Tag Archives: Languedoc

Plage du Sud Pays d´Oc IGP 2013

Next up a Rosé wine from the Languedoc region in France.

Plage du SudNot so long ago, Rosé Wines had colours almost like light red wines and were made with grape varieties like Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon. But the fashion has changed, today the fashion is more about more elegant and more refined rosé wines from the Provence region in France and northern Italy. Very pale Rosé’s with very light old pink colours or even salmon-like colours. Plage du Sud is one of those Rosé wines from the south of France that has that pale pink colour rreferring to the Mediterranean feel from the Cote d’Azur. The wine is made with ​​Grenache (60%), Cinsault (35%) and 5% Syrah to give it a slightly heavier body.

Color: Pale old pink. Very elegant looking

Nose: Lots of aroma. Fruity with peach and banana. Sweet and sour in one gulp. The acidity is very nice and refreshing. Peach yoghurt, but also slightly floral, yes it smells of (pink) roses.

Taste: Less complex than the nose and not as aromatic as expected. Nice balance though. Light and simple. Not acidic nor sweet, keeps in the middle. All is in control and very drinkable. After a while the fruity aroma’s return. Quite nice stuff and nobody should be having troubles finishing a bottle like this. Just relax, sit back and enjoy the nice weather looking at people passing by. Do not sip this, drink this with big gulps, it tastes even better that way. Luckily they also sell nice 1,5 litre bottles 🙂

Excellent example of the modern style, pale looking Rosé wines from the south of France. The colours of these wines are really stunning.

Points: 80

Château La Clotte-Fontane Crémailh 2007

After quite some Beers, time for another Red Wine in what turns out to be my 250th post. I’ve noticed that a lot more Whites got a chance on these pages than reds. Yet after this Château La Clotte-Fontane the next Wine will probably be a White (again) from one of my favorite regions, but more about that later. Let’s not get ahead of ourselves and have a look at his Red Wine from Languedoc. Languedoc is a Wine region in the southernmost part of France. It probably is the region that is the fastest growing in popularity by improving itself annually. Not so long ago, it was probably known only by the vast amounts of Wine produced and not especially for its quality. But as said before, that is rapidly changing.

The domaine is situated near Salinelles, between Nimes and Montpellier and spreads over 130 ha and has two types of soils. One, on the sunny eastern side, contains large pebbles. The second is rather flat and is made up of clay and limestone.

Château La Clotte-Fontane Cuvée Crémailh AOC Coteaux du Languedoc is a Red Wine with an ABV of 13.5%. It is made with two grape varieties: 60% Syrah and 40% Grenache. The Wine ages for 12 months in new French oak barrels in an underground cellar. Next to this Crémailh, the domaine also produces two other reds: Mouton La Clotte and Mathierou, but also one Rosé and one White.

Color: Intense deep red, almost black. Lets only sunlight through.

Nose: Deep and brooding, dry earth, from the clay and limestone soil. Quite modern, stylish. It presents itself as heavy, with its almost black color, but it really isn’t. Some hints of cacao and vanilla. Some fresh oak. It is almost like sharpening a pencil. The fruits are deep and sugared (not meaning sweet), plums come to mind, dried ones too. Excellent.

Taste: Full but not intense. It will probably accompany a red meat dinner perfectly, but drinking this on its own will most certainly do. Not heavy on the tannins, slightly acidic and warming. On the back of my tongue some hints of black pepper ánd clove, which gives the wine a nice ‘effect’. Fruits are more the usual reds: raspberry and essence of cherry.

After this Crémailh I’m definitively interested in the other two reds La Clotte-Fontane produces. This Crémailh is very tasty and well made. The added bonus is in the complexity (not overly complex, but there is a lot happening here) and the detail of the wine. Well done. Drink it now, it’s at it best.

Points: 87

Domaine Dupont-Fahn Chardonnay 2011 Vin de Pays d’Oc Languedoc

While we’re at it, why not try another gem (hopefully) by Michel Dupont-Fahn. This time his Chardonnay from…Languedoc! For those of you who are alarmed, don’t worry, this Chardonnay is well made into the Burgundy style (whatever that is).

Chardonnay is a relatively easy grape variety. It doesn’t need a lot of care, and it does well in a lot of places and terroirs. Therefore the Chardonnay grape can be found all over the world. The wines made with the Chardonnay grape, can be utterly different, just compare Chablis to a Montrachet. Yes both from Burgundy, where Chardonnay is BIG.

The Chardonnay grapes are manually harvested. After pressing and fermentation the wine stays for six to ten months in oak casks. 80% of them are used casks and 20% are newly made casks. This Dupont-Fahn Chardonnay is 13.5% ABV.

Color: White wine

Nose: Light and acidic. Grassy with lime. Small hint of peach. Actually the nose is not very outspoken, yet very fresh. Small hint of new wood. Good balance. Light and flowery. It becomes fruity and slightly vegetal, when it warms up a little bit. Lovely nose.

Taste: Definitely sweeter than expected. Again good balance and the sweetness counterparts the (lemony) acidity very well. Lovely light aperitif wine that also will do pretty well with fish. The fruity sweetness is a bit syrupy, as if a drop of PX Sherry somehow found its way into this wine. Very fresh and lively, and not a lot of wood influence. A little bit of new wood, but nothing bitter.

Easy drinkable and not overly complex. This is a quality wine. Drink young and preferably outside in warm weather. Thoroughly enjoyable. Lovely light quality wine from Languedoc, made by a Burgundy winemaker. Recommended (just like the Dupont-Fahn Cuvée Rosée reviewed earlier).

Points: 84

Thanks again Richard for the wine.