I have been reading Jon Bonné’s The New French Wine, which is outstanding, and he is very enthusiastic about the potential for Languedoc and Roussillon white wines. Reading his account of the smaller domaines that are reinvigorating these areas is inspiring, and I have been chasing down a number of his recommendations. The wines of Clos du Gravillas are the first I have opened.
Clos du Gravillas is a husband and wife team in St. Jean de Minervois in the Languedoc that makes a number of wines (something like 18 different wines), mostly from indigenous or traditional Languedoc varieties like carignan, muscat, grenache gris, macabeu, and other under-appreciated cepages. I opened their Lo Viehl carginan, which comes from vines over 100 years old, and it is quite good; but this was outstanding.
Hat-tip to Jon Bonné on this one: wow. 100% terret gris, an indigenous variety in the Languedoc, raised in concrete egg and earthenware amphora. The nose is floral, but moreso herbal with tarragon and chives, light melon and sea air. On the palate the wine is light, delicate, utterly clean and fresh, with melon, pear, lemon, herbs, salt, and a sunflower seed nuttiness. Utterly weightless and preposterously moreish. The QPR is off the charts here ($20).