Which THREE wines would you name as the very best from that region?
(red, dry: producer and cuvee - not a single special vintage)
The region includes Minervois, Corbieres, St.Chinian, Faugeres Pic St.Loup etc. - but not Provence, Roussillon …
Domaine Le Clos des Fees Cotes has a unicorn bottle, but I haven’t had it. Same with Gérard Bertrand Languedoc Cabrieres ‘Clos du Temple’ Rose.
Domaine de la Grange des Peres is very important to the place. The son has made changes. TBD how that goes, I don’t drink them young.
Château la Négly Ciel in Mag from late '90s is probably the best red I’ve had from the region, but more bombastic now.
Peyre Rose people seem to love with help from Parker in the 90s.
I love Léon Barral’s wines and way of being with the land, but you have to be okay with a little animal.
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OP asked for Languedoc, specifically excluded Roussillon
I’ll double down on Leon Barral. Also very fond of Mas dews Chimeres from Octon. And a bunch of other Faugeres producers for that matter.
A few that come to mind are:
Domaine du Montcalmes (Terrasses du Larzac)
Mas Jullien (Terrasses du Larzac)
Domaine de la Grange des Peres (obligatory, Pays d’Herault)
Mas de Daumas Gassac (also obligatory)
Domaine Leon Barral (Faugères)
Domaine de Rancy Rivesaltes
Danjou-Banessy (Cotes Catalanes)
Would love to see what others suggest, as there seems to be lots of cool stuff coming out of Languedoc as of late.
I’m going to name three Domaines in three Appellations, not a single wine.
In each case, I list the top Appellation made by the Domaine, all of these Estates make wines with other / lower Appellations.
Chateau de Lancyre in Pic St. Loup
Chateau Massamier-la-Mignarde in Minervois La Liviniere
Mas Cal Demoura in Terrasses du Larzac
This is based on non-recent experience due to availability restrictions and/or significant price increases, but to Grange des Peres and Daumas Gassac I would add Domaine l’Aigueliere Cote Doree and Cote Rousse.
I love L’Aigueliere … and Grange des Peres …
However my choice of three would be
Clos des Truffieres (made by Negly)
Peyre-Rose (especially Syrah Leone)
La Peira
… but there are others also very fine …
(Clos de L’Escandil - La Liviniere/Minervois)
L’Aigeliere is the one producer formerly but not currently imported to the USA that I would restore to my local shelves if I could only restore one.
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Very interested in this region, especially for the maligned Carignan grape and its wines.
Recently I’ve drunk two bottles from Barral, same vintage, same blend. One was great; the other had too much VA for me.
I feel that L’Aigueliere was better in the 90ies until 2003/05 … than it is now (2016, 2018)
That is good to know. Interesting, and thank you. All the vintages I’ve tried were between '96 and '05, I think.
My all-time-great is 1994 Cote Doree 
The wines are still good but slightly less individual imo
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Testify.
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Bergerie de l’Arcade
Nicolas Senlanne
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apologies. i deleted the post. thanks for pointing that out.
I would add Capucins - Bergerie du Capucin in the heart of the AOP Pic Saint-Loup. And Capion -chateaucapion.com
Domaine Moulinier “Les Terrasses grillèes” (St. Chinian), almost 100%Syrah - especially 1998 and 2005 are strong.
This
Rivesaltes and Côtes Catalanes are also Roussillon.
Huge fan of Peyre Rose and older l’Aigueliere. Also Maxime Magnon (especially Campagnès), Domaine d’Aupilhac, and older (1990s) Chateau La Roque Cupa Numismae.
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