Vins du Roussillon

By Manos Angelakis

The wines of Roussillon owe their existence to ancient Greek merchants and sailors from the city of Corinth that brought to their trade stations in the Catalan countryside cuttings of vines from the Eastern Mediterranean to create the first vineyards. Plantings of Moscato d’ Alessandria, Muscat à petits grains and Malvasia were later augmented with Grenache, Carignan and Macabeo from Aragon (Spain), and Cinsault, Syrah, Marsanne and Vermentino to create a thriving wine production now exported around the world.

Depending on the production area – Côtes du Roussillon, Côtes de Roussillon Villages, Collioure, Maury, Banyuls and Rivesaltes – the terroir dictates the grape varieties planted, with grapes that produce dry red wines dominating some, while others create a variety of full bodied dry reds, dry whites and rosés and still others are dominated by aromatic, sweet whites and a few, very distinct, sweet reds (Banyuls Grand Cru). The grape-growing area is bordered by the Mediterranean in the East and tall mountains in the west.

Vine growing is essentially a family business. The area’s vineyards have shrunk in size through the years as a result of the inheritance laws and there are now approximately 4,500 full time grape growers, averaging 9 hectares each. Co-operatives began in 1907 and are presently handling 75% of the wine production.

At a recent tasting I was enthralled by the mellow, aromatic sweet wines I tasted. Yes, there were numerous nice dry reds and whites in the tasting, but the highlights belong to the sweet wines - Vins Doux Naturels – that many Roussillon winemakers produce.

To my taste the best was from Arnaud de Villeneuve, the 1969 Vieux Millésimes Rivesaltes Ambré Hors d’ Age, a wine that unfortunately is not officially imported in the US yet. Bottled in a very distinct rhomboid decanter with a gold vintage date, it has a color that is a medium teak, with orange/brown highlights. The palate is highly nuanced and textured, with floral and tropical flower notes predominating. The nose is redolent of honeysuckle and frangipani, fruitcake, honey and spice aromas. This is definitely a meditation wine that should be rated over 94 points. From the same producer, the 2009 Muscat de Riversaltes was a fruity, amber-colored wine that would pair very well with foie gras and should be rated at over 90 points. There were many other wines in their portfolio, both dry reds and dry whites, but their sweet wine palette was truly exceptional.

Domaine Madeloc showed the 2008 Banyuls Cirera, a lovely Grenache Noir based wine from grapes grown in a poor, acidy soil, in a hot, sunny climate, with the wine matured in large casks for more than a year. 90 points

Château Dona Baissas showed a number of nice dry reds from Côtes du Roussillon, especially the ones from old vines (vieilles vignes). But they showed four exceptional Rivesaltes Ambré Muscats that have a deep golden color with lots of glycerol, with fruitcake, honey and spice nose and a sweet palate that ends in a long finish with considerable acidity. Their Horse d’ Age Sweet Emotion was an especially delectable, seductive wine that I would rate at 92 points.

Arcadie, showed - amongst other bottles - an off-dry Méthode Traditionelle 2007 sparkler created from a blend of Carignan Blanc and Carignan Gris from 50 year old vines. Rated at 89 points.

Domaine Montana showed a number of interesting dry blends, mostly Syrah/Grenache or Merlot/Cabernet Sauvignon or Grenache Blanc/Grenache Noir and even Carignan/Syrah/Grenache. They also exhibited an 100% Grenache, Le Sweet de Montana, that was fresh, light mahogany-colored and red fruit-scented. Rated at 89 points.

Domaine Rière Cadène, showed a number of both white and red dry cuvees from traditional Roussillon varietals. But the 2010 Muscat de Rivesaltes blanc was a real charmer made from a blend of Muscat d’ Alessandria and Muscat á Petits Grains that had a wonderful nose of white flowers and citrus fruit. Rated at 91 points.

There were a number of other exhibitors and all showed appealing wines but the above were the ones I found the most interesting.

To your health!

Issue:
January
2012