White wines from Southern France aren’t only light summer wines. Such as Rhône wines they can be aromatic and powerful, simply outstanding. So naturally I didn’t hesitate to bring back 2 wines from Montpellier when I stopped there this summer, trusting the recommendations of a wineshop owner in the city. Finally I got the opportunity to open them.



2007 Les Mûriers, Mas Bruguière

Mas Bruguière is located in the Pic Saint Loup region near Montpellier. Their white wine Les Mûriers is made of 80% Rousanne and 20% Marsanne. It has an intense straw colour, slight tangerine fruit in the nose, also mild lime, maybe some fennel seeds. On the palate it seems iodic and has a powerful feel reminding Condrieu wines. At the same time it is marked by an oily texture giving the wine richness without making it heavy. There is a slightly bitter acidity reminding olives which transitions into fennel sweetness in the finish. A nice wine, very intense and powerful at the same time with Southern French aromatics but never appearing too heavy. Anytime again!



Domaine de la Prose Grande Cuvée Blanc 2006

Domaine de la Prose is also located in the AOC Côteaux Du Languedoc area, but rather South West of Montpellier. Their white wine “Les Embruns” is also a cuvée, this time made of Vermentino, Grenache Blanc and Roussanne. It has an intense, nearly golden colour with bronze reflections. The nose reveals an oxidized kind of style, but this impressions diminishes as the wine opens up revealing notes of raisins and pastis in a more and more intense and evelopping way. It develops with hints of rum-marinated and pastis-marinated raisins, maybe some Grand Marnier, after a while pure green apple shows up.
An oily texture is caressing the palate and transporting multiple aromas. There is citrus fruit such as pomelos or grapefruit, again raisins and a nice herbal freshness. Unfortunately an alcohol note is also perceptible, but doesn’t bother that much considering all the other sensations the wine has to offer. The wine itself feels smooth and charismatic at the same time and shows lots of deepness. The finish is marked by a very long lasting pastis-like anise taste and a fresh herbal note. The alcohol burns a little bit, but again, it doesn’t bother me much in this wine since all in all it is outstanding, way above 90 points on my scale.

I really like those powerful charismatic whites from the South of France or the Rhône region. What is also nice about them is that they have enough weight and deepness to them, that they are appropriate even in the winter time and can accompany many types of food.

Admittedly, we are comparing the top wine and the entry level wine of this Languedoc estate which isn't really logical, but it doesn’t matter. Actually it’s not really comparing in a quality sense, but maybe just seeing how far of a way the older one has come.

2000 Château de Lascaux – Cuvée Nobles Pierres (AOC Pic Saint Loup): Dark and slightly blurry colour. Nose shows heavy age note at first, contrasting with still lots of fruit on the palate. But after an hour things change rapidly and the bouquet shows nicely with dark berries perfume and some subtle black tea notes. This only holds for a certain time though. Later a nail polish smell appears and becomes more and more intense. The palate shows fruit and still has a big backbone of astringent tannins. Nevertheless a certain impression of balance takes the lead with dense aromatics and an elegant acidity underneath. But also on the palate nail polish starts to show after a while. Finish and length are quite satisfying. All in all the wine is nicely drinkable albeit it shows a bit scattered sometimes. But the impression the wine has passed its drinking optimum prevails.

2007 Château de Lascaux (AOC Côteaux du Languedoc): Youth is evident in this one. Bright and shiny, yet dark color. A basket of red and black berry fruit in the nose. Medium bodied on the palate. Again fruit in the first place, rather small dose of tannins. There isn’t much complexity in this one but it isn’t meant to be such a wine; rather a casual pleasure wine with sun and landscape in each sip.

Well both wines are not really comparable again. What I got out of this is basically that I overestimated the ageing ability of the first bottle. I was certain back then that top wines from the Languedoc would peak after 10 years. Now I guess for this one it’s rather after 5 to 7 years of age where it performed best. But I still believe in Languedoc wines of course. I have a few the same age in the cellar and hope some of them will reassure me.

After a short but intense Oktoberfest this weekend, I’m now back to posting my remaining summer reds tasting notes. This 2008 Poudre d’Escampette from Casot des Mailloles is another bottle I bought in Paris at Caves Augé. I asked them for easy drinking but not too simplistic red wines from the South of France and this was one of their warmest recommendations. Casot des Mailloles is an organic winery located not far from the Spanish border in Banyuls-sur-mer; they work all their vineyards by hand on steep slopes and relie somewhat on word-on-mouth as marketing technique (there is no computer and no website for the estate - an interesting blog article on the winery can be found here). But let’s check on the wine which is a cuvee of mainly Carignan with some Grenache and Syrah. Nice, dark purple color nearly fading into pink, a little blurry which is fine with me. Nose has a slight nail polish tone but is mainly showing intense raspberry perfume which nearly reminds me of some modern Spanish wines. On the palate also very intense fruit, raspberry jam, but at the same time it appears quite balanced with slight acidity and also with enough structure through a backbone of fine grained tannins. Finish is medium long. All in all again a satisfying red wine, maybe a bit too much on the fruit for my taste, but at the same time it was still far away from seeming kitsch or artificial. 86 points.

The second bottle of Southern French red wine I opened this summer carries an enigmatic name: 2006 “G16 et demi” (G16 and a half) from Domaine Navarre in Saint-Chinian. I haven’t exactly found out the meaning of it, but I assume the G stands for Grenache. But does the name have any importance after all? Let’s rather check the content. Dark Colour. Nose of blackberries or other dark berries plus something floral reminding violets. On the palate at the same time juicy of blackberry fruit and powerful. This balance is also ensured by a nice acidity which is underpinning the fruit. Then, a touch of smokiness and a pinch of spices give the wine the typical Saint-Chinian personality (as opposed to the Faugères appelation which is more round and less spicy in its aromatics. When I lived in Montpellier, and us students were heading to get some cheap but reliably solid wine, it always led to a choice between Saint-Chinian and Faugères). Length is medium long and with a touch of alcohol heat but at the same time also quite aromatic with the spice lingering on. A solid summer red! 86-87.

What better red wines to accompany summer barbeques than Southern French reds? That’s also what I thought this summer and of course turned into action on several occasions. First was a bottle of 2007 Sorcières by the Domaine du Clos des fées, a blend of Carignan, Grenache and Syrah representing the estates’ entry level wine. Big gulps out of big glasses were emptying this bottle in a pace that would make every Oktoberfest aficionado proud. Of course this was due to the uncomplicated yet appealing personality of the wine. A fruity and sexy nose of cherries and mixed to a little exotic touch reminding coconut and cocoa, as well as some spices and a touch of garrigue is enticing anyone to bring its glass to the mouth. The palate is fruity and smooth. There is intense voluptuous fruit, but still not appearing exaggerated like some jammy New World wines or some modern Ribera del Duero. It is actually just right in its fruit-intensity; a little more fruit sweetness and the wine would appear kitschy and cheap. Plus: the wine has just enough tannic structure that lends some personality without losing its lightness and easy-drinking ability. It also finishes on a quite nice length which is of course on the fruit and luckily without the burning alcohol that can be found in quite some Southern French wines. So we have a wine that is intense, fruity and light at the same time! Great value and so well drinkable even during summer! 88-89 points.

Ein Rothschild-Wein aus dem Languedoc, oder besser gesagt aus Corbières. Von vornerein war ich skeptisch, das muss ich zugeben: Es gibt so viele talentierte Winzer in der Region, wozu braucht man da noch eine Rothschild-Fabrik? Was kann die besser machen? Und die Frage wird vom ersten Schluck an beantwortet. Eigentlich gar nix. Wahrscheinlich ist das der langweiligste Languedoc Wein den ich dieses Jahr im Glas hatte. Riesige Kirchenfenster! Ach was sag ich, Kathedralenfenster sind das. Nase leicht nach Wald und Wild; erinnert etwas an einen alten Brunello, aber auch ein bisschen Alkohol dabei. Gaumen einfach nur noch alkoholisch und diffus. Keine Balance. Frucht wird einfach durch spritartigen Alkohol übertönt. Darüber hinaus wirkt er bitter und hat ein feurig alkoholisches Finish. Mit einer großen Pizza ist der noch gut zu trinken, aber solo ist das schon fast eine Qual. 79. Wenn man bedenkt, dass Rothschild mit seinem Namen die Region Languedoc quasi in die Welt hinausträgt kann einem bange werden um das Image der südfranzösischen Weine. Jeder amerikanische Napa-Trinker wird zu seinen heimischen Alkoholbomben zurückkehren. Denn die haben wenigstens nebst Alkohol noch Frucht!

Der „Mas au Schiste“ der Domaine Rimbert in Berlou ist eine südfranzösische Cuvée bestehend aus den Sorten Carignan, Syrah und Grenache welche in mehrfach gebrauchten Fässern ausgebaut wird. Im Glas besticht er zuallererst durch eine sehr dunkle und gleichzeitig funkelnd brillante Farbe. Die Nase duftet nach schwarzen Kirschen aber auch roten Früchten, erinnert aber auch etwas an Lakritz und Marzipan, manchmal sogar in Richtung Schoko und Kokos gehend. Am Gaumen verwöhnt er mit viel Frucht aber läßt auch eine ordentliche Struktur nicht vermissen. Vor allem eine pralle junge Kirschfrucht ist erkennbar, doch manchmal kommen auch an verkochte Pflaumen erinnernde Töne durch, die ich nicht ganz so elegant finde. Ebenso erscheint ab und zu ein leicht „grüner“ Eindruck. Der Nachhall ist auch von Frucht geprägt und mittellang, erinnert durch eine leicht alkoholische Note aber eher an Kirschwasser als Kirschsaft. Insgesamt trotzdem ein ordentlicher Rotwein, zwar nicht überaus komplex, aber durchaus mit dem Anspruch den südfranzösischen Sommer auf den hiesigen Balkon zu transportieren. 85-86

Not only should the Languedoc region be known for its recent ascension concerning the production of delicious red wines, but also for bringing up some exciting whites. Proof is brought by Château Puech-Haut's Tête de Bélier Blanc. Several times already I enjoyed the solid red cuvées of this domaine and now I finally had the occasion to taste the white wine on which and I have heard quite some praises over the years. My first impression was that this is quite a bullet. Its color is intense with golden hue. The nose is equally intense with at first not discernable fruit notes and some oak coming through. The weight on the palate is impressive, the wine’s attack is vibrant yet balanced, the structure massive without being alcoholic although the label figures some impressive 15%, the aromatic feel is intense of tart fruit without being bitter and the length is more than satisfying. It is also a wine that needs air and a little time to open up: after half an hour the distinct fruit notes are slowly becoming more perceivable with the wine taking on a citrus-like direction. Unfortunately the bottle had already vanished before we could further examine its evolvement, but I bet it would have gained in complexity. Hard for me to tell with what kind of wine this one is comparable, my experience with white Burgundies, Bordeaux’ and other Hermitage being very limited, but it’s definitely worth a try.

If you ever happen to be in the South of France in the Languedoc Region, don’t miss out on drinking a fresh Rosé wine on a sunny terrasse. Basically all the light Rosés served at the brasseries and restaurants are good for relaxed and happy moments with friends. There is one Rosé though I particularly like: Coupe Roses from the Minervois region. This one though is much more aromatic and intense, and therefore much more appropriate for the evening with a nice dinner. I already bought this wine 5 years ago when I lived in France and always try to get a sip of it when I happen to be there in the summer. And I kind of like the sophisticated label.

Dieses Weingut in St-Drézery nahe Montpellier festigte wohl endgültig den Status des Languedoc als das französische Trendweinbaugebiet schlechthin.

Mit großem Aufwand haben der Unternehmer Gérard Bru und sein Winzerteam aus dem Nichts ein Spitzenweingut aufgebaut. Zur Gründung des Guts im Jahr 1990 wurde eigens die alte Präfektur Montpelliers‘ abgetragen und auf einer Kuppe in den Weinbergen Stein für Stein als Château wieder aufgebaut. Hektar um Hektar wurden Reben erworben und der Keller mit modernster Technik ausgestattet. Nichts wurde hier dem Zufall überlassen.

Die neuen Winzer wurden Anfangs mit wenig Begeisterung empfangen; einheimische Winzer befürchteten, dass die übergroße Konkurrenz mit voller Kriegskasse die besten Lagen aufkaufen würde und mit industriellen Methoden den traditionellen Weinbau zerstören würde.

Die ländliche Weinbauidylle war getrübt. Den Imagegewinn für das Weinbaugebiet und für die Region wollte damals niemand wahrhaben; das Feindbild des kapitalistischen Grosswinzers überwog. Auch heute noch lästern viele über das Weingut, reden von Größenwahn und Supermarktproduktion.

Doch in Wahrheit hat aber Gérard Bru dem Gebiet mehr genutzt als geschadet. Durch professionelle Arbeit in den Weinbergen und im Keller hat Château Puech-Haut hochwertige Weine hervorgebracht die vor allem Jahr für Jahr durch Ihre beständige Qualität bestechen. Und genau diese Beständigkeit hat in den 1990ern vielen Weingütern im Languedoc noch gefehlt.

Vor allem auf die einfache „Cuvée Prestige“ ist Verlass. Geschmacklich differenziert sie sich leicht von Ihren Languedocer Nachbarn. Sie hebt weniger das typisch Rustikale der Languedoc Weine hervor, sondern vereint eher Bordelaiser Eleganz mit südlichen Frucht- und Kräuternoten. Dies ist aber kaum verwunderlich. Zwar werden die hiesigen Rebsorten wie Syrah, Grenache und Carignan verwendet, jedoch werden diese in Barriques ausgebaut und die Cuvées von keinem geringerem als Bordeaux‘ rasenden Önologen Michel Rolland zusammengestellt.

Der Spitzenwein „Tête de Cuvée“ der heute „Tête de Bêlier“ heisst soll langlebiger sein und betont eher herbe und animalische Noten als sinnbild kraftvoller südfranzösicher Weine. Im Spitzenjahrgang 1998 war dies ein mächtiger Wein mit rauheren Tanninen der aber dennoch eine gewisse Fruchtigkeit bewahrte. Seine Reife erlangte er dann aber schon bereits nach 6 bis 7 Jahren.

Heute Wurde das Angebot um einige weiter Cuvées erweitert, die zum Teil aus zugekauften Trauben produziert werden. Dies erweckt wiederum den Gedanken einer kommerziellen Massenproduktion die zur Verwässerung der Qualität führt. Doch wenn man das Weingut genauer betrachtet, seine professionellen Bordelaiser Methoden, und nicht zuletzt das Marketing mit einer von Künstlern bemalten Sammlung von Weinfässern hat man eher den Eindruck Puêch-Haut strebt danach das Mouton-Rothschild des Languedoc zu werden. Es verwundert dann kaum mehr, dass ebenfalls der Bêlier, der Schafbock das Etikett des Weines ziert.

Wenn man die Weine probiert hat bleibt aber vor allem der Eindruck der Beständigkeit auf einem hohen Niveau. Puêch-Haut ist auf dem besten Weg in Frankreich eine feste Grösse zu werden.