2021 Grolleau “Franc de Pied”Bernard Baudry
France | Loire
$36
Producers
by Tom Wolf
2019 Corbières Rouge “Réserve La Demoiselle”
Domaine de Fontsainte France | Languedoc-Roussillon | Corbières
It is hard not to open the 2019 Corbières Demoiselle, smell the garrigue, spices, and notes of dark fruit and olives soar from your glass, and think, “Only from the Languedoc can we drink a wine made from century-old vines with this much class and ageability for the price of two matinée movie tickets.” This bold rouge comes from Domaine de Fontsainte’s most prized parcel called “La Demoiselle,” which the Laboucarié family has farmed since the early 1970s. In 2004, the Carignan vines in that vineyard—planted in silica, clay, and limestone, that make up the majority of this wine—turned one hundred.
In recent years, Carignan has experienced a bit of a resurgence in the Languedoc, largely because of the efforts of producers like Domaine de Fontsainte and Domaine d’Aupilhac. Once celebrated, then spurned because of its potential for high yields, it is now being treated with the respect and attention it deserves by deft vignerons. Taste this bottling tonight and then in ten or fifteen years, and you’ll see why Carignan might just be the great grape of the region.
Showcasing the soul, depth, and polish that can only come from century-old vines, it evokes strawberries and blackberries, stones and garrigue, and the faintest hint of black olives—La Demoiselle is a late afternoon in the south of France. In terms of food pairings, you can do no better than Chris Lee’s rib steak with garlic potatoes.
Wine Type: | red |
Vintage: | 2019 |
Bottle Size: | 750mL |
Blend: | 60% Carignan, 30% Grenache Noir, 10% Mourvédre |
Appellation: | Corbières |
Country: | France |
Region: | Languedoc-Roussillon |
Producer: | Domaine de Fontsainte |
Winemaker: | Bruno Laboucarié |
Vineyard: | Carignan Planted in 1904 |
Soil: | Silica, clay, limestone (gravelly with large galets, or rounded stones) |
Aging: | 60% of wine ages 8-12 months in French oak barrels, remainder in cement tank |
Farming: | Lutte Raisonnée |
Alcohol: | 14.5% |
Domaine de Fontsainte France | Languedoc-Roussillon | Corbières
Domaine de Fontsainte France | Languedoc-Roussillon | Corbières
Domaine de Fontsainte France | Languedoc-Roussillon | Corbières
Maxime Magnon France | Languedoc-Roussillon | Corbières
Château La Roque France | Languedoc-Roussillon | A.O.C. Languedoc
Domaine Les Mille Vignes France | Languedoc-Roussillon | Fitou
Ask wine drinkers around the world, and the word “Languedoc” is sure to elicit mixed reactions. On the one hand, the region is still strongly tied to its past as a producer of cheap, insipid bulk wine in the eyes of many consumers. On the other hand, it is the source of countless great values providing affordable everyday pleasure, with an increasing number of higher-end wines capable of rivaling the best from other parts of France.
While there’s no denying the Languedoc’s checkered history, the last two decades have seen a noticeable shift to fine wine, with an emphasis on terroir. Ambitious growers have sought out vineyard sites with poor, well draining soils in hilly zones, curbed back on irrigation and the use of synthetic fertilizers and pesticides, and looked to balance traditional production methods with technological advancements to craft wines with elegance, balance, and a clear sense of place. Today, the overall quality and variety of wines being made in the Languedoc is as high as ever.
Shaped like a crescent hugging the Mediterranean coast, the region boasts an enormous variety of soil types and microclimates depending on elevation, exposition, and relative distance from the coastline and the cooler foothills farther inland. While the warm Mediterranean climate is conducive to the production of reds, there are world-class whites and rosés to be found as well, along with stunning dessert wines revered by connoisseurs for centuries.
Domaine d’Aupilhac France | Languedoc-Roussillon | Languedoc
Château Fontanès France | Languedoc-Roussillon | Pic Saint-Loup
Les Vignes Oubliées France | Languedoc-Roussillon | Terrasses du Larzac
Domaine Les Mille Vignes France | Languedoc-Roussillon
Maxime Magnon France | Languedoc-Roussillon | Corbières
Maxime Magnon France | Languedoc-Roussillon | Corbières
Maxime Magnon France | Languedoc-Roussillon | Corbières
Château La Roque France | Languedoc-Roussillon | A.O.C. Languedoc Pic Saint Loup
Domaine de Fontsainte France | Languedoc-Roussillon | Corbières
Domaine Les Mille Vignes France | Languedoc-Roussillon | Fitou
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A good doctor prescribed the wine of Nuits-Saint-Georges to the Sun King, Louis XIV, when he suffered an unknown maladie. When the king’s health was restored the tasty remedy enjoyed a vogue at court. Lord, send me a doctor like that!
Inspiring Thirst, page 117
Drinking distilled spirits, beer, coolers, wine and other alcoholic beverages may increase cancer risk, and, during pregnancy, can cause birth defects. For more information go to www.P65Warnings.ca.gov/alcohol
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