Wine & Spirits - June 2018 - 57

YEAR'S BEST LANGUEDOC-ROUSSILLON
Our blind panels tasted 179 new-release Languedoc-Roussillon wines over the past 12 months.
Tara Q. Thomas, our critic for southwest France, rated 25 as exceptional (90+) and 15 as Best Buys.
Find a complete list of wines tasted and all reviews at wineandspiritsmagazine.com.

L AN G U E D O C W HIT E
229756

93 | Domaine de la
Réserve d'O

$35

2016 Saint-Guilhem-le-Désert La Réserve
d'O Blanc ^ Marie and Frédéric Chauffray
farm several patches of old vines in the
heights of the Terraces du Larzac, including
a one-acre mixed planting of grenache blanc,
roussanne and chenin blanc. As chenin isn't
allowed under the Terraces appellation,
they've declassified it to Saint-Guilhem-leDésert, but there's nothing downmarket
about this white. It's rich and salty, with
the sweet savor of the beeswax in a honeycomb and the scent of flowers adding delicacy. The wine lasts, firm and dense, with a
meaty, brothy note that gives it a sense of
breadth without getting weighty. It would be
delicious with a parmesan risotto, or simply
salty ham. § Cape Classics, NY
228775

91 | Domaine Gaujal
de Saint Bon

$13

2016 Picpoul de Pinet Cuvée des Dames
(Best Buy) ^ Anne-Virginie Arnaud-Gaujal
runs this family estate with her mother,
Simone. By working with low yields in the
appellation's clay-limestone soils, and leaving the wines on the lees six to eight months
after fermentation, they turn out vivid, concentrated Picpoul de Pinet. The 2016 is as
refreshing as a dip in the Mediterranean,
notes of lemon zest and herbal scrub mixing
with a palate-whetting salinity. The time on
the lees gives the wine impressive body for a
picpoul, a roundness that's a pleasant counter to the bright, tart acidity. § Polaner Selections, Mount Kisco, NY
228772

90 | Mas de
Daumas Gassac

$45

2015 Pays d'Herault Blanc ^ A blend of viognier, chardonnay, chenin blanc, petit manseng and a host of other local varieties, this
feels like it came from another century, when
sweetness in wines wasn't feared. The fruit is
unabashedly golden, notes of pear and peach
meeting candied ginger and marmalade; at
the same time, there's plenty of spicy alcohol
and enough acidity to balance it. Pour it in

place of the chutney you might serve with
a chicken-liver terrine. § Polaner Selections,
Mount Kisco, NY
228790

88 | Vignerons de
Saint-Chinian

$12

2016 St-Chinian Le Secret des Capitelles
(Best Buy) ^ A big, blowsy blend of grenache
blanc and roussanne, this is floral and exotic
in its pineapple ripeness. For all its sweet
fruit, however, the wine remains light and
breezy, a relaxed white for dinner en plein
air. § Micca, Mount Horeb, WI

V I N D E PA Y S D ' O C
229540

86 | Wild Pig

$10

2017 Pays d'Oc Viognier (Best Buy) ^ A lean
and restrained viognier, with a light spritz
and a green-peach crunch to its floral fruit. §
DHI, Manhasset, NY

VIN DE FRANCE
$21

2016 Vin de France Le Chenin d'Ailleurs ^
After a devastating spring frost in 2016, Loire
chenin master François Chidaine headed
south to look for replacement grapes. He
made this wine with chenin grown in the
limestone soils of Limoux, fermenting the
grapes with ambient yeasts in 600-liter barrels. It's a fascinating take on the variety:
The texture is pure chenin, waxy and broad,
with an almost meaty intensity thanks to the
chalky minerality running through this wine.
The flavors, however, are filled with southern
notes of salty herbs and golden fruit. Give it a
chill for miso-glazed cod. § Polaner Selections,
Mount Kisco, NY
229333

90 | Sous la Montagne

ROUSSILLON WHIT E
229350

92 | Domaine de l'Edre

$33

2016 Côtes du Roussillon Carrément
Blanc ^ A blend of grenaches blanc and gris
with 30 percent roussanne, fermented in a
combination of stainless-steel vats and used
barrels, this feels instantly refreshing. The
acidity is sharp as a spritz of lemon, accenting
the meatiness of the sunny yellow fruit; the
mineral tones feel cooling, guiding the wine
to a savory finish. It lasts with a hint of roussanne's nutty side, a flavor that would pick
up on the browned butter you might pour
over scallops to accompany this wine. § Hand
Picked Selections, Warrenton, VA

L ANGUEDOC RED

228554

90 | François Chidaine

firm, with a pleasant grit to the texture, notes
of Bosc pear and parmesan cheese pointing it
toward a cheese plate or tartiflette, potatoes
smothered in bacon and Reblochon. § Hand
Picked Selections, Warrenton, VA

$17

2016 Vin de France Vignes Perdues Grenache Gris (Best Buy) ^ Jeff Carrel blends this
wine from old bush-vine grenache blanc in
two areas: Carmany, in the foothills of the
Pyrenees, where the vines grow on granite,
and farther north in Villeneuve des Corbières, where they grow on schist. Together,
the parcels make a wine that speaks more of
rock than fruit, the wine warm and savory. It's

CORBIERES
229580

92 | Château des Aladères

$25

92 | Dom. des Deux Anes

$17

2015 Corbières Sélection Vieilles Vignes ^
Château des Aladères is one of the labels put
out by Château de Lastours, a vast, 2,100acre estate in Corbières owned by the Allard
family of Château Laroque in Saint-Emilion.
Working with consultant Stéphane Derenoncourt, the team put out a succulent Corbières
from their oldest vines in 2015, a blend of 45
percent carignan with grenache and syrah.
Fermented entirely in stainless steel, it
retains a cool freshness, pure purple fruit suffused with violet notes and a sense of mineral
firmness. The tannins hold it fast, suggesting this will age well over the next few years,
though it's also approachable now, with lamb
chops. § W. Direct, Sonoma, CA
229466
2014 Corbières Fontanilles (Best Buy) ^
Beaujolais-born Magali Roux-Terrier started
this biodynamic estate in 2000, farming
53 acres in Peyriac-de-Mer. She blended
this wine from old-vine carignan with a litWINE & SPIRITS

JUNE 2018

57
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