As the world of wine & social media is about to celebrate #LanguedocDay on May 26th 2017, it is about time we learn and explore the wines from this sometimes-forgotten French region.
The Languedoc in Southern France is not only one the biggest wine regions in the world (producing about 5% of the global wine production), it is also now becoming one of the most prominent and upcoming areas for finding great value and world-class wines.
While the area is mostly recognised for its reds, it actually produces virtually all styles of wines: white, rosé, or fortified; you can even find some Languedoc sparkling wines.
To demonstrate the quality found in Languedoc, and help you find some gems, we’ve selected 8 wines, 5 reds and 3 whites that have reached a very high level of refinementyet expresing the typicity of the Languedoc terroir.
The Reds
95/100 pts – 2011 Laurent Miquel Larmes des Fées Saint-Chinian
A stunning Languedoc wine that demonstrates how deep, intense, and complex a wine this region can produce. Silky smooth and utterly dense, if you’re after a powerful and fruity wine, that delivers a crazy-complex array of flavors, in both a fruity and savory style… THIS… is a wine to experience!
95/100 pts – 2013 Clos des Augustins l’Ainé Pic Saint Loup
Full-on, intense and multi-facetted. Powerful, smooth and silky tannins still make for a grippy sensation that is yet bursting with fresh fruit flavors. Deep oaky vanilla, clove and nutmeg, and almost earthy notes end up delivering an outstanding spectrum of deep and complex flavors.
93/100 pts – 2014 Château Maris Minervois-La Livinière Dynamic Syrah
An absolute stand-out of a wine, a masterpiece of balance, pure expression of ripe balanced fruit with very well executed winemaking. In this wine, one can feel the absolute best the Minervois-La Livinière terroir can offer, and probably one of the best expressions of a wine in Languedoc in general. The ‘Dynamic’ has kept the authenticity of where it comes from, yet bringing it to another level all of us can appreciate. Pure expression of great fruit and care at the vineyard, sublimated by reasonable and controlled winemaking.
91/100 pts – 2014 Mas de Daumas Gassac
This baby of a Languedoc wine shows a big heart filled with dense tannins, a wealth of acidity, complex and deep both fruity and herbal flavors.Dry, it is driven by juicy red berry fruit characters but all at once also savory and very spicy, peppery too. A leathery character some that are sensitive to it might find a little strong.
91/100 Pts – 2015 Chateau de Lancyre Pic Sint Loup Vieilles Vignes
Powerful and concentrated flavors make of this wine a burst of sweet/savory sensations. Extremely spicy, it is dry but with an opulent body. A wine with so much personality, a unique juicy herbal/fruity character that will make it an ideal pair with grilled meats and other tasty meat dishes or cheeses.
The Whites
92/100 Pts – 2015 Prieuré Saint Jean de Bébian Blanc
An exuberantly fruity and spicy Languedoc white wine, bursting with intense spectrum of aromas and flavors, making every sip a new discovery, every smell a new learning experience about the grapes and terroir it was made from. Prieuré Saint Jean de Bébian winery has certainly come up here with a wine of unique expression, stunningly intense yet a balanced combination of primary fruit characters with winemaking notes of oak and ageing on lees.
91/100 Pts – 2014 Laurent Miquel Vérité Viognier Grande Cuvée
A dry, creamy, and delicious ripe and fruity Viognier of a wine, just like what we expect and love from this grape. Its built-in natural balance between body and solid fresh acidity has allowed this baby to take on a lot of nutty and spices from its fermentation and ageing in oak, resulting in a harmonious complexity. This white wine is packed-full of salivating flavors: hazelnut, gingerbread, citrus jam, pineapple and more. More importantly, in spite of the powerful aromatic profile, the whole feels fresh and vibrantly fruity. Lively it is, dynamic, and with characterful and concentrated personality.
91/100 Pts – 2015 Gérard Bertrand Château La Sauvageonne Blanc
A brilliant piece of controlled winemaking, lively fruit character, and expression of its Languedoc terroir, this Château La Sauvageonne Grand Vin Blanc seduces with its nearly-perfect balance in the mouthfeel, and the complex equilibrium in the wide range of flavors it provides.Young and lively it still is at this stage, but that makes it utterly enjoyable now if you like fresh fruit flavors such as lemon, apricot, and gingery pineapple. You’d have to love some oaky tones in your wine too to love this one now as it is present although very well integrated and never feeling dominant.
Get Involved! With the Languedoc Day Challenge
The gif below gives you few simple instructions on how to share better your #LanguedocDay with the wine community:
Please let me know your thoughts