and variable soils (limestone, schist, granite, gneiss etc.). Here, along the steep slopes of the Cote Vermeille, the full-bodied table wines of Collioure and the famous vins doux naturels of Banyuls have been produced since antiquity (and even praised by Pliny). The reds may be from Carignan, Grenache Noir, Syrah or Mourvèdre. More vineyards are to be found at the base of the Albères massif, in the foothills of the Pyrenees. Here castles and medieval watchtowers dominate the scarped landscape. To the west, between the rivers Tech and Tet, the vineyards of Aspres spread over the tumbling hinterland of the Pic de Canigou (the Mount Fuji of the Roussillon). Here, on the edge of the great fertile plain around Perpignan some excellent red, white and rose wines are made. Finally, to the north of the department along the Agly river valley, the vineyards that back up against the Corbières massif, that separates the Roussillon from the Languedoc, produce a wide range of wines including the vin doux of Maury and Rivesaltes as well as the full-bodied reds of the four Cotes-du-Roussillon-Villages appellations.

The Languedoc-Roussillon, described as “the largest vineyard in the world” by Liz Berry M.W., is a laboratory of innovation where the best of the old is being given a healthy technological makeover. The wine culture of centuries (vines were introduced by Greek traders as early as the eighth century BC) has been revitalised in the last thirty years, particularly after the significant reduction in the Aramon, a variety bogging down the image of the wines from this region. Soils and climate have historically combined to create an environment that is exceptionally well suited to growing vines; grape varieties are matched to their most appropriate terroir. When the wines hit top form, you would look in vain for equivalent value for money in the Rhone or Bordeaux. To highlight this fusion between traditional quirkiness and newfangled expertise look particularly at our two estates from Minervois: Domaine Pierre Cros and Clos de l’Azerolle. Both wines fully reflect the terroir of the region, yet they retain their individual identities. The grape varieties (or blends) are different, the use of oak is different and the vinification methods are different – the wines are homogeneous only in their respective excellence.

Mas de Daumas Gassac, invariably described as the first “grand cru of the Languedoc”, is an estate for which we have a strong affinity. The wines have charm and subtlety; every glass seems to express the history and terroir of this remarkable estate. Because of its early notoriety it endured a period of critical reverse snobbery. Those bored with garage-brewed Shiraz soup will enjoy Gassac’s more refined eloquence. The terroir of Aniane has spawned other bespoke wines, notably Domaine de Montcalmès and La Terrasse d’Elise.

And who needs clunking claret after all when you can fill your mouth with epic taste sensations from southern France at a fraction of the cost? It is not only, however, against the traditional French areas that one should be measuring the phenomenal progress of the Languedoc-Roussillon, rather it is countries like Spain and even Australia that could do with a quality/price ratio lesson.

Someone once wrote: “Far from despising the word ‘peasant’ wine, these appellations embrace it with pride and give it due nobility”. Respect due.

One cannot mention the wines without paying respect to the food. The underrated white wines are perfect with brandade de morue, monkfish bourride, red mullet and stuffed squid. Or try curried loin of pork, poached eggs à la mézoise, sole meunière… The rosés work with shellfish, crab flan, grilled peppers and aubergines, onion tart and country salads. Lighter reds are delicious with charcuterie, young partridge and guinea fowl, rillettes, and lamb cutlets cooked with garrigue herbs; the more full-bodied style with lamb casseroles, grilled beef, game (wild boar, venison), jugged hare, truffle risotto. Think wine and you think food – and vice versa.

The potential of this heterogeneous region is only just being tapped. Making great wine consistently is still a struggle, but great wines are undoubtedly being made. Every year we hear accounts of triumphs and disasters as the fickleness of the weather determines the nature of the vintage. It is nevertheless important to recognise the improvement in the wineries themselves and the drive of new generations of aspirational young growers who have injected dynamism into old enterprises and used scientific methodology to create a more polished product. However, the inherent diversity of the Languedoc is its real strength: the fact that many of the best small growers still embrace a polyculture (olives, orchards, beekeeping) contributes to their understanding and respect for the capabilities of the land; the fact that traditional grape varieties have been reassessed and revitalised (how trendy is Carignan now?) by the compelling desire to rediscover the flavour of the terroir; the consequent blending of varieties to display those discrete subtle accents of terroir; and, not least, the human factor – having met the growers I can attest that the wines mirror the personalities of the vignerons! Intuition, flair, bloody hard work coupled with Natures’s gift, a warm, dry climate with fantastic variegated terroirs and a tradition dating back a couple of thousand years: in the Languedoc wine truly lives as much in the blood as in the soil, the sun and the air.