Languedoc-Roussillon - Wines & Regions

Climate:
Mediterranean, Hot, dry summers and mainly winter rain

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Red Grapes:

1) Syrah
- Full-bodied, perfumed, age-worthy
- Endowing Grenache with life expectancy
2) Mourvedre
- Deep-coloured, powerfully flavoured, opague colour & intense licorice
- Intense fruit, perfume often redolent of blackcherries
3) Carignan
- Tannic, rustic, robust deep colour, simple red berry
- High in everything: Acidity, tannins, colour, bitterness
4) Grenache
- Juicy, high alcohol, cherry & pepper-flavoured
5) Cinsault
- Light, soft, perfumed, Spicy, Pale-coloured

White Grapes:
1) Grenache Blanc
- Dull, slightly peppery, spicy
2) Marsanne
- Flavours of marzipan & almonds, full-bodied with low acidity, plenty of character
3) Rousanne
- Finesse, fruity, crisp, acidic
4) Macabeo
- Fairly characterless, useful for blending
- Vaguely floral character, relatively low acidity
5) Bourboulenc
- Fine, acidic, hint of smoke


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Principal Viticultural Hazards:
- Storms; humidity; weather fluctuations

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AOC’s:

1) Costieres de Nimes
- Politically & administratively embraced by the Rhône
- The easternmost of the Languedoc appellations.
- Climate is one of the hottest in France.
- The land low-lying
- Soil: covered with large pebble stones (galets roules), like those in Chateauneuf-du-Pape, that radiates heat at night, which encourages ripening.
- Wine style: fleshy, powerful reds, similar to those of the Southern Rhone

2) Coteaux du Languedoc
- 15,000ha under vine
- 90% red & rosé
- Wine style: fresher in cooler area, & bigger & bolder in warmer area that reaches the Mediterranean seaboard. Overall theme: ripe concentration, vigor & a nuance of herbs
- Soil: Rocky
- 3-tier hierarchy established: Generic -> Subregions -> AOC

3) Minervois
- Huge, south-facing. Hilly terrain
- Climate: Warm, dry
- Atlantic influence in the west near Carcassonne
- Cooperatives ~ particularly important here!
- Wine style: Full, fruity, firm & long-lived

4) Corbières
- Mix of mountain & valley with areas of sparse, rocky terrain
- Wine Style: Full bodied, meaty

5) Fitou
- AOC for red wine only
- Produced in two within Corbière
- Vines grown in the rugged, hilly interior are more structured & capable of ageing
- Vineyard bordering the Mediterranean - less structured & less age-worthy

6) Cabardès AOC & Côtes de Malepère VDQS
- Two most westerly appellations of Longuedoc-Roussillon
- Wine style depends on blend
- More Cab. Franc + Cab. Sauvignon – leaner, firmer, black-currantly, like SW France
- More Grenache offers more Mediterranean warmth

7) Limoux
- AOC for white wine mainly from Chardonnay
- Blanquette de Limoux – sparkling – 90% Mauzac
- Cremant de Limoux – sparkling – more Chardonnay
- Climate: Cool, Atlantic influence
- Topography: Hilly
- Therefore encourages good balance & acidity in white grapes

8) Côtes du Roussillon & Côtes du Roussillon Villages
- Climate: Hot & Dry
- Land swept almost continuously by the northerly Tramontane wind
- Wine Style: Rich, warm, plummy
- Cotes du Roussillon Villages – Superior ~ more spice & concentration, softer texture
- “Villages” ~ Grapes sourced sp. from hill sites in the valleys to the north
- 4 communes for “Villages” label: Caramany, La Tour de France, Lesquerde, Tautavel

9) Rivesaltes & Maury
- Climate: Hot & dry
- Historical reputation for strong, sweet fortified vin de naturel
- Rivesaltes VDN ~ Red, white, occasionally rosé
- Rivesaltes Ambré comes from white
- Rivesaltes Tulié from min. 50% red Grenache
- Above two ~ Both are aged in barrel for 2 years
- “Hors d’Age” ~ wine has been aged for at least 5 yrs
- Maury ~ strong, tannic, Grenache-based VDN produced in the north, aged for a few years before bottling

10) Banyuls & Collioure
- Steep, sun-baked hills
- Terraced vineyards at 6,000km of dry stone walls
- Banyuls ~ France’s finest fortified wine
- Vintage Banyuls, labelled Rimage ~ bottled early
- Banyuls grand cru ~ 75% Grenache, at least 30mths ageing in barrel
- Collioure ~ Dry & full-bodied