The Wines of Languedoc-Roussillon

And a lesson in wine tasting

By Richard Frisbie

The de Colbert family has owned the Château de Flaugergues since 1696. Our host, Pierre de Colbert is a nobleman of a once wealthy family, now rich only in land and history. He said the chateau has been in his family for 10 generations, but the family name changed when a daughter inherited it some generations past. As we spoke, he received word that the 11th generation was newly represented by the birth of his daughter, Rose, so who knows what future name the estate’s owners will bear. Rest assured they will have the same respect and reverence for the land apparent during Pierre’s guided tour of his gardens and home.

The Château de Flaugergues is one of the so-called 'Follies', summer residences built in the countryside around Montpellier by aristocrats and wealthy merchants in the 17th & 18th centuries. As Montpellier grew, what was once a destination in the country became an oasis within the city proper. Pierre explained that his forebears once had several such houses, one for each season, but the expense on maintaining multiple residences in the twentieth century caused them to scale back, and what was once an unsuitable ‘show case’ house became his family’s home. Today, 50,000 people visit the house and his extensive gardens annually.

During the tour I saw the memorabilia of centuries spilling out of the rooms into the hallways. Priceless antiques, drawings and tapestries filled the house. One room was a veritable military museum of guns, uniforms and medals of the family’s officers down through the ages. Another held the original library, amazingly untouched by the Luftwaffe (German Air Force) who commandeered the house for their headquarters during the French occupation of World War II. Pierre held up his most valuable book - a set of eight volumes of grape vine varieties - the bible for vintners. With all the new wines and modern growing practices there is still room for the basics in the production of good wine, and that is what his family is all about.

Our tasting took place in the converted stables, with a stone trough where the horses were once tied as a backdrop. Pierre said that they have 40 hectars of vines and produce about 15,000 cases of wine a year, in eleven different varieties.  80% is exported to the US. Wine Spectator gave his 2003 Château de Flaugergues 92 points. He described the term ‘terroir’, as in the terroir of a wine, as being the soil, weather, the men & women, and the cultivation, as all effect the grapes. He concluded with the statement that the terroir is more important than the grape to the French. Then he poured the wine. They are all AOC (Appellation d’Origine Controlee) which is the French system of regulating the quality of the wine by region. My favorite was a red, Cuvee Colbert, but the whites and rosé were also delightful. As difficult as it is to travel with liquids these days, I made a point of bringing a bottle home for a special occasion. Should I need more than one, Château de Flaugergues wines are readily available in the Northeast.

Château de Flaugergues
1744 av. Albert-Einstein
34000 Montpellier
Tel : +33 (0)4.99.52.66.37
www.flaugergues.com

When I told Pierre I was going next to visit the Château de Raissac, he said “say hello to Goose for me. You’ll enjoy him, and he makes good wine.” So much for the ruthless world of business competition. I’ve noticed that in all the wine making regions I’ve visited, the vintners generally enjoy and respect each other. They are a genial crowd, often fun to be around. That was true at the Château de Raissac, and especially of Gustav’s parents.

John Pierre and Christina live this idyllic life in a huge chateau that has been in his family for 200 years. But, idyllic does not mean easy. The Chateau was abandoned and burgled - empty for eight years - while vandals ripped up the parquet floors to build fires, and destroyed everything but the happy memories John Pierre had growing up on the beautiful estate. It took his new wife, Christina, to personally restore their home one room at a time. In the process she  filled it with her incredible ceramic collection - the largest in France, perhaps the world.

The two of them are larger than life, both successful artists in their own right - John Pierre’s oil portraits are on most walls - as-well-as engaging hosts. While John prepared dinner, I followed Christina from room to room picking up the names she carelessly dropped in conversation - not to impress, but rather to simply continue the charming anecdote she began in a different wing of their amazing home. We had a delightful evening together. In the morning John placed a hot platter of croissants on the table for my breakfast. They were so light he had them covered with heavy French linen to keep them from floating away. When I pulled one flaky creation apart a puff of steam escaped - I was in heaven! As in last night’s dinner, John proved that he is more than an artist in oils.

After breakfast I toured their vineyard with their son, Gustav. He is as engaging as his parents, with a lovely wife and children of his own to carry on the wine making tradition. He took me into the cellars where he opened a barrel of Sacre Bleu Merlot to taste. His knowledge of wine making and marketing were apparent as he explained the process of turning grapes into bottles of delicious wine, and how he got them on the shelves of wine shops  in our Midwest. He believes that from his solid base in the heartland of the US he can expand to both coasts, certainly a different strategy than most vintners who target the populous Northeast and California markets first. With his youthful energy and expertise he just might pull it off. Look for the Sacre Bleu Pinot Noir and Merlot in your local wine shop. It’s worth asking for if the clerk doesn’t have it in stock.

Château de Raissac
Route de Lignan sur Orb
34500 BEZIERS
Tel : +33 4.67.49.17.60
info@raissac.com
www.raissac.com

The Château d’Agel once produced wine on the "Minervoise" wine route, halfway between Béziers and Carcassonne in Languedoc, next to the Black Mountain and the limestone (Causse) of Saint Jean de Minervois. It has been owned by the Ecal family since the mid-18th century. The current generation refused to allow the settling of an estate to force the sale, rather, the eldest daughter purchased her sibling’s interests and proceeded to single-handedly turn the 12th century castle into a modern B&B. Presently there are three elegantly appointed guest suites that can accommodate up to eleven people, with more coming on the third floor, and plenty of gracious public rooms to enjoy.

To accomplish this transformation, the vineyard was sold, so the wine by the same name that we had with lunch is now produced by a neighbor, Estelle Deheyer. Château d’Agel is a perfect setting for weddings, receptions, or to just to get away from it all to a pool, patios and formal gardens.

Château d’Agel
6 place du Château
34210 AGEL
Tel : +33 4.68.91.21.38
ecal.besse@chateaudagel.fr
www.chateaudagel.fr

That evening I stayed  at la Bastide de Cabezac, a modern three star lodging charming in its austere simplicity. My room felt as if I was in a monk’s cell. It was a pleasant change from the over-the-top cluttered decor of the centuries old Chateaus. The owner, Francois Sarget, is a sommelier and oenologue (wine expert, oenologist) who offered a brief class in wine tasting in  the cellar of his restaurant. He works with the chef to marry the meal with the wine, creating the perfect coupling of tastes.

Here is your wine tasting lesson. Basically, you start with the white wine and work through the rosé to the red, one after the other, using the same glass. Swirl the wine in the glass and take a tiny taste to acclimate the mouth, then spit it out. Swirl it some more and smell the bouquet by putting your nose right in the glass. Hold the glass up to the light to see the color and clarity. Then take another taste and breathe in through your mouth slowly, over the wine on your tongue, to get the full flavor of the wine. This is when all the colorful descriptions of various wine tastes come into play - smokey, sweet, apricot, tar, chocolate, fruity, etc.. The list only limited by your imagination, the complexity of the wine, and the sophistication of your taste buds. I had a good time with Francois. He is a patient and unpretentious teacher.  

la Bastide de Cabezac *** (Logis de France)
18 / 20 Hameau de Cabezac
11120 BIZE MINERVOIS
Tél. : +33 4 68 46 66 10
www.labastidecabezac.com
contact@labastidecabezac.com

While staying at the Hôtel de la Cité in Carcassonne, I stole a moment to tour their wine cellar with the director, Xavier Labladue. We had to enter through the kitchen, through narrow passages befitting a 12th century castle, and down a spiral staircase that had separate up and down sides so the staff could race back and forth with abandon. Nobody was standing still in this Michelin star kitchen - it was jumping! Finally we made our way into an elegant little dining room in the anteroom of the wine cellar. This was for very special dinners. I ducked through to the vault itself to admire the amount of wines in such a compact space.

Hôtel de la Cité
Place Auguste Pierre Pont – La Cité
11000 CARCASSONNE
Tél. : +33 4 68 71 98 71
www.hoteldelacite.com

Finally, I attended a presentation of the AOC wines from Aude’s department and wine tasting at the Comptoir des Vins et des Terroirs. This was inside the walled city of Carsassonne on a narrow little street - so picturesque. Over 120 wineries are represented by the organization with several different wines,  each chosen for their quality. At any given time far fewer will be on the shelves, they rotate through the shop so all are equally represented. Still, whatever you find in the shop is the best wine available from that vintner in that region. Our wine tasting was like shooting fish in a barrel. A white, a rosé and a red were sampled and all were to my liking, but my favorite was the red from Chateau Pennautier 2002.

Comptoir des Vins et des Terroirs
3, Rue du Comte Roger
11000 CARCASSONNE.
Tél. : +33 4 68 26 44 76

It happens that the Languedoc-Roussillon region has the greatest variety of wines of all of France. The various growing regions of mountains, valleys and seaside, from the Atlantic to the Mediterranean, provide distinct and varied terroir for this bounteous selection.  I couldn’t taste them all if I had 5 months instead of the five days I spent there. Most of the ones I’ve mentioned are available here in the states, but if you can find your way to this quiet corner of Southern France, let me assure you that the wines always taste better near their home.
http://www.sunfrance.com/   for more information on the Languedoc-Roussillon region

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