French Kiss - Getting Fresh with France (a guest post by Ellis Holiday)

The Languedoc-Roussillon is probably not the first place that pops into your mind when you are trying to decide on a bottle of wine. It may be the last place on Earth you would think of unless you are lucky enough to have a few fond memories of travel in the south of France. In which case you are one of the lucky few who know how unique and delicious these wines can be.
Languedoc grouped with it’s neighboring Roussillon makes it one of the largest and most productive wine producing regions in France and also the world. This region represents villages with a history of wine making that stretches as far back as the Greeks who planted vineyards here in the fifth century BC.  Among the most notable AC’s are, Costieres De Nimes, Coteaux Du Languedoc, St. Chinian and Faugeres. 

Why have you not heard more about the wines produced in this beautiful Mediterranean climate?

Because the area has historically been the home to mass produced cheap wine that gets sold in bulk and never is even considered worthy of glass bottles. The better producers of the region get overlooked due to the areas reputation. But all that has changed for two reasons. 1. The demand for wine has increased all over the globe causing a frenzy of new marketing and producing strategies from regions previously uncared for 2. The aforementioned frenzy has had the most excellent side effect of bringing the very best wines of the region to the attention of the international market! And they are making their way to your home town! That is very good news if you happen to be looking for the new best thing in the world of wine.  

Remember when Cotes du Rhone was just gaining popularity? You could get a good bottle of run of the mill Rhone for $10 and an exceptional bottle of Gigondas or Vacqueras for under 20 bucks! Now all those precious little wines are going the way of the other great wines of France (which is WAY UP in price). As sad as that may be we must wipe our tears and move on and the good news is, there is some place left to go for a bottle of French wine packed with ripe bold flavors and satisfying complexity.

    
Like the wines of The Southern Rhone the wines of Languedoc-Rousillon are made of a blend of Syrah, Mourvedre, Grenache, Cinsault and Carignan. The wines are bold and full bodied with a heavy dose of ripe Mediterranean fruit. There is a rustic earthy taste of living soil generously laced with peppers and all spice. If you can stretch your imagination enough to think of an excellent Pinot Noir from Burgundy as a stimulating conversation than you can consider these wines like a sudden and sweet kiss from your biggest crush. This is wine I don’t so much want to talk about as I want to share with someone who has a big heart, who smiles often and who loves to love. And this is why I come back to these wines again and again, making them my favorite to drink. They are ridiculously affordable, the person who works in your local wine shop will smile with satisfaction if you ask about wines from this region (further evidence that these wines are getting people all crushed out on them) and they are the wines you drink with gusto among friends and with lovers. Offering lusciousness in abundance for your enjoyment and approval.

A friend and I bought this bottle of Chateau Paul Mas, “Clos des Mures”, Coteaux du Languedoc from McCarthy & Schiering in Seattle, WA. for $18. We also purchased a somewhat more spendy Syrah from the Columbia Valley. This Languedoc wine was the clear winner in every category. The 85% Syrah, 10% Grenache, 5% Mourvedre opened up into a gorgeous wine after about 30 minutes being opened. The wine was perfectly restrained. The fruit was never allowed to overpower the beautiful balance of flavors that ranged from cassis to violet to anise. There was never an unpleasant bitterness and the tannins were perfectly tame. At 14% alcohol a wine like this can run the risk of coming off as a fruit bomb but our little friend just winked and smiled and never overpowered us. And we loved it with a nutty aged sheep cheese that had a pepper and allspice crust on the rind. 

This wine reminded me that a few extra dollars on a bottle can yield a massive return in quality and flavor. We bought 2 bottles of really great wine for about $40, which is much less than one bottle of quality would cost at a decent restaurant. For the record our little Washington Syrah turned out to be a great wine especially the next day, after it opened up enough to shake of the intense oaky-ness of the first impression. It simply suffered in comparison to our French sweetheart from the Languedoc-Rousillon. C’est la vie!