Tasting Notes - Languedoc/South Of France

1999 Domaine d'Aupilhac, Le Carignan, VdP de Mont Baudile

A splendid example of a crusty old Languedoc wine made from old vines. It was still a bit tight upon opening, though it opened up over the next hour in decanter. Initial aromas of earth, spice and old boot and saddle leather were soon mixed with dark fruit. It was a bit lean to begin with, but it seemed to gain in body with exposure to air, if that's possible. There is still a good amount of tannic grip, and plenty of acidity, and the ample fruit leads me to believe that there is still plenty of life left in this. I can't tell you how much I love wines like this from the Languedoc, there truly are so many gems down there waiting to be discovered, and even though this is a very well-know domaine, there isn't much of this old-vine loveliness around. More please..! (11/2010)

2006 Dom. Les Eminades 'Cebenna'

Grenache, Carignan, Syrah

Deep dark purple colour - subtle ripe dark fruit and spice on the nose overladen with earthy funky cowpat nose -savoury goodness (not bad) - lovely rich palette of dark cherry fruit dried herb and grippy tannins - balanced and broad on the finish - youthful but drinking very well now - 4 or 5 years should be excellent

2004 Dom. de Cabrol 'Vent d'Est

80% C/S 20% Syrah

Deep magenta purple with bright red hints - very gamey pleasantly funky nose - rich spicy fruit, fresh acidity, nicely balanced and lovely savoury gamey finish - very good wine and excellent value

2004 Leon Barral VDP de l'Herault Blanc

Uncertain of the cepage but think it is a blend of Rousanne, Terret blanc, Terret Gris and Viognier though happy to be corrected on this - this is a most interesting wine - deep autumn gold colour with a hazy complection - nose on opening is a blend of stone fruit and bizarrely briney oysters (anchovies were also mentioned!?) but developing and relaxing over a couple of hours of caraffing to waxy stone fruits and honey - lovely balance on the palette and fresh acidity - nice and most interesting - love to see more from this producer

2007 Ermitage du Pic St. Loup, Cuvee St. Agnes Blanc

50% Roussanne, 20% Clairette, 15% Marsanne and 15% Grenache Blanc

The aromas leap out of the glass at you, begging you to take a sip. It has a very complex nose of honeysuckle, blossom, honey, peach and spice. On the palate it has a little less body than the Carignan Blanc, but still pretty full, and it has a viognier-like oily texture. The fruit flavours and honeysuckle are strong on the mid-palate, and the long, lingering finish has strong minerality and a touch of lemon, and this time the acidity is at just the right level to make a perfectly balanced wine. What is so great about this wine is the amazing freshness and purity of all the flavours, a truly splendid wine, especially when you consider it cost less than 13GBP (01/10)

2007 Domaine des Milles Roses, Carignan Blanc

Apparently there were only around 1000 hectares of this grape planted in the whole of France in 2000, and in fact the winemaker isn't exactly sure what the grape truly is, so he decided to call it Carignan Blanc. So there. Anyway, it has a very rich nose, with lots of floral notes, with honey, lemon, and what I believe is characterised as beeswax, and after some exposure to air some strong notes of white peach, in fact the next day (today) the peach was the predominant feature, and, dare I say it, almost like candied strawberries.. The wine was full-bodied on the palate, and reflected all of the aromas, with the peach and honeysuckle being the predominant flavours. There was also a little minerality on the finish. Sadly though, I felt the acidity was lacking slightly, which left it a little out of balance given the full body, but overall it was a very good wine. (01/10)

1996 Domaine L'Aigueliere 'Tradition', 1996

This has aged remarkably well for a relatively inexpensive wine, it was decanted a couple of hours before drinking, and it continued to improve in the glass for the next hour or so, in fact by the end of the glass it tasted on the palate like a much more illustrious wine from the N Rhone - though in the time it was in the glass it changed from an evil root day to a joyous flower day... The only thing giving away its lesser roots was the shorter finish, but it had beautiful flavours of black cherry, smoke, meat, game and spice with fine acid and tannins. In fact I'm sure you could keep this wine for another 5 years and it will probably improve -  and for around $15-20 it's splendid. (02/10)