Languedoc-Roussillon Annual Report: Rising Ambitions and an Ocean of Choice

The aspirations of Languedoc-Roussillon’s winemakers could be even bigger than the French wine region itself. Spanning 245,000 hectares of cultivated vineyards – larger than Chile's entire viticultural terrain and double Bordeaux's vast expanse – Languedoc-Roussillon offers an ocean of choice, and it’s a challenge to navigate through all these appellations and often unfamiliar labels. And yet this fascinating region is brimming with excellent wines, driven by the ambition of large producers and the energy and enthusiasm of passionate winemakers.

Over the past year, the JamesSuckling.com tasting team rated 788 wines from the region and found many excellent bottles, 10 percent of which received a score of 93 points or more. If the reputation of Languedoc-Roussillon wines is sometimes eclipsed by larger production, supermarket-driven wines that lack balance and character, the wines we tasted showed much more of their own identity, and the region is clearly coming into its own with more place-driven bottles. Wines from the 2021 vintage stood out for their freshness and balance while 2020 was a top-caliber, warm vintage and 2019 was similar in quality but with more power that needs to settle. During five days in the vineyards we also tasted older wines, with 2016 impressing the most and 2018 proving to be more polished than generally acknowledged as well as confirming the capacity of the region’s wines for graceful aging.

Roussillon, a distinctive enclave infused with the flavors of Catalonia and southern France, is the realm of grenache (noir and peluda for the reds, blanc and gris for whites) and carignan, especially in the northern Catalonia region near Banyuls. One of its top producers, Domaine de La Rectorie, makes fine, balanced and elegant wines on its hillside vineyards, which descend to the sea.

The maritime influence is big here, lending a saline character to wines such as the Domaine de la Rectorie Collioure L’Argile 2022 and Domaine de la Rectorie Collioure L’Oriental 2021, the latter a precise and vertical offering with remarkable precision.

"The sea mainly impacts the whites," said Thierry Parce, the owner and chief winemaker for Domaine de Rectorie. "But the wines aren't solely influenced by maritime effects but also by altitude and, most importantly, the winds."

Maxime Chapoutier of Domaine Bila-Haut added that the winds are a crucial factor that help shape the vintages in the region, although they can also cause damage. "The wind concentrates the berries close to harvest,” he said. “It requires extreme care.”

Bila-Haut, which Chapoutier started in 1998, produces high-quality parcel wines, such as the vibrant and mineral Domaine de Bila-Haut Collioure Chrysopée Blanc 2019 and Domaine de Bila-Haut Collioure Chrysopée 2019, which has a lively mid-palate and rocky structure. These are refined and sophisticated wines that possess character and depth, following the style typical of the Collioure appellation.

Further north in the hills of Roussillon, syrah shines. The parcel wines are of high quality, on par with the best of Rhone. The Domaine de Bila-Haut Côtes du Roussillon Villages Lesquerde R.I. 2019, which is 100 percent syrah, impresses with its aromatic complexity, minerality and texture, recalling a Hermitage wine in biodynamic form. There are also plenty of natural wines here with high drinkability, like the Domaine Gilles Troullier Côtes Catalanes L’Esprit du Temps 2021, a 100 percent unoaked and unfiltered grenache peluda that is pristine and pure, with a pale ruby color.

Altitude and exposition play a significant role in bringing out the freshness of Roussillon wines, especially for non-native grape varieties like syrah. Parce’s cuvee, the Domaine de la Rectorie Collioure Col de Perdigué 2021, for example, comes from “a parcel that works well at altitude with sea exposure where freshness can be preserved,” although he added that “we can see other people's plantings deeper in the land that suffer, resulting in overmaturity.”

THE MANY FACES OF LANGUEDOC

Languedoc, which hugs the Mediterranean coast to the north of Roussillon, presents a variety of faces, mostly through its copious blends. Around Narbonne, the unique terroir of La Clape offers Mediterranean wines that are structured and rich. Gerard Bertrand, who owns 17 estates and more than 950 hectares of biodynamically farmed vineyards, has established his base at Chateau l'Hospitalet and produces a precise and compact wine from a blend of grenache, syrah and mourvedre, the Gérard Bertrand La Clape Château l'Hospitalet.

High up in the hills of Minervois-La-Liviniere, a Languedoc cru, Bertrand’s Minervois La Liviniere Clos d’Ora has been producing generous and well-structured wines for a decade. All the wines have terrific aging potential and show refined character, smoothness and tertiary aromas.

It's in such hills and slopes of Languedoc that the best crus come to life, as is the case in the amphitheatre of Cabrieres, at Clos du Temple. This is Bertrand's latest and most ambitious project, a domain dedicated to a single wine: the Gérard Bertrand Languedoc Cabrières Clos du Temple. It's a serious rosé that is enjoyed like a great white, with substance, structure, and freshness, which doesn't solely come from altitude. "By adopting biodynamics, we've gained acidity, thanks to less salty soils (due to the presence of potassium)," Bertrand said of the wine.

Other non-Mediterranean grape varieties have also found their place in Languedoc, like at Bertrand’s Domaine de Cigalus, which focuses on a blend made from cabernet franc, cabernet sauvignon and merlot.

In Corbieres, near Narbonne, the Bordeaux-based Domaines Barons de Rothschild (Lafite) has been producing refined wines at its Domaine d’Aussieres for 15 years. Merlot, cabernet sauvignon, mourvedre, marselan and carignan come together as a smooth package in their balanced and textured cuvee, the Château d’Aussières Corbières. During my visit, CEO Saskia de Rothschild organized the first “Rencontres d’Aussieres” – a day of meetings, discussions and exchanges focused on the wines of the estate, including their Grand Vins.

The Mas de Daumas Gassac winery is another that strives for its own take on unique blends. "We've always sought aromatic complexity," said co-owner Basile Guibert, the son of the late founder, Aime Guibert. Basile Guibert recently returned to Languedoc after working abroad for seven years in Asia to establish a base there for Daumas Gassac wines. "I've come back here after my years in Singapore to continue my father's work but also to develop new projects."

Basile, however, doesn't limit himself to promoting his family estate. He also wants young winemakers in Languedoc “to have more confidence in themselves, to aspire to create great wines, to believe in it."

His wines bear witness to this pursuit of greatness – they are complex, textured and suffused with maturity, yet all are veiled in freshness. The cool embrace of the summer nights in the Terrasses du Larzac appellation help shape the evolution of Daumas Gassac wines, allowing cuvées like the Mas de Daumas Gassac Saint-Guilhem-Le-Desert to blossom over time.

Terrasses du Larzac, centered around the village of Aniane, produces some of the most coveted wines coming out of Languedoc. Frederic Pourtalie of Domaine de Montcalmes is one who has played a significant role in Terrasses du Larzac in making top-notch, elegant wines. Pourtalie says he “likes to take it slow in the cellar,” accompanying the wines every step of the way to their finish.

His Domaine de Montcalmès Languedoc La Sy 2021 and Domaine de Montcalmès Terrasses du Larzac 2020 reds show beautiful texture, all with the right balance. But it is one of Pourtalie’s white wines that is one of his best, even though the Terrasses du Larzac appellation is officially for red wines only. The Domaine de Montcalmès Languedoc Blanc 2020 is a harmonious and delicate offering, largely shaped by rigorous vineyard work and a respect for the juice throughout the process.

This vision for uplifting quality in Terrasses du Larzac is shared by Matthieu Rollin and Nicolas Seffusatti of Domaine Cassagne et Vitailles. The old carignan and grenache vines on their family-managed estate are cultivated biodynamically and manually, in limited volume. "I won't increase production,” Rollin said. “We wouldn't achieve the same result if we did.”

The wines are spectacular, including the Cassagne et Vitailles Carignan Nimalaya 2020, which comes from old carignan, and the Cassagne et Vitailles Montpeyroux Les Chausmes 2020, which is a more classic blend of 60 percent syrah, 30 percent grenache and 10 percent carignan.

READ MORE CHAMPAGNE ANNUAL REPORT: FRESHNESS AND ENERGY COME TO THE TABLE

There are several other appellations in Languedoc-Roussillon that also deserve special attention, such as the inland Limoux region. Here, Bordeaux varietals like the Domaine de Baronarques Limoux 2020 and Gérard Bertrand Malepère Château de La Soujeole 2018 excel alongside chardonnays and pinot noirs such as the ample yet fresh and lively Domaine de Baronarques Chardonnay Limoux 2021 and Gérard Bertrand Chardonnay Limoux Aigle Royal 2021. Pic Saint-Loup, Saint Chinian and Fitou have also shone during tastings.

We have also included some Vin de France wines of Languedoc and Roussillon in this report, including our highest scorer from the category (and in this report), the Cassagne et Vitailles Vin de France Les Célis 2021, which, being 100 percent grenache, doesn't qualify for the appellation where it's produced. We’ve also incluced a number of excellent wines with certain quality-to-price ratios, like those from Jeff Carrel. Check out all notes below and enjoy.

– Reporting by Kevin Davy, Tasting Manager

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