liberty wines 020 7720 5350 order@libertywines.co.uk www.libertywines.co.uk
@liberty_wines
Freshness in the far south
by David Gleave MW
Both the Languedoc and the Roussillon have a reputation for exuberant, ripe wines.
However, a growing band of producers are adapting their winemaking and seeking cooler vineyard sites to deliver wines with more freshness and elegance.
Domaine Gauby of the Roussillon is renowned for its wines of exemplary freshness.
Not only do their organic and biodynamic vineyards benefit from cooling breezes from both the Mediterranean and the Pyrenees, they combine up to 125-year-
old vines and limestone, marl and schist soils, yielding grapes with the
perfect balance between flavour intensity and a lifted acidity. Judicious use of Stockinger foudres means that the precise flavours and minerality of the wines are not overwhelmed by the oak.
In the Languedoc, coastal sites such as the Picpoul de Pinet vineyards
of Domaine La Croix Gratiot and Baron de Badassière benefit from sea
breezes that ensure the grapes retain a lively acidity. Not only are their
white wines aromatic and refreshing, their elegant reds such as Domaine La Croix Gratiot’s ‘Les Zazous’ Pinot Noir and ‘Rouge Cerise’ Syrah can ably compete with their more northern cousins.
Atitude can provide relief from the heat. The Syrah, Grenache and
Mourvèdre vineyards of La Croix de Saint Jean sit in the north east corner
of Minervois at up to 300m above sea level and produce a refined style of Minervois which marries brooding black fruit flavours with silky tannins and a vibrant acidity.
THE WINE MERCHANT may 2020 61