Montpeyroux Toutes caves ouvertes 2015

The annual Montpeyroux bash has suffered with rain over the past two editions. At least this year there were dry periods and mild temperatures with all the tasting taking place well under cover. At least the crowds were manageable and mild dull weather does not detract from the business of tasting.

There were 22 caves participating - 21 growers and the cooperative, so pretty much all the producers. An event like this requires a different perspective to a specialised wine fair where producers are selected from a wide area. Not everyone is producing wine that stands out, bears scrutiny or seeks international markets. Another challenge is there were a fair number (too many) 2014 wines on tasting that needed bottle time to integrate.

A very pleasant surprise was Le Petit Domaine, established barely 2 years ago by Julie Brosselin and Aurélien Petit. Between them they have practised oenology, being a caviste, tendering vineyards and making wine. Having restored a couple of abandoned old vine vineyards they have been able to become established in a village with some of the most expensive vine lands in the region. The Blanc with Terret and Clairette had delicious acidity and a lovely structure. The Cinsault dominated ne touche pas le grisbi 2013 (€13) was vibrant and evolving and I returned to make a purchase. Also interesting was a pure Syrah Myrmidon 2013 - crunchy, savoury, not too baked and drinking well.

Aupilhac put on a splendid show with over 16 wines on tasting including a table of mature wines going back to a somewhat peppery could be anything 2003. Showing particularly well was the "Lou Maset" 2013 a Grenache and Cinsault dominated blend. Essentially the domain's entry red (€7.80) there's a foundation of proper tannins with layers of red fruit. This is a cellar with some magical old vats. Delicious drinking that I preferred to the bigger, more leathery Montpeyroux 2012 (€14.70). The near legendary Le Carignan 2012 (€17.70) was still young and pretty tough, but extraordinarily complex in the mouth and a wine to chew on in the nicest sense.

Mas d’Amile have been making consistently excellent pure Carignan for nearly a decade. Like the Aupilhac, the Vieux Carignan 2013 (€10) was also complex en bouche. I'm surprised given the quality of the Carignan in the village more growers aren't inspired to attempt a pure cuvée.

Along with Aupilhac, Pascale Rivière's La Jasse Castel was showing a good selection. L'Égrisée (2014) blanc (Grenache with some Carignan blanc and Roussanne) was racy with intriguing floral and citrus grapefruit. The reds were all from 2013 and would have benefited from more bottle age, even the unoaked La Pimpanela was a little tight. Blue Velours (Carignan and Syrah) and Les Combariolles (Grenache) certainly showed some potential for keeping.

Disappointments? Domaine de l'Escarpolette was absent this year, unfortunate as there were some interesting wines on show two years ago. I also had hopes for Domaine du Joncas, but the reds especially were too crafted for my taste and not expressive enough to press any buttons.

The 8th (afternoon) and 9th May sees the Le Printemps Fête Ses Vignerons at nearby Saint Saturnin. This is essentially where all the domaines mainly to the east, north and west of Montpeyroux have their turn.

A pair of cool reds from Montpeyroux

Red wine in hot weather is not everyone's choice, hence the popularity of rosé. I find young unoaked red served at fridge temperature does work particularly well, with the wine starting cold being absolutely essential if disappointment isn't to ensue - at least when it's 25 deg. plus indoors. Two reds that got this treatment were from Montpeyroux.

Jasse-Castel has a track record of nearly 15 years and makes particularly approachable wines that seem to drink well throughout there life (often that's well over 10 years). For us it's now up there with Auphilac and Alain Chabanon as an established star of the commune, plus Pascale Rivière certainly has few challengers in the vinous personality department. La Pimpanela 2010 has nice crunchy fruit - black cherry with a refreshing fennel and wild mint streak. Uncomplicated but certainly not a quaff. A blend of Grenache, Syrah, Cinsault and Carignan.

At the other extreme 2011 is the first vintage for the new Domaine de Joncas. I recall Pascal and Christiane Dalier were from Alsace and have been spotted visiting the area for many years. Alain Chabanon no less is their advisor. Jòia 2011 is their unoaked red, mainly Grenache with Syrah. A bit more crafted and refined that La Pimpanela; more redcurrent and rosehip fruit, deliciously fine and well knit in the mouth. Good length but currently a bit monolithic. At 14€ arguably poorer value than the 10€ Pimpanela, but then Montpeyroux is not the place to look for bargains these days, including procuring vineyards.

Montpeyroux Toutes caves ouvertes 2011

As local village wine events go this is the one to look out for. My first, back in 2003 on a sweltering June day, was a memorable family bash and included a twinning with the other Montpeyroux up in the Puy-de-Dôme. This made it replete with the likes of Aubrac cattle and aligot (melted cheese and potato). Subsequent years have been patchy on the animations and attendance front. One year it was cancelled altogether at a few weeks notice when someone twigged it clashed with the annual Roger Pingeon cycle race that needed open streets.

This year was well advertised and organised, well attended and blessed with ideal tasting sunshine. 17 Domaines is perhaps too much, especially as they they all offered at least three wines. Tactics were to start with the established stars with fresh palates.

A weeks holiday back in 1993 ended up in a nearby village by complete chance and marked a personal discovery of the region. A visit to Aupilhac was a wine highlight. These days the cave seems to have expanded into the houses next door, but there are still star wines. From a rather rapid fire tasting I would highlight Le Carignan 2009, still the regions benchmark for that grape, supple and complex with lovely grip. Montpeyroux Red 2008 and 2003 with the latter ageing well for the legendary canicule year. Cocalières 2008 red, from vines planted by Sylvain Fatat high above the village, had great elegance. Of the whites Cocalières 2010 blanc stood out - fresh white flowers and, in this vintage, the right amount of oak for me.

Along with Aupilhac, Pascale Rivière's La Jasse Castel set a very high standard. The 1998 vintage was her first and at the time the wines made a memorable impression with their clear expressive style. All four current wines impressed. L'Égrisée (2010?) blanc intriguing floral and citrus grapefruit, La Pimpanella 2009 a straightforward red with heady primary fruits and quite gourmandise, La Jasse with its seductive Syrah that doesn't bully. Finally La Combariolles proved that serious Grenache is growing on me, but is sadly expensive to make (€27). Pascale also invited us to taste a stunning library selection going back to 2000. It proves the wines age well with the great 2001 vintage shining along with 2000. Plenty of complex mushrooms and forest floor.

Also of note was Alain Chabanon's wines. Campredon 2009 rouge with a nice perfume and balance offers plenty for €10. L'Esprit de Font Caude 2006 was surprisingly expressive but needs time to develop complex layers - it has a track record, Alain has been making it for at least 10 years.

Mas d’Amile make one wine, a pure Carignan that I discovered at the 2009 Montpeyroux bash. The 2007 has developed hedgerow flavours and still has great meaty tannins. 2008 is supple and fresh while the 2009 is earthier and currently a bit chunkier. All recommended and great value at around €8.

Three other estates sadly disappointed with two hampered by following the stunning quality of La Jasse Castel. Next year will need a strategy that visits more caves.

Grand new order revisit #1

It was 8 months ago I posted here about the proposed new hierarchy for Languedoc wines. After a splendid but tiring day at the Montpeyroux's "Toutes Caves Ouvertes" I relaxed with a mug of tea to catch up on Sunday's regional daily paper the Midi Libre. The Languedoc wine hierarchy was front page news - read the on-line version, in French, here. There isn't anything particularly new in the article. Five of the appellations involved have voted and signed up, but with no indication as to whether this progress matches any plan or timetable.

I subsequently found a press dossier issued by CIVL and dated 2011 here which looks to be a key source for the Midi Libre article. Quite why this didn't appear back in August to keep up the momentum and clarify rumours perhaps hints at the politics involved. Interestingly, the introduction states the criteria for Grand Vin and Crus is "qualitatifs et économiques". The only elaboration on the quality aspect is a restriction on yield, how long the wine stays in the cellars and that wines are bottled locally - but no mention of harvesting techniques. Obviously these are in addition to the underlying AOC rules.

The press release includes this useful bit of "power point".

For me, two key points come out of the press dossier.

Firstly, it reveals hard evidence that the classification is very tenuously based on the quality of the wines and their terroir i.e. as would be revealed by a tasting or looking at current market prices. Back in August I was shocked that Faugères had only been classified as a Grand Vin and not a Grand Cru. The Terrasses du Larzac is a Grand Cru but the dossier reveals that Montpeyroux and Saint-Saturnin, villages geographically, climatically and geologically at the heart of the Terrasses du Larzac, are merely Grand Vins. If anyone from CIVL was at the Montpeyroux Toutes Caves Ouvertes and actually tasted the wines they will realise something is very wrong and there are big problems. Another upshot of the Montpeyroux and Saint-Saturnin islands is to add unnecessary complexity and confusion.

Secondly, there is a strong emphasis on the price of wine at the heart of this. Appellations that qualify geographically to be Grand Crus, a status depicted as being at the top of the pyramid, will only be able to label their wines as such if they retail at €10 or more. For the middle tier of Grand Vins the price is between €3,5 and €10. The principle here is that if producers and retailers cannot sell their wines at these price points then it will have to be labelled AOC. So, Grand Cru becomes a badge that says this wine comes from a designated AOC and can be yours for at least 10€. An upside of this is that the middlemen will need to satisfy themselves that the Grand Cru wines they buy will shift at over 10€ and hence focus them on rigorous selection. No doubt the hope over time is for Languedoc Grand Cru and Vins to gain a quality reputation with consumers. As a consumer, I would also expect hand harvested grapes for a 10€ plus bottle, a quality aspect that's not mentioned.

Here's a telling quote in the Midi-Libre article from the Director of the the AOC Languedoc Jean-Philippe Granier.
"Un grand cru à 10 €, ce n’est pas du luxe, c’est la réalité. Aujourd’hui on trouve des produits superbes à des petits prix. A l’heure actuelle seul un connaisseur peut s’y retrouver. Pas un Chinois. Un grand cru ou un grand vin, c’est plus facile à comprendre.".
My translation is that "Grand Cru quality does cost 10€ but at present only connoisseurs can unearth these great bargains. A Chinese consumer would have no chance until he/she can read "Grand Cru" on the label."
In reality little will change for connoisseurs as many of the best wines will be made outside the "Grand" territories or use non-qualifying grape varieties.

Obviously for me the Languedoc is about Independent Vignerons because they make the most exciting wines crafted from vine to bottle by characterful dedicated individuals. The problem being tackled here is the prosperity of the wine business as a whole, something as important to the region as Finance is to London. Just as politicians never please everyone, CIVL must be in the same position - they too have procedures involving voting.

Back to Montpeyroux. Today they can use the village name on labels and must see that as a bigger brand today than Terrasses du Larzac or Grand Cru. As far as only achieving Grand Vin status I propose a couple of theories; a ploy by CIVL to get them to embrace the Terrasses du Larzac combined with no big negociants producing in Montpeyroux so it's all below the radar in the overall scheme of things. Somewhere "seul un connaisseur peut s’y retrouver".

For more on this I'd recommend Ryan's O'Vinyards blog - just type CIVL in the search box. In the meantime I suspect it may be less than 8 months before returning to this topic.