Eugenia Keegan

The single largest sub-region of the Languedoc is the Corbières.  David and I made a quick look around last spring with stops in Corbières-Boutenac (an AOC since 2005), and Minervois another sub-region (also an AOC).

My landlord and on this occasion host Malcolm, has lived in the area for many years.  His restaurant specialized in the local wines and his knowledge of the Corbières is extensive.  He kindly offered to show me some of his favorite spots.

Traffic interrupted the early portion of the plan (Malcolm’s chosen lunch spot) and we ended up having a simple but delicious meal in the town of Lezignan-Corbières that according to Malcolm is the “seat” of the Corbières region.  I had my first entrecôte et frites of the trip.  The meat was perfectly cooked, juicy, and tender.  Malcolm had the magret (duck breast) and as he cleaned his plate without even a leftover for his four legged companion Penny, you can believe that it was a savory delight.

Fully fed, we headed to the Castle of Boutenac, now a regional center for information and events that focus on the viticultural importance of the area.  David and I had visited here last spring as well as the small town across the autoroute of Luc-sur-Obieu where we enjoyed a meal that I can still deliciously describe.  It was a heartwarming moment to realize that just five months ago we had sat together in this very courtyard talking about future plans that have morphed into what I am doing now.  We had just experienced an incredible weekend in the greater Chateauneuf region with dear friends and were then beginning our exploration of the Languedoc-Roussillon region and had yet to work our way through Spain and the grenache centric regions of Priorat and Montsant.  What a difference a day makes (or in my case a year as I am celebrating the one year anniversary of the sale of my distribution company!).

From the castle (where Malcolm left an incredible gift of an older bottle of wine for their museum) we headed into the town of Boutenac to our destination at Château La Voulte-Gasparets.   Madame answered the door and greeted us warmly as we stepped into the cool cellar and out of the mid-day sunlight.  Here again, Malcolm brought a special 20 year old bottling for the domaine.  Madame was frankly a bit beside herself and seemed almost unsure, but thoroughly warmed, with cet cadeau.  We tasted their two current red wine releases and Malcolm prompted a visit to their adjacent barrel chai. There is a new generation taking over the family estate and it shows.  The approach is modern with clear respect for the past.

We next stopped at Château Aiguilloux.  Another small family owned estate that one would not find without a guide.  Sadly, they were not available to see us.  A somewhat lengthily, but hastily written penciled note explained that “I” , the proprietor was malade and off to the doctor. We weren’t the only ones disappointed as a couple from Germany drove up just as we were leaving.  Once again, Malcolm left an older bottle from his cellar as a gift (and I understand that he received word back and not surprisingly a hearty thank you!).

We wound our way along the D611 with vineyards rising softly along both sides of the road.  We turned into a charming older domaine, Château Gléon-Montanié.   A younger man, full of purpose, indicated an older gentlemen (no doubt his father) when we inquired about une dégustation.   The senior member of the family was on the phone having a spirited conversation.  The dogs made certain that we were entertained as we waited.  The wait was worth every minute as Jean-Pierre Montanié graciously hosted us for a tasting.  He was a treat for me because he spoke crisp French, slowed to my less than fluent ears.  Naturally, the conversation was delightful.  He seemed very up to date with places like Oregon and what was happening in the American wine industry.  It was clear that he had a mind for business.

We headed leisurely home.

At Château La Voulte-Gasparets (photo by Malcolm Reynard)

Château Aiguilloux

Old Well at Château Aiguilloux

Château Gléon-Montanié

The Gracious Jean-Pierre Montanié

Gorgeous Silk Tapestry Sown by J-P M's Aunt

The Languedoc is one of the oldest settled areas of France.  The Greeks were early traders (7^th century BC) bringing the original grape vines to the area. A conflict between Celtic tribes (who had been migrating over time) and the local inhabitants of Marseille prompted a call to the Romans to settle the dispute.   They arrived around 100 BC and ruled for 500 years (careful what you ask for!!??).  Unlike the Greeks who were traders, the Romans moved to the area as colonists and finally residents.  The period of Roman oversight was one of prosperity and peace.  The agriculture of the region thrived and wine estates were wide spread, often extensive and wealthy households.   By early 400 AD the Visigoths started their invasive sweep southward after noting that the Romans were losing a hold on their vast territories. Once the administration of commerce broke down with the scattered fiefdoms and territories so went the prosperity.  The once wealthy wine industry disintegrated as chaos became the norm.

The early 20^th century witnessed a short burst of prosperity return to the Languedoc.  The phylloxera louse was “gifted” by well meaning botanists who sent grape “parts” to their colleagues in France.  Up to 40% of the French vineyards failed over a 15 year period of time.  Once the cause was discovered, and after other proposed solutions were tried, French scion wood was grafted onto resistant American rootstock.  (This is not quite that simple but here is not the place for a full length dissertation on phylloxera…,besides, it has no doubt been done!).  Because the pestilence started in the Languedoc they were the first to replant and had a head start on other grape growing regions of France.  Once Bordeaux, Burgundy, Champagne, etc. were replanted and thriving the attention of the wine world moved away from the Languedoc.

Neither economic standard has yet to be achieved again, although from what I see now I think that the Languedoc and the Roussillon will be the wine story of the 21^st century. The sunny weather and proximately to the seas (both Atlantic and Mediterranean) allow for long leisurely ripening.  The harvest here is just finishing up. Mornings are cool and crisp.  The sun warms the afternoons to a lovely 23 degrees.  Add to this unspoiled beauty, diversity of food and wine and a variety of locations to fulfill individual likes and dislikes.

Sun and food are always on my mind, but a primary point of my research continues to be the search for that perfect piece of  ground that has nurtured old vines for decades and sparingly offers bunches of grenache and possibly carignan fit for loving vinification and bottling.  As my experience and knowledge grow I continue to work on the current OVG project and am now working on finding a location in the Languedoc for winemaking 2011.  The viticultural area referred to as the Languedoc is very large and this search will take some time (quelle damage!). I am taking the sub-regions one at a time.

Thanks Kobrand for Your Maps!

You should notice in the first photo the unusual nature of the day, or rather the date.  To maximize the effect I waited (crouched in the car) until the precise moment of 10:10 AM on this date of 10.10.10. My rental car clock radio had the most 10’s together that I could find.  I think that this happens again in another 100 years.  Not many of us will be around to witness this next numerical minute in time.

Interesting date or not, the morning started out cloudy and wet. It turned into one of the largest storms in years.  The drive from Maury to the large working French city of Béziers was beyond description.  The Vallé d’Algy tightens up such that the Algy River and two miniscule lanes of road barely fit between sheer slabs of rock.  The area appears to have plenty of eco-tourism as there were many buses (take a moment to think that one through on this narrow stretch of road with a sheer wall of stone on one side and a fairly substantial drop to the river on the other) and billboards for rafting, hiking, and lots of daily rentals.

The rain fell in sheets and I actually had to pull off the road a couple of times to let squalls push by.  But with my stomach leading me on I made it to the charming village of Lagrasse just in time to tuck into lunch.  The town is one of a handful that is officially stamped as a “beautiful village” or Les Plus Beaux Villages de France and indeed it is.  A plane tree lined main boulevard provides shade and space for the primary commercial zone.  A flank of restaurants rules one side of the road.  On this day the outdoor dining portion of the street was empty and the restaurant windows were steamy from families enjoying their Sunday lunch trying to stay dry and warm.  An aroma of mothballs made it clear that winter clothing was making its first appearance of the new season.

I found a modern bistro run by a couple of guys in the typical arrangement of one in the kitchen and one in the front of the house.  I enjoyed my usual salad, but added jambon et fromage for their fat content (it was cold and wet!) and shifted from my usual rosé to a hearty Corbières red.

I approached the hilltop city of Béziers around 4:00 in the afternoon as I had said I would.  It was Sunday and with the weather the place was barren so I took a few minutes to drive around and get a feel for the layout.  My instructions had me heading toward centre ville, l’Hôtel de Ville et Les Halles, all well signed and central.  The owner of the apartment building, Malcolm, was thankfully waiting with an umbrella.  It turns out that I was parking my car some distance away and needed to unload (and quickly as this was a “living” street with people, cars, etc.) all that I needed.  Since I had been both living out of my car AND had all that space available why streamline?  I grabbed what I thought I needed and off we went to the car park.

A narrow twist of stairs leads to my third and top story flat.  After a few loads I “moved” in a bit but this was not my last apartment.  This is old world charm.  A reminder that this is a 3^rd century building helped put it into perspective.  Naturally I quickly discovered that I did not have everything I needed.  On my first attempt to find the car I failed.  I returned looking like a drowned rat.  Malcolm met me at the door and updated my directions.  I headed back out, successfully found the car, stuffed some additional necessities into a plastic sack and returned “home” drenched but with some very important items (can you believe that in my initial grab I forgot the box with wine and chocolate??!!).

As it was Sunday and my first night in town Malcolm kindly invited me downstairs to his flat for dinner.  He used to own a restaurant and although he was up front he seems quite at ease in the kitchen.  We had a delicious fondue with morsels of salmon, mushroom, cod, courgette, shrimp and a small cherry tomato and cucumber salad.  Each tidbit was forked, dipped in a batter and dropped into sizzling oil.  The result was a crispy outside, soft inside burst of crunch and flavor.  This was topped off with a bottle of his “house” wine, a robust and still lively Corbières from 1998.  A perfect first meal in the Languedoc.

And Where Were You This Minute?

To The Left of Me

To the Right

The Width of the Road

Looking Straight UP!

A Show Stopper Along the Drive

Its Meaning

The Beauty Continues

More Variation in Flora

They Pop Up Out of Nowhere

SO WHERE ARE THE PHOTOS OF LAGRASSE?  The photographer is slacking!  May have to head back there just to remedy this oversight.