The talk of the Languedoc

 Owner John Bojanowksi of Clos du Gravillas with journalist Tim Teichgraeber and guest Virginia Lambrix.
 

The word is out, quality wines from the Languedoc, the largest wine producing region in France, are some of the best wine values on the market today.  To better illustrate that point, the Languedoc Ambassadors Tour brought 27 wines to San Francisco last week as part of an international effort to showcase the diversity and styles found in seven of the region's 22 AOCs.  Winegrowers, sommeliers, journalists and restaurateurs gathered at CAV Wine Bar to taste Languedoc's bounty and enjoy the delicious seasonal cuisine of Executive Chef Michael Lamina.  From bubbles to stickies and everything in between, the Languedoc seemingly has it all. 

The sparkling wines of Limoux based on the indigenous Mauzac variety and blends of Chardonnay and Chenin Blanc are believed to be the precursor to Champagne.  The sparkling method was pioneered by the monks at the Abbey of Saint-Hilaire in the early 16th century and the local cooperative Aimery Sieur d'Arques bottles a namesake Blanquette De Limoux, Saint Hilaire.  The region's wines can be still or sparkling and there are fine examples of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir  produced under the Sieur d'Arques label Toques et Clochers and Chenin Blanc from Chateau Rives-Blanques.

Picpoul De Pinet AOC so named for the grape variety itself produces wines that match the bounty of the nearby Mediterranean Sea.  At Domaine Felines Jourdan, Picpoul is grown on three different terroirs and blended for an extremely concentrated, complex and refreshing white wine.  

Picpoul De Pinet winemaker Claude Jourdan of Domaine Felines Jourdan and Freelance Writer Deborah Grossman.
 

Saint Chinian lies at the foot of the Montagne-Noir (Black Mountain) along the Orb and Vernazobres rivers.  Cave de Roquebrun uses carbonic maceration to derive the most expression from a GCSM blend. Hecht & Bannier's GSM blend
Saint Chinian.  Malepere is the westernmost appellation of the Languedoc and is defined by clay, limestone and gravel soils and Bordeaux varieties like those in the Grande Cuvee of Chateau Guilhem. 

Chateau Cabezac's Mourvedre-dominate blend

Cabardes is where the Atlantic varieties (Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cot ) and the Mediterranean grapes Grenache and Syrah meet on the stony, chalky soils of the Montagne-Noir.  Domaines O'Vineyards blends Cabernet, Syrah and Merlot in their expressive Reserve.

Carved from the northeastern corner of Corbieres is the peninsula of La Clape, part of  the Coteaux du Languedoc AOC, where the organic estate, Mas du Soleilla, produces a signature Bourboulenc Roussanne blend with aromatic, woodsy aromas, floral and petrol notes.  Chateau de la Negly contributes a GSM blend that undergoes lengthy maceration for complexity and depth.  Saint Drezery is the smallest of the Languedoc AOCs and Chateau Puech Haut is its best-known producer with a GSMC blend that is supple and concentrated. Domaine Bouchard et Fils produces Les Novice, a blend of Cinsault, Grenache and Carignon, from younger vines on the schist soils.

Minervois is the home of many organic producers including the biodynamic Chateau Villatade, Val d'Orbieu, Chateau Portal and Chateau Cabezac who produces the Mourvedre-dominate blend Cuvee Arthur with complex fruit and silky tannins.  La Liviniere is the coveted chalk and clay hillside terroir of the Minervois and makers Chateau Sainte Eulalie, Chateau Maris and Clos Centeilles produce elegant single varietal wines and blends. 
 

Sommelier Chris Sawyer, Isabelle Coustal of Ch. St. Eulalie and Paul K.

Directly east of Limoux and bordering the Mediterranean, Corbieres is the region’s largest appellation. There is a wildness about the miles of garrigue (pine, juniper, thyme, rosemary, laurel and lavender scrubland) that lie between the vineyards sited on plateaus and in shallow valleys below degraded limestone and schist mountains.  Old vines contribute a great deal to the character of the wines from Corbieres.  Chateau la domeque produces a Syrah-dominate blend that showcases the complexity of their 75-year old vines and Domaine de La Bouysse has 80-year old Carginon for its Mazerac blend.  Val d'Orbieu's GSMC blend Les Deux Rives is the value pick from this tasting.  In the Corbieres sub-appellation of Boutenac, old-vine Carignon shines at Ollieux Romanis where carbonic maceration preserves fruit character and careful blending produces intense, balanced cuvees like Atal Sia. 

Faugeres is, in effect, a balcony overlooking the Languedocien plain and the distant sea.   Domaine Bouchard et Fils produces Les Novice, a blend of Cinsault, Grenache and Carignon, from younger vines on the schist soils.

Gres De Montpellier includes five 'city' terroirs including Montpellier and its limestone shale soils are the home of Domaine Faurmarie and Clos de l'Almandaie who produce noteworthy blends of Grenache, Syrah and Mourvedre.

Muscat De Saint Jean De Minervois is an AOC for Vin Doux Naturel muscats and the organic producer Clos du Gravillas "Douce Providence" shows the intense expression of dried apricot and stone fruits that are hallmarks of this style.  Winemaker John Bojanowski provides some additional background on this category which includes the five Languedoc muscats as well as sweet Grenache-based wines from Roussillon (Banyuls, Maury).  "In the Vin Doux Naturel method, fermentation is stopped at a certain residual sugar level with the addition of pure (96.4%) neutral grape spirit to bring the wine to a "stable" equilibrium (normally 15%).  The Naturel moniker comes from the traditional method of fortifying, which was to use whatever strong alcohol, brandy or eau de vie that was handy.  Pure alcohol was "more naturel" than all that."