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2022 Languedoc Blanc
Château La RoqueLately you may have noticed a rise in freshness, a burst in aromatics, and a softness of texture in La Roque’s wines. One secret to this development (winemakers, take note!) is that, upon harvest, the grapes—picked into small crates—are stacked up in a cold room and left alone for a full thirty-six hours. What this does is chill them down to the seed, and when the juice is then pressed and the indigenous yeasts wake from their cold-induced slumber, they take it nice and easy for a slow ferment. Some say that historically in Burgundy, for example, the region’s reputation for great blanc came about partly because of the cellars’ deep natural chill, which forced the yeasts to slow down and take their time, allowing for greater complexity and bouquet. You could call it Slow Wine.
—Chris Santini
Wine Type: | white |
Vintage: | 2022 |
Bottle Size: | 750mL |
Blend: | 30% Marsanne, 30% Rolle, 25% Grenache Blanc, 15% Viognier/Roussanne |
Appellation: | Languedoc |
Country: | France |
Region: | Languedoc-Roussillon |
Producer: | Château La Roque |
Winemaker: | Cyriaque Rozier |
Vineyard: | 30 years, 6 ha for both white wines |
Soil: | Clay, limestone scree |
Aging: | Aged in cement tanks (80%) and demi-muids (20%) for 6 months |
Farming: | Biodynamic (certified) |
Alcohol: | 13% |
More from this Producer or Region
2022 Vin de France Blanc “Assyrtiko”
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Salinity in spades, fleshed out by summery golden fruit notes, like baked pineapple.
2019 Faugères “Valinière”
France | Languedoc-Roussillon
Valinière is a monumental demonstration of what happens when respectfully working the earth is not just a job, but one’s whole life.
2020 Pays d’Oc Rouge “Les Vieilles Vignes de Mourvèdre”
France | Languedoc-Roussillon
Cherry-cheeked and ebullient, this old-vine Mourvèdre acts anything but its age. Pure fun and drinkability. Age ain't nothing but a number!
2021 Saint-Chinian Rouge “Sortilège”
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October Club Gourmand ~ Full of freshness and detailed elegance, with not a hint of rusticity.
2020 Gard Rouge “Clausus”
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This wine is full of fresh Grenache fruit, beautifully perfumed, with a refined and elegant finish.
2022 Vin de France Blanc “Malvoise”
France | Languedoc-Roussillon
Tasting the bottle, one quickly sees winemaker Cyriaque Rozier’s statement that Malvasia has “acclimated perfectly to the land of La Roque” is not an overstatement.
2022 Pic Saint-Loup Rosé
France | Languedoc-Roussillon
This rosé, so pale you need to hold it up to a light that flicker of rosé hue, blurs the line between rosé and blanc.
2020 Pic Saint Loup Rouge “Cupa Numismae”
France | Languedoc-Roussillon
It’s dense, noble, with grip and grit, the kind of cuvée that could generate a lot of awe and attention... and also a much higher price tag.
2023 Vin de France Blanc “L’Estrade”
France | Languedoc-Roussillon
The imprint of the sun-kissed landscape of the Languedoc is clear, with aromas of honeysuckle and lime zest.
2022 Pic Saint Loup Rouge
France | Languedoc-Roussillon
There is something timeless to La Roque’s Pic Saint Loup, its herbal bouquet and rich, fleshy texture, all free from any hint of modern trappings.
About The Producer
Château La Roque
About The Region
Languedoc-Roussillon
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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2021 Languedoc Rouge “Lou Maset”
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Domaine Leon Barral France | Languedoc-Roussillon
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2023 Collioure Rosé des Roches
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Where the newsletter started
Where the newsletter started
Every three or four months I would send my clients a cheaply made list of my inventory, but it began to dawn on me that business did not pick up afterwards. It occurred to me that my clientele might not know what Château Grillet is, either. One month in 1974 I had an especially esoteric collection of wines arriving, so I decided to put a short explanation about each wine into my price list, to try and let my clients know what to expect when they uncorked a bottle. The day after I mailed that brochure, people showed up at the shop, and that is how these little propaganda pieces for fine wine were born.—Kermit Lynch