2019 Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi Classico Superiore “Capovolto”La Marca di San Michele
Italy | Le Marche
$27
Producers
Mille Vignes has only seven and a half hectares (nineteen acres) of vines, by choice. “I could enlarge, but the wines wouldn’t be the same,” according to vigneronne Valérie Guérin. The terroir she works in this very southernmost part of France is an amalgam of clay, limestone, and schist soils; wild scrubland scented with thyme and lavender, and perhaps the most potent force of all, the fierce Tramontagne wind.
Muscat de Rivesaltes, a local specialty, is a vin doux naturel produced when fermentation of very ripe Muscat grapes is halted midway by addition of a neutral spirit, a process known as mutage. Mille Vignes’ Muscat de Rivesaltes flaunts a ravishing perfume of infinite flowers and fruits, equally refreshing as an apéritif as it is satisfying with dessert.
—Anthony Lynch
Wine Type: | white |
Vintage: | 2013 |
Bottle Size: | 500mL |
Blend: | Muscat à petit grains |
Appellation: | Vin de Pay de l’Aude |
Country: | France |
Region: | Languedoc-Roussillon |
Producer: | Domaine Les Mille Vignes |
Winemaker: | Jacques Guérin, Valérie Guérin |
Vineyard: | 30 - 40 years |
Soil: | Limestone, Schist |
Farming: | Organic (practicing) |
Alcohol: | 16% |
Domaine Les Mille Vignes France | Languedoc-Roussillon
Domaine Les Mille Vignes France | Languedoc-Roussillon
Domaine Les Mille Vignes France | Languedoc-Roussillon | Fitou
Domaine Les Mille Vignes France | Languedoc-Roussillon
Domaine Les Mille Vignes France | Languedoc-Roussillon | Rivesaltes
Domaine Les Mille Vignes France | Languedoc-Roussillon | Vin de Pay de l’Aude
Ask wine drinkers around the world, and the word “Languedoc” is sure to elicit mixed reactions. On the one hand, the region is still strongly tied to its past as a producer of cheap, insipid bulk wine in the eyes of many consumers. On the other hand, it is the source of countless great values providing affordable everyday pleasure, with an increasing number of higher-end wines capable of rivaling the best from other parts of France.
While there’s no denying the Languedoc’s checkered history, the last two decades have seen a noticeable shift to fine wine, with an emphasis on terroir. Ambitious growers have sought out vineyard sites with poor, well draining soils in hilly zones, curbed back on irrigation and the use of synthetic fertilizers and pesticides, and looked to balance traditional production methods with technological advancements to craft wines with elegance, balance, and a clear sense of place. Today, the overall quality and variety of wines being made in the Languedoc is as high as ever.
Shaped like a crescent hugging the Mediterranean coast, the region boasts an enormous variety of soil types and microclimates depending on elevation, exposition, and relative distance from the coastline and the cooler foothills farther inland. While the warm Mediterranean climate is conducive to the production of reds, there are world-class whites and rosés to be found as well, along with stunning dessert wines revered by connoisseurs for centuries.
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Domaine Les Mille Vignes France | Languedoc-Roussillon
Ludovic Engelvin France | Languedoc-Roussillon | Gard
Domaine Les Mille Vignes France | Languedoc-Roussillon
Ermitage du Pic Saint Loup France | Languedoc-Roussillon | Pic Saint Loup
Maxime Magnon France | Languedoc-Roussillon | Corbières
Ermitage du Pic Saint Loup France | Languedoc-Roussillon | Pic Saint Loup
Mas Champart France | Languedoc-Roussillon | Saint-Chinian
Mas Champart France | Languedoc-Roussillon | Saint-Chinian
Domaine d’Aupilhac France | Languedoc-Roussillon | Vin de Pays de Mont Baudile
For the wines that I buy I insist that the winemaker leave them whole, intact. I go into the cellars now and select specific barrels or cuvées, and I request that they be bottled without stripping them with filters or other devices. This means that many of our wines will arrive with a smudge of sediment and will throw a more important deposit as time goes by, It also means the wine will taste better.
Drinking distilled spirits, beer, coolers, wine and other alcoholic beverages may increase cancer risk, and, during pregnancy, can cause birth defects. For more information go to www.P65Warnings.ca.gov/alcohol
Many food and beverage cans have linings containing bisphenol A (BPA), a chemical known to cause harm to the female reproductive system. Jar lids and bottle caps may also contain BPA. You can be exposed to BPA when you consume foods or beverages packaged in these containers. For more information, go to www.P65Warnings.ca.gov/bpa