2022 ChevernyDomaine du Salvard
France | Loire
$22
Producers
Steve's Pick A Carignan-based cuvee with Grenache and Cinsault that drinks like a delicious Cru Beaujolais.
Critics argue that carbonic maceration masks terroir and instead stamps its own dominant mark on a wine. But certain combinations of grape and terroir—Gamay in Beaujolais being the foremost example—seem particularly well suited to carbonic maceration, providing wines with a distinct sense of place in addition to the hedonistic easy-drinking appeal the technique is intended to achieve. In the rugged hills of the Hautes-Corbières, Maxime Magnon has discovered the right formula for his old vines of Carignan, Grenache, and Cinsault. The Rozeta features the exuberant, inviting perfume and velvety wild fruit we expect from a wine that underwent 100% whole-cluster fermentation, then finishes with a crunchy backbone reminiscent of dark schist and roasted spices. Beware—the Languedoc just got dangerously gulpable.
—Anthony Lynch
Wine Type: | red |
Vintage: | 2018 |
Bottle Size: | 750mL |
Blend: | Field blend with mostly Carignan; also Grenache, Syrah, Grenache Gris, Macabou, Terret |
Appellation: | Corbières |
Country: | France |
Region: | Languedoc-Roussillon |
Producer: | Maxime Magnon |
Winemaker: | Maxime Magnon |
Vineyard: | 50-60 year average, Approximately 11 ha |
Soil: | Schist |
Aging: | Ages wine in previously used Burgundian barrels from a producer in Chassagne-Montrachet |
Farming: | Organic (certified) |
Alcohol: | 13.5% |
Maxime Magnon France | Languedoc-Roussillon | Corbières
Maxime Magnon France | Languedoc-Roussillon | Corbières
Maxime Magnon France | Languedoc-Roussillon | Corbières
Maxime Magnon France | Languedoc-Roussillon | Corbières
Domaine Les Mille Vignes France | Languedoc-Roussillon
Ermitage du Pic Saint Loup France | Languedoc-Roussillon | Pic Saint Loup
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 La Tour Vieille France | Languedoc-Roussillon | Collioure
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Domaine Les Mille Vignes France | Languedoc-Roussillon | Vin de Pay de l’Aude
Domaine de Fontsainte France | Languedoc-Roussillon | Corbières
Domaine La Tour Vieille France | Languedoc-Roussillon | Banyuls
A good doctor prescribed the wine of Nuits-Saint-Georges to the Sun King, Louis XIV, when he suffered an unknown maladie. When the king’s health was restored the tasty remedy enjoyed a vogue at court. Lord, send me a doctor like that!
Inspiring Thirst, page 117
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
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