Saving the best until last - a couple of outstanding 2009 reds from my latest shipment

Are Saint-Chinian and La Liviniere amongst the finest appellations in the whole of southern France? I think so. Indeed, the wines from these two hilly and rugged areas of the world's largest and most diverse wine region have built a deserved reputation for quality and individuality that is hard to beat - as are the prices. The following pair of wines are the top cuvées made by their respective growers, and both come in at less than 15 quid. They are the final couple of wines on which I have had to write notes from my most recent shipment - and I have definitely saved the best until last..............

Chateau La Dournie Elise 2009 Saint-Chinian

80% Syrah, 20% Grenache (50 year old vines). Part is aged in barrel and part in vat. A deep, blackberry-coloured core with a tiny carmine rim. As with previous vintages of this wine, the nose is wonderfully fragrant and considerably complex, offering aromas of fresh plums, bramble and black cherry, along with that unmistakable hallmark of Syrah grown on the schiste-based Saint-Chinian terroir - garrigue herbs, lilies, violets, black olives and a strong mineral influence. The palate is subtle and balanced, rather than overtly rich, with spice and herb-infused (though not too sweet) bramble, redcurrant and cherry fruit wrapped in a blanket of fine, silky tannins. And you can really taste the earthy, stony minerality, which - in combination with really juicy acidity - provides a firm backbone for the fruit. Add to that the ultra-fine tannins and you have a wine that, although very approachable now, has the capacity to age and evolve gracefully for another 5 to 10 years. Another gloriously elegant wine from this, one of (if not the) greatest estates in the appellation. 14.0% abv. £14.75.

Domaine La Combe Blanche La Chandeliere 2009 Minervois La Liviniere

75% Syrah, 15% Grenache and 10% Carignan, aged for 18 months in old oak barrels. A deep, blood red colour, with a narrow ruby rim. Bramble, red cherries and figs in abundance, with further notes of truffle, spices, herbs and polished leather - a very complex nose indeed. Whilst the flavours are at first rich and intense, with extremely ripe fruit flavours, this wine never loses its focus. Concentrated it may be (and at 15% abv, at the top end of the alcohol scale) but it is also beautifully balanced, with ripe tannins and ample acidity. On day 1, it is intensely spicy, warm and grippy, but never disjointed. By day 2 (or even day 3) it is an absolute joy and everything really does come together - fresh as a daisy, with a captivating nose and full of tangy, dark, fruit pie flavours, slightly earthy (though not particularly savoury), herby, with a touch of licorice on the long, sweet and sour finish. It is a completely brilliant expression of Languedoc Syrah and Grenache, with little or no oak influence to get in the way of such glorious fruit. If ever there was a red wine which you should decant a couple of days before drinking, then this is it. And if you do that - or if you age it for another 5 to 10 years - you will be richly rewarded. 15% abv. For a wine of such quality and breeding, this is an absolute steal at £13.99 - but stocks are limited!

As an aside, it occurs to me that your average (or even more elevated) wine writer or journalist may never fully appreciate a wine like this, for they would have a quick sniff and a slurp, write a cursory note and then move onto the next wine. Have you ever seen a note from a writer about how a wine performs after a day or two in the decanter? No - neither have I. Which is a shame, because I think that one of the curious (and rather wonderful) things about wines from Languedoc and Roussillon is that so many of them really do blossom on day 2. In fact, I have been banging on about it for many a year, as my customers and regular website visitors will be aware - and it is to my eternal surprise that no other merchant that I know of offers such commentary on their wines. Then again, I doubt that many of them get to know each wine they sell as intimately as I know mine - if they have even tasted them at all...........

          

3 more new Languedoc wines

Over the last week or so, I have been enjoying tasting and writing notes on a variety of new wines from two of my very favourite Languedoc growers. As always, it is an arduous task, but somebody has to do it! Here are three more................

Domaine La Dournie Marie 2011 IGP Pays d'Oc

100% barrel-fermented Roussanne. A very pale, limpid straw colour. Delicately perfumed and fresh, offering aromas of orange, nectarine and honeysuckle, with a sprinkling of oregano and basil, very subtle oak nuances and a distinct whiff of mineral/wet stone. Roussanne normally tends to have a rich, slightly oily texture to the palate, but this one is beautifully fresh, fruity and crisp, like biting into a just-ripe nectarine or dessert apple, with soft, citrussy acidity and a streak of stony minerality, which makes for a rather delicious and refreshing orange peel and sherbert tang on the surprisingly long finish. This is a new cuvée from Chateau La Dournie and whilst I have no idea whether it is built for ageing, I'm not sure there is any point - for it is just too delicious not to drink now! 13.0% abv. £11.75.

Domaine La Combe Blanche Calamiac Terroir 2010 Minervois

Carignan, Cinsault, Grenache and Syrah. Guy Vanlancker never fails to make delicious wines, even at the "lower" end of the scale, and this is a classic example of his craft. Fairly deep in colour, with a tiny rim, but a surprisingly elegant and enticing nose - bags of plum and bramble fruit, with something richer and darker like toffee or dried figs, but also a hint of balancing orange freshness. A distinct whiff of aromatic garrigue herbs and a touch of black olive tapenade add savoury elements to what - at this price level - is really quite a complex wine. The palate too has plenty of succulent red and black fruit flavours, again with a hint of toffee and fig, balanced by ripe, supple tannins and ample acidity. This really is quite a contemplative wine - the sort that has you sticking your nose in the glass and keeps you coming back for another drop or two. And how many wines at well under a tenner can do that, these days? Textbook Minervois. 14.0% abv. £8.90

Domaine La Combe Blanche La Galine 2008 Minervois La Liviniere

40% Syrah, plus Grenache, Carignan and Cinsault, aged for 18 months in old oak barrels. Deep purple core with a dark ruby rim. This really is a gloriously perfumed wine, with multi-layered black cherry, bramble and raspberry aromas, accompanied by damp earth, polished wood, leather, fine eau de vie and subtle notes of violet and peony. And whilst slow to come out of its shell, it gets more and more complex after a few hours in the decanter (and positively sings on day 2). The intense summer heat in the vineyards high above La Liviniere means that optimum ripeness is accompanied by relativelly high alcohol, but this is no Parkerised monster. For whilst evidently full-bodied and ripe, it possesses more than a little complexity and real elegance, with a multitude of fresh - rather than baked - red and black fruit flavours, infused with garrigue herbs and again a touch of earthiness. A combination of remarkably fine, supple tannins and juicy, orange-tinged acidity completes the package. The finish is long, spicy, warming, life-affirming - and truly worthy of contemplation. As a winemaker who forever struggles to make ends meet, Guy Vanlancker has not bought any new barrels for over 10 years. But this wine really doesn't need to be dressed up in a cloak of new oak - it is winemaking without a safety net, and with his skills laid bare, Guy has once again fashioned a remarkable wine. And at this price, it really is a steal. You can drink it now, with pleasure, but it should also age nicely for a good few years yet. 14.5% abv. £11.50.

All of these wines, together with the ones I mentioned in my previous post, are now available in the Leon Stolarski Fine Wines online shop - and I commend them to you very highly!

Incidentally, you can now receive notice of new entries on my blog by email. Just add your email address to the box on the right-hand menu (just underneath my mugshot) and click the 'submit' button. You will then receive a notification immediately I post a new entry on the blog.
                   

         

Vinisud Part 2 - Domaine La Combe Blanche and Chateau La Dournie

No trip to Vinisud would be complete without a visit to the stand of our good friends Guy and Isabelle Vanlancker, from Domaine La Combe Blanche. Those of you who have followed the progress of Leon Stolarski Fine Wines will know that Guy's wonderful wines are the very reason for our existence in the wine business.

A treasured picture from a few years ago - Guy Vanlancker and his lovely wife Isabelle in the foreground, with TLD and our two rascally young boys

Calamiac Terroir Roussanne Viognier 2011 VdP des Cotes du Brian

This really is fresh as a daisy and completely delicious. No point taking a note, really, as for me it is simply a must-buy - and on first impressions, as good as always, if not better. Will retail at £9.75.

Cinsault l'Incompris 2011 VdP des Cotes du Brian

I don't recall noticing the bottle, but I assume this will be a new label (as distinct from the Calamiac Terroir series). Incompris translates as "misunderstood", and Cinsault has (along with the oft-maligned, but now in-vogue Carignan) traditionally been seen as a blending grape. Indeed, wines based purely (or even predominantly) on Cinsault are pretty rare, although Patricia Domergue makes one at Clos Centeilles, just a couple of kilometres up the road from La Combe Blanche in the tiny hamlet of Siran. And Guy definitely has the knack with Cinsault - his 2007 is a lovely little wine and is still drinking well (I have a couple of cases left, at £9.20 per bottle. l'Incompris 2011 is also a delicious drop - gloriously fruity and aromatic, with soft tannins and juicy acidity. It will be a bit of a steal at £7.99.

Calamiac Terroir Tempranillo 2009 and 2011 VdP des Cotes du Brian

If Cinsault-rich wines are rare in Languedoc, then with Tempranillo, we are very definitely into "hens teeth" territory. Guy planted his in the early 1990's and, although a few others have followed suit, it remains extremely uncommon in Languedoc. The 2011 was a tank sample, and has yet to be bottled, so not available for my current order. It possesses plenty of fruit, accompanied by pepper and spice, though it needs a year or two for the tannins to soften. For now, I will be taking a few cases of the 2009, which is coming nicely into its drinking window. I currently have just a few bottles of 2007 left at £9.20, whilst the 2009 will retail at £9.25.

Le Dessous de l'Enfer 2010 VdP des Cotes du Brian

This is Guy's premium Tempranillo, made only in certain years, in which the best fruit is aged for 18 months in older oak barrels. It is laden with aromas of brambly fruit and spices, with notes of cough medicine, balsam and polished wood. The palate is rich and dense, with firm tannins and a sweet/sour cherry kernel finish. Again, this is not yet available in bottle, but needs time in any case. Good stuff, though!

La Galine 2008 and 2010 Minervois La Liviniere

In effect, La Galine is Guy's "entry level" La Liviniere, but those of you with experience of previous vintages I have sold (notably 2000, 2001 and 2004) will know that it is a serious (and seriously good) wine. I didn't make much of a note on the 2010, but it has a delightful perfume and a silky mouth-feel, and is surprisingly open and luscious now. However, I will be taking the 2008, which is equally delicious and has a couple more years' maturity to it (though it will undoubtedly age nicely for a few more years yet). Will retail at £11.50.

La Chandeliere 2009 Minervois La Liviniere

Despite the undoubted quality of La Galine, this is another notch up the scale, with rich, gently baked red and black fruits, countered by a good deal of minerality and ever-so-silky tannins. A complex wine, which is good to drink already, but has serious ageing potential. Will be £14.50 - and worth every penny!

I will also be importing Calamiac Terroir Minervois 2010 (£8.85) and Calamiac Terroir Pinot Noir 2009 (£9.25), although I didn't make any tasting notes as such - so you will have to wait a couple of weeks for my full tasting notes on the LS Fine Wines website. All good things, etc..... ;-)

The new range of Domaine La Combe Blanche wines should arrive in stock within the next 2 to 3 weeks. Make sure you are on the LS Fine Wines mailing list to be amongst the first to know.

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Chateau La Dournie has been a firm favourite of mine (not to mention my more enlightened customers) for a few years now, although I actually sold out of their wines a few months ago. So I was glad to be able to visit their stand at Vinisud and taste the current vintages before placing an order. Winemaker Véronique Etienne greeted me with a playfully beady eye, no doubt a mock reprimand for having compared Elise 2006 to a very good Cote Rotie (Languedoc winemakers are very proud of their own terroir!) but both my compliment and the comparison were sincere - and of course, she knew it. :-)

The charismatic Véronique Etienne (left) and her very capable assistant, Monique Blok

Chateau La Dournie Rosé 2011 Saint-Chinian

As always, a gorgeous soft rese petal pink colour. Fresh, balanced, wonderfully fruity and elegant, with plenty of Saint-Chinian minerality and a subtle herbiness. This really is proper rosé! I have ordered a few cases of this (projected price £9.50).

Chateau La Dournie 2009 (and 2010) Saint-Chinian
I imported several vintages of this wine, before Majestic discovered it a couple of years back and offered it at a price I couldn't even get close to matching (oh to be able to have such buying power and economies of scale). It is still a cracking wine, though, and these were both delicious - the 2009 has the typical black olive, herb, red fruit and schiste/mineral profile, whilst the 2010 (not yet bottled) is softer and less mineral, but still with plenty of structure.

Etienne 2008 Saint-Chinian
The wine formerly known as Chateau Etienne La Dournie, the name has now been truncated, but the wine is still just as good. Mainly Syrah, plus some Grenache and Carignan, aged in barrel for 1 year. Elegant and highly-perfumed, with aromas and flavours of crystallised fruits and red berries. Grippy, but beautifully balanced, with strong minerality, ample acidity and a good deal of complexity. A really lovely wine, which will be in stock by mid-to-late May (projected price £12.50).

Etienne 2009 Saint-Chinian (tank sample - not yet bottled)

As with the younger Chateau La Dournie, this is currently a little primal and fruit-driven, with the terroir yet to really emerge. Plenty of complexity though, with a rich texture. Needs time.

Elise 2008 Saint-Chinian
The estate's top red wine, made from 80% Syrah and 20% Grenache, aged for 1 year in barrel. Supremely elegant on the nose, with soft red and black fruits, violets, tapenade and a lick of oak. The palate is at the same time velvety and high-toned, with gorgeous fruit flavours countered by orangey acidity, grippy but fine tannins and real mineral depth. Young, and with the structure to age for 10 years or more, but already showing its class. A completely brilliant wine (which I won't dare to compare to anything else - at least not in print!) which will retail at £14.95.

Elise 2009 Saint-Chinian
Another wine which is still to be bottled. As with the other tank samples, it majors on fruit, with a palate of pure velvet. Difficult to assess at this point, but it clearly has the makings of another serious, complex wine.

Marie 2011 IGP Pays d'Oc

An "experimental" dry white which should, by rights, have preceded the reds, although it was almost served to me as an afterthought. Experimental because this is the first vintage of this barrel-fermented 100% Roussanne. Following fermentation, it is left for a further 2 months on its lees. The result is a wine with a very fruity nose, with the (still rather subtle) oak being more evident on the palate, along with some peachy, creamy fruit and good acidity. As this was another wine which had yet to be bottled, I guessed it may have the ability to develop into something really quite interesting, so I have ordered a few cases, which will retail at around £11.95 a bottle.

Again, our new range of Chateau La Dournie wines should arrive in stock within the next 2 to 3 weeks. I can't wait!