Les Terres Salées de Christophe Barbier

In august the shop shuts and we go away on holiday; this year in desperate search of sunshine.  The first part of our quest took us to Valras Plage where indeed we did discover the heat of summer, along with many thousands of others.  We went knowing that this would be the case but we were going to be joining our very good friends from the UK who had booked their accommodation and asked us along.  For me this was an excellent opportunity to visit some vineyards and show my friend around. 

The first place we visited was Domaine Preignes the home of Petit Pont.  Situated close to the airport at Bezier this is where Jerôme Vic and his team make one of the best value wines around.  Petit Pont Rouge is certainly a bestseller and has every reason to be.  The domaine is very welcoming and there are tours available.  I took a look around and was impressed with what I saw.

The next area we visited was the rocky lump known as La Clape.  This chunk of land, that was once an island but is now joined to the mainland due to the deposits laid down by the Aude, is one of the hot properties of the Languedoc.  Amongt the big names exploiting the mineral rich land, it was good to meet Christophe Barbier who is creating a few gems of his own at Château Bouisset.  The first wines we tried go by the name Les Cabanes named after the little fishing shacks that line the banks of the Aude as is it welcomed by the Mediterranean.  There are red, white and rosé versions.  The wines are simple yet they have character that is so often lacking in entry level wines.  Les Cabanes Rouge, a blend of Syrah, Merlot and Grenache, is what I call typically French.  I have a friend (I know that makes two) who is a purveyor of some of the finest wines known to man; he enjoys this wine, “that country wine” as he puts it, said with the greatest of respect.  It was extremely hot outside the tasting room and the refreshing fruit of the Cabanes Blanc was delightful, again this is a no frills white, 100% chardonnay, which is perfect with some freshly caught fish at lunch time.

 Moving on to the more serious stuff we tried the Domaine Simonet Bourboulenc.  Firstly a few words on the grape variety that maybe unfamiliar to some of us.  It most likely originates from Greece but now resides in southern France where it is used in blends in Provence, Rhone Meridonal (including Châteauneuf-du-Pape) and Languedoc.  During the 1970s the number of hectares planted with Bourboulenc diminished but has been increasing of late due to the developing importance of wine from Minervois and Corbieres and particularly the wine coming from La Clape.  It is a late ripening grape that maintains its acidity, enjoys life on the plateau at the foot of the hillsides and often isn’t harvested until October.  The grapes are large on a tightly packed bunch, it is susceptible to rot but the risk is minimal for the Domaine Simonet vineyards due to the proximity to the sea.  This wine has charming floral aromas with a touch of almond on the palate.  The balance is impeccable, the zesty quality and the ripeness of the fruit reminiscent of pear and apple crumble, combine perfectly.  It is very easy to drink with a salade pêcheur or a sole lightly grilled with a sprinkling of caramelised onion.

So logically we then tried Les Terres Salées Blanc.  This is a Vin de Pays des Coteaux de Pérignan, Pérignan being the old name for the town of Fleury, the commune which is the gateway to La Clape. Again this wine is 100% Bourboulenc, however the vineyards for this wine are on the flood plains next to the Aude, 1ha of ancient salt marsh.  The lower layers of the soil are therefore rich in salt and to prevent it rising, during the winter the sluice gates are opened, flooding the area with freshwater.  The combination of flooding and the salt prevents the bug phylloxera creeping in.  This gives Christophe Barbier the opportunity to plant vignes that are franche de pied, that is, not grafted onto American root stock.  This wine has the same qualities as its younger brother and then some.  The nose is gently floral – hawthorne in spring; the fruit is mixed with a touch of honey.  The careful use of new barrels gives richness and a creamy finish coupled with the obvious mineral structure making this a wine that definitely deserves your attention.  If you have the time and the finances try making a bouillabaisse as the perfect partner to this wine.

Christophe Barbier also produces a red wine on the planes, Les Terres Salées Rouge, no prizes for guessing the name.  Made from 100% Merlot, the vines are subjected to the same treatment as the Bourboulenc.  The grapes are hand picked and then carefully sorted.  Malolactic fermentation takes place in barrels as the wines rests on the lies until spring before it is transferred to new barrels where it matures until bottling in January.  The aromas are magnificent, full of ripe dark fruit with a punch of spices; on the palate the fruits combine with the soft vanilla tannins and a touch of liquorice, the length has the obvious saline tang.  These were our impressions of a newly opened bottle.  Then we tried the same wine after it had been decanted in to a carafe 1 or 2 days before.  What a difference, but does it improve?  That depends on your preference and highlights the fact that wine drinking is subjective.  Had it got better with this time in the decanter?  I’m just saying it certainly changed.  The spices had softened and the fruit flavours became more complex but equally pronounced, as did the finish which showed nuances of cinnamon and aniseed and possibly got longer, hard to say.

Before the Terres Salées Rouge we tried the Château Bouisset Les Bécassines (AOP Coteaux du Languedoc La Clape).  This wine comes from vines that are up on the slopes.  It is a blend of Grenache and Syrah; a generous wine with plenty of freshness and ripe fruit on the nose.  In the mouth the wine is vibrant but doesn’t over do the lively characteristics.  It is a wine that is ready to be enjoyed.

We left Château Bouisset, having tried the complete range, Les Cabanaes, Domaine de Simonet, Les Bécassines and les Terres Salées, back out into the midday heat to find some shade for us to pontificate the afternoon away, we are good at that.

Jeff Carrel - what's happening?

Ladies and gentlemen, someone has been busy. He is probably best known for his sumptuous Morillon, a pure Chardonnay from rolling hills south of Carcassonne available from Blakeney Wines from day one.

However Jeff Carrel, the self proclaimed “Eclectic Winemaker” has been extending his canon.

Before introducing his new cuvées let me remind you of his classic creations that have been sampled by his devoted followers for some vintages now. Firstly there is the aforementioned Morillon. This wine has an ever increasing number of admirers and shows the skill and craftsmanship of Jeff Carrel. It comes from the area between Carcassonne and Limoux, around the commune Leuc, close to the river Aude as it flows north away from the Pyrenees and it is this proximity to this cool, clear water course that creates the environment suitable to allow the grapes to botrytis. This cuvee is based on botrytised grapes that have been vinified dry. The vinification is with naturally occurring yeasts without any temperature control (22° - 28°). To achieve the desired malo effect the wine is matured on the lees in barriques and is only bottled once the “goût morillon” has been achieved. With a golden robe there are raisins and orange peel very present in the aromas. Full of character and richness this wine packs a punch of fully ripe fruit with a touch of caramel. There is a touch of residual sugar which just adds to the texture and mouth feel. It is a big wine, not aggressive but certainly large and as such has enough to take on and compliment some spicy, aromatic dishes. It is not normally done for white wines but try decanting and serving with a genuine paëlla.

The next wine that we have stocked and enjoyed over the past few years is La Bette. The spelling here is very important. Far from being a beast this wine is a gentle giant, a wine that hugs and caresses. It is a blend of Grenache, Carignan and Syrah grown and selected from various parcels in the area along the Agly valley. The vintages do vary as the parcels vary and the weather obviously is never the same. The current cuvée has an elegance that can be sometimes missing in other years but there are still bags of the trademark blackcurrant fruit. I find this wine that has nod towards the New World and demonstrates perfectly the skill of Jeff Carrel as an artist blending the different tones and nuances on his palette.

If La Bette has a modern feel then the cuvée Puyduval is a much more traditional wine but still with a twist. This is a blend of Cabernet Franc and Merlot with a good helping of Syrah. This wine comes from an area northwest of Carcassonne from the vines that give us Cabardes. This is as far as the Languedoc extends westward and is the corner which benefits the most from the influence of the Atlantic. The region has plenty of bordelais grape varieties planted along with the more Mediterranean varieties – Syrah and Grenache Noir. This wine is beautifully presented and the rich and silky tannins give a fantastic structure to hang the dark berry fruit.

At the same time Jeff Carrel has been making some very decent entry price wines under the Villa des Anges label. These are single grape varieties, a Cabernet Sauvignon and a Sauvignon Blanc made for the Domaine Saint Roch near Limoux. These two wines have all the Jeff Carrel trademarks, fruit dominant and precisely balanced coupled with a pleasant simplicity they don’t demand any fuss and could be drunk from an old mustard jar at lunchtime.

So whats new?

Saveur Verte – this is a Muscat (a blend of Petit Grain and Alexandrie). There is a touch of sweetness but really only a very light brush. There is nothing delicat about this Muscat, yes it has that typical floral aroma and grapey flavours but this is a rugged Muscat. There is a density and complexity that sets it apart from some other dry Muscats I’ve tried from this region. If I say a man’s wine I know this is sexist and I am sure there as many women that drive a tractor as there are men who do flower arranging, it is that I think this wine is an appropriate aperitif for someone who is sat in their blue overalls after a hard days work in the field rather than for someone in a pale yellow cashmere pullover at a summer party.

BMV – this is a cuvée from the area called La Clape close to Narbonne. Like certain wines from Australia the letters stand for the grape varieties in the blend, Bourboulenc, Marsanne and Vermentino. This is a dry, nutty wine with a crisp, mineral finish. The Bourboulenc is a variety planted in this area by the romans, the fruit used for this wine comes from old vines, though not that old. The Marsanne and Vermentino are much younger and give the wine that typical taste of a Languedoc white.

Ornithology – this is blend of Grenache Blanc, a portion oaked, Muscat and Chardonnay. The grapes are harvested at the optimal period from selected vineyards belonging to Château Pena. Why Ornithology? Jeff Carrel, being eclectic named this wine after the Charlie Parker’s classic of the same name. You could argue that this wine is similar to the Parker composition, a blend of floral notes supported by a rich and complex background. Parker’s Ornithology is a contrafact, that is to say a new melody overlaid on a familiar harmonic structure, Carrel’s Ornithology has the fruity Muscat and fresh Chardonnay sitting pretty with the more classical Grenache.

Les Darons – this is a new red from Jeff Carrel. And why Les Darons? Because Daron is an old slang term for father or papa and as the fruit for this wine comes from vines which are older than forty years it seems appropriate. What are these old vines? Well 60% of them are Grenache, 25% are Carignan and the rest are Syrah and they are found around the commune of Laure-Minervois. This is a high and dry area so those old vines have roots that have gone a long way down searching for water. The yield is particularly low, only 35hl/ha where the permitted level for the appellation is 50hl/ha. The general rule is the lower the yield the higher the quality and for the price this AOP Languedoc (to give its European Union nomenclature as opposed to the French AOC Coteaux de Languedoc) is top, top quality. The wine is matured in vats for 7 months without the addition of SO2 and then bottled in April. There is a fresh crunch to the red fruits. Juicy and lively this is delicious and will become a favourite.