The recent post about Domaine La Grange got me curious about the Languedoc, a region that I don’t consider buying from all that much. I wasn’t all that familiar with La Grange, so I looked it up and, given the current prices, it seems that I missed the boat! Oh well.
I’ve always thought of the region as a bit of a minefield: a few great QPR wines amongst some not so great stuff. Not sure if this impression is warranted, just what I’ve gathered from my very cursory exploration. I do like the reds of Mas de Daumas Gassac. Never had the whites, but I’d like to try those as well.
So, as somewhat curious but not all that knowledgeable about the region, perhaps you can help me.
First, what other region(s) would you consider it closest to in terms of style? Southern Rhone? Bordeaux? I always thought it of it as a sort of cross between these two, but again, I could be entirely wrong.
Second, what are some of the quality producers to seek out? Mas de Daumas Gassac, of course. Domaine La Grange (if you’ve got money to burn). What else?
I have a soft spot for the Cote Rousse and Cote Doree Syrah wine of Domaine l’ Aiguelière. Very interesting wines full of personality and great Syrah character
We have traveled there quite a few times.
There are many, many wonderful producers, making wines and many, many wonderful styles.
Gauby, Puig-Parahy, Rectorie, Traginer, lots in Maury, lots in Fitou
VDN rocks
I’m a big fan as well but haven’t seen a 21st century vintage of l’Aiguelière. Fortunately the 1995s and 1996s are still drinking well. For me, though, the 1993s and 1995s from Peyre Rose are the pinnacle of Languedoc.
I had a great holiday in Pezenas and found a lot of pretty good reds there, especially those with plenty of Mourvèdre. Prieuré Saint Jean de Bébian Is probably the only one with a significant international reputation, but there were dozens of other properties available locally.
There are lots of great addresses. I quite agree about Domaine de l’Aiguelière, not the easiest to find, but both the Rousse and the Dorée are remarkably stylish and elegant, rather like a spicy Margaux, if you get my drift!
Other ones I like:
Domaine de Montcalmès - Coteaux du Languedoc
Domaine Léon Barral - Faugères (but a little pricey these days)
Domaine J-Michel Alquier - Faugères
Clos Marie - Pic Saint Loup
Château St Martin de la Garrigue - Coteaux du Languedoc - especially the Bronzinelle cuvée, which at around 6€ is ridiculous value
Château d’Anglès - La Clape
There are lots more good ones but it’s a region I’m not as familiar with as I was - the Languedoc was very much up-and-coming about 20 years ago, but IMHO never quite reached the heights that the new wave of producers aspired to. Also, I’ve noticed higher alcohol levels, much to my annoyance. For example, one I used to buy - Gérard Bertrand L’Hospitalet Réserve: the 2015 has 15° - sadly I’ve got 6 of them (I didn’t check).
As for style - well it varies a lot, but the ones I have listed are normally quite elegant, less powerful than Rhone valley wines, reminiscent of Bandol I suppose. Like the latter, for me they are southern wines for a fan of Bordeaux. Sometimes, I prefer the lesser cuvées to the top of the range ones, which can be a bit overdone and overpriced.
My favorites are Peyre Rose, l’Aiguelière, Maxime Magnon, and Ferrer-Ribière.
I bought a six-pack of 2015 Domaine l’Aiguelière Terrasses du Larzac “Velours” at Acker back in 2018; these were basically good but not close to the quality of the Côte Rousse or Dorée wines of the 1990s.
Both Magnon and Ferrer-Ribière make extraordinary 100% Carignan wines from vines over 100 years old: Magnon’s Campagnès and Ferrer-Ribière’s Empreinte du Temps. These are very much worth seeking out.
I’ve really loved the 2012 Ferrer-Ribière Empreinte du Temps Grenache Gris (non-ouillé). Not sure this is what the OP is looking for though…
+1 on Clos Marie. L’Olivette is quite good, not expensive and deserve mid-term cellaring (never had a really old bottle).
Zélige-Caravent Ikebana: they can be bretty and need a lot of air to get the feral scent to dissipate. But underneath this beasty exterior hides beautiful fruit and spices.
I’ve also heard great things about Ermitage du Pic Saint-Loup.
This! Not only is the alcohol level showing on the label but it really shows through the wines. I’ve had a couple of bad experiences with this and it’s pushed me away from the region.
I ran a wine program for a while that was heavily focused on the south of France. There are many awesome things coming out of the Languedoc- I was continually surprised by the quality and the level of value that many wineries represented. Mostly speculation on my part, but I think that the rising price of vineyard land in France’s classic areas is creating interest in the south from younger vignerons and winemakers, and the ubiquity of old vineyards and organic viticulture is attractive to someone just getting started. Styles are all over the place. It can be a bit of a minefield but I think there are many exciting wines emerging from the region.
A few of my favourites, just off the top of my head: Turner-Pageot- Interesting, natural-ish winemaking, with a focus on Syrah blends, and a very good semi-orange white wine called Le Blanc and some great high end cuvees. Chateau La Roque- Excellent Pic St Loup producer, making some very good Mourvedre based blends. I found these wines to be somewhat Bordeaux like, with lots of structure and freshness to balance all their concentration. Domaine de la Cendrillon- an organic Corbieres producer. I have hosted them for winemakers dinners a couple of times. Their entry level red, white, and rose are delicious and excellent values. In particular I love the white, which is a unique blend of 8 varietals and bottled as Vin de France. Their higher end wines are excellent as well, there’s a Syrah that is somewhat modern in style but very tastefully executed, and their top wine called No. 1, which is somewhat analogous to Chateauneuf-du-Pape but showing a bit more elevation and freshness. Frederic Brouca- Their Ontario agent does very well with them and they’re easily obtainable here but production is very small and I don’t think has much distribution elsewhere, as the domaine is very young. It’s not made every vintage but Frederic makes a killer single vineyard Faugeres called Clos Sauveplane that I think is excellent- Big, dense, but tightly wound and mineral. Kind of reminds me of, maybe, Taurasi? Winemaking is organic and natural but the wines are clean and fresh. They also make a delicious vermouth.
As mentioned earlier in the thread, Clos Marie and Leon Barral are making some really awesome Pic St. Loup wines as well, even if their idiosyncrasies may not be to the taste of some. I see a lot of potential in Pic St Loup.
Their “Cuvée Sainte Agnès” rouge is a nice wine. Had the 2017 recently. It’s a bit higher abv than the 2016 (14.5% vs 14%), which detracts from it slightly for me. It starts out almost feeling like a natural wine, but the funk blows off and it settles in and gains complexity with a decant. My friends who I opened it for raved about it.
Château la Négly is a longtime favorite from the region, although the wines need age IMO and are often turbo-charged powerhouses that will not suit some palates.
I fully agree. I still have 1994 to 2003 … drinking them quite regularily with pleasure!
Yes, Peyre Rose … had the 2011 recently (now called “Belle Leone”) … fabulous … however at a price point way above many Cote-Roties it´s
no bargain and actually no “Languedoc” anymore (Vin de France) … but a real cult wine !
BTW: same for Clos des Truffieres (Negly … also Porte du Ciel and L´Ancely)!
I like Clavel, Mas Bruguiere, Mas Jullien, La Peira, Moulinier (Terrasse grillees) … and several Minervois and Corbieres for everyday …
also Puech noble (by Rostaing) is very nice …
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