2015 Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru “Les Chalumaux”Comtesse de Chérisey
France | Burgundy
$120
Producers
Not far from the Spanish border in the heart of French Catalan country, another philosopher-vigneron, Olivier Vinci, makes a wildly meaty and minty rouge from a rare remaining parcel of very old-vine Mourvèdre. At Olivier’s neck of the woods overlooking the Mediterranean to the east and Spain to the south, he vinifies slow and long, with the utmost lack of intervention.
—Chris Santini
Wine Type: | red |
Vintage: | 2015 |
Bottle Size: | 750mL |
Blend: | Mourvèdre |
Appellation: | Vin de Pays des Côtes Catalanes |
Country: | France |
Region: | Languedoc-Roussillon |
Producer: | Domaine Vinci |
Vineyard: | .8 ha, 12 years |
Soil: | Schist |
Farming: | Organic (practicing) |
Alcohol: | 13% |
Domaine Vinci France | Languedoc-Roussillon | Vin de Pays des Côtes Catalanes
Mas Champart France | Languedoc-Roussillon | Vin de Pays d'Oc
Domaine Les Mille Vignes France | Languedoc-Roussillon | Fitou
Domaine Leon Barral France | Languedoc-Roussillon | Faugères
Domaine Les Mille Vignes France | Languedoc-Roussillon | Fitou
Mas Champart France | Languedoc-Roussillon | Saint-Chinian
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.
Château Fontanès France | Languedoc-Roussillon
Domaine La Tour Vieille France | Languedoc-Roussillon
Selected By Kermit Lynch France | Languedoc-Roussillon | Languedoc
Domaine d’Aupilhac France | Languedoc-Roussillon | Languedoc Montpeyroux
Domaine de Fontsainte France | Languedoc-Roussillon | Corbières
Domaine Les Mille Vignes France | Languedoc-Roussillon | Fitou
Mas Champart France | Languedoc-Roussillon
Maxime Magnon France | Languedoc-Roussillon | Corbières
Ermitage du Pic Saint Loup France | Languedoc-Roussillon | Pic Saint Loup
Domaine d’Aupilhac France | Languedoc-Roussillon | Vin de Pays du Mont Baudile
Domaine La Tour Vieille France | Languedoc-Roussillon | Banyuls
Mas Champart France | Languedoc-Roussillon | Saint-Chinian
When buying red Burgundy, I think we should remember:
1. Big wines do not age better than light wine.
2. A so-called great vintage at the outset does not guarantee a great vintage for the duration.
3. A so-called off vintage at the outset does not mean the wines do not have a brilliant future ahead of them.
4. Red Burgundy should not taste like Guigal Côte-Rôtie, even if most wine writers wish it would.
5. Don’t follow leaders; watch yer parking meters.
Inspiring Thirst, page 174
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