Category: Languedoc

For winemakers in Burgundy, finding enough sun is a perennial concern, and an unusually rainy year like 2016 can make life difficult. In the Languedoc, France’s southernmost region, the concern is just the opposite: how to harvest grapes with enough acidity to preserve freshness.

Perhaps no wines in our portfolio more perfectly express their origin than those of the Mas Foulaquier. Our visit yesterday reminded us just how special this place is. Guided by a fervent belief in biodynamics, these vignerons have set their domaine in a old stone farmhouse on a sunny, idyllic hillside in Southern France.

Winemaking began in the Languedoc around 125 BC, and over the last two millennia, little has changed in its basic chemistry. Though the past century has seen the advent of new chemicals and measurements, winemaking is still the combination of grapes, yeast, and time.

Weather plays an enormous role in shaping a vintage. In Burgundy four of the most recent five vintages were stunted by various meteorological maladies -- hail, rain, unusually warm weather, unusually cool weather, vine disease, and rot, to name a few. Some appellations saw their yields reduced by 85%.

Much of New England has slipped behind a veil of rain this week, and the May sun feels a long way off. But the warm weekend weather drove more than a few green shoots from the soggy ground and the air seems to have turned a corner towards spring. It’s not quite rosé season, but it’s not far off either.

The Languedoc is the world’s largest wine producing region, with over 700,000 acres of vines. The region traces its winegrowing history back to 125 BC, making it one of the oldest as well. For many years it has been known for abundant, cheap, and largely uninteresting wine.

The Languedoc is an ancient winegrowing region. The Greeks were the first to plant here, in the fifth century BC, and so Languedoc wine predates France itself. The region has had its ups and downs over the last two millennia, and until recently earned its reputation for mediocre, uninteresting wine.

Carignan is the most widely planted grape you never heard of. It covers nearly 80% of the vast Languedoc, and given free rein the grape can yield 200hl/ha (versus about 30 in Burgundy). This is a formula for ordinary wine. But kept in check and grown carefully, Carignan can produce really delicious wine.

For the careful shopper, the Languedoc can be an abundant resource. Long a source for inexpensive wine, the region has only recently become a source for value. There’s still plenty of bad wine made in the vast region, but if you make good choices $13 will take you farther here than just about anywhere else.

France is in the midst of an intense heat wave these days. Though the south of France is no stranger to summer heat, the country’s continental climate is important in helping its wines achieve balance. Grapes that are overripe contain too much sugar, which boosts alcohol levels and flattens the palate.

On Saturday night, for our final meal in Paris, we sat outdoors at a charming restaurant in the Latin Quarter. We didn’t recognize any producers on the their small but thoughtful wine list, and ordered a bottle of red from Pic-St-Loup in the Languedoc. It was fresh, very well-balanced, and delicious.