Posted On July 8, 2010 at 7:18 pm in Languedoc
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Maybe it’s a holdover from the ubiquitous and insipid blush wines that were so popular in the 1970s and 1980s, a mistaken association between pink(ish) wine and wine coolers, or simple wine snobbery. Whatever the reason, it’s really a shame because a good dry rosé is a crisp, refreshing and incredibly versatile wine. Rosés are a summer staple in our house when temperatures rise and a red can feel too heavy. They pair particularly well with seafood, spicy flavors and foods cooked with olive oil, garlic and fresh herbs.
Les Parets, La Clape near Chateau Moyau
Château Moyau Rosé is a lovely dry rosé, made from a blend of 50% Grenache Noir, 30% Cinsault and 20% Syrah. It is fruity (ripe berries, a hint of plum) with floral notes of rose, which are balanced by a lively acidity and complimented by a subtle minerality. Great to quaff on its own, Château Moyau is also a natural for picnics, backyard cookouts and BBQs.
A vacation to the South of France may not be in the cards this year, but at $15 a bottle Château Moyau Rosé is an affordable way to recapture (or capture) the mood, especially when paired with this month’s recipe, a classic Salade Niçoise.
Classic Salade Niçoise *
Serves 6
½ pound green beans, blanched, refreshed and halved (haricots verts – thin French green beans are best if you can find them)
1 pound red new potatoes, peeled, cooked, and cut into 1/8-inch slices
1 small red onion, cut into thin rings and soaked in cold water for 5 minutes
two 6-ounce cans imported tuna (packed in olive oil) flaked into large chunks
¼ pound niçoise olives (pitted and halved if you have the time and patience; in France the olives are usually whole)
2 teaspoons minced garlic
2 teaspoons minced shallot
12 anchovies, soaked in water for 5 minutes and finely chopped (anchovy paste is another option)
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
¼ cup red-wine vinegar
1 cup olive oil
2 teaspoons salt
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
1 head red-leaf lettuce, leaves torn roughly (or other leaf lettuce; romaine also adds a nice texture)
6 hard-boiled eggs, quartered lengthwise
4 small tomatoes, quartered
Combine beans, potatoes, red onion, tuna, and olives in a large bowl and toss gently to combine, so as not to break up the tuna chunks. Cover and refrigerate for 4 hours.
Place garlic, shallot, anchovies, lemon juice, and vinegar in a small bowl and whisk in olive oil. Season with salt and pepper.
Lightly dress lettuce with vinaigrette and divide among 6 plates. Decoratively arrange hard-boiled egg slices and tomatoes on lettuce, and drizzle with a little vinaigrette.
Dress vegetable and tuna mixture with remaining vinaigrette, tossing gently. Divide evenly among the plates.
Variation: for a fancier salad, try substituting grilled fresh tuna for canned.
*Taken from The Dean & DeLuca Cookbook, by David Rosengarten with Joel Dean and Giorgio DeLuca (Random House 1996)
Posted by Greg Roberts · Tags: food, france, Languedoc, pairings, rosé, Wine · No Comments »
Posted On April 21, 2010 at 5:36 pm in Languedoc, Roussillon
I visited Les Crus du Soleil wine shop today. They only stock wines from the Languedoc-Roussillon including some of regions more celebrated producers like Mas Julien, Cyril Fahl’s Clos du Rouge Gorge and Domaine Borie de Maurel.
Crus du Soleil translated means classified growths from the sun. Of course, unlike Burgundy, Bordeaux, Champagne, Alsace and even Provence where either vineyards or chateaux are classified, in the Languedoc-Roussillon no such system exists. Even with the recognition that pioneering producers like Domaine du Dumas Gassac have given the region, up until 10 years ago, the very idea of a classification would have been laughed at.
Les Gros Rouge qui tache
This expression refers to the staining qualities of the rustic and tannic reds wines produced in the past. Destined for the masses, they were sometimes illegally blended with Algerian grapes to give better color to wines made from over-productive low quality varietals. Grape growers of the era were more concerned with quantity in order to meet the then unlimited demand. Times change. The French are drinking less and the export market for these low quality indifferently made wines isn’t what it used to be.
Today, the Languedoc remains the world’s single biggest wine region but some producers who’s fathers and grandfathers once sold their grapes to the local cooperative are now making their own wines. They have seized upon the untaped potential of very specific areas of the Languedoc-Rousillon where unique soils structures and hillside vineyards combine with favorable microclimates. Here it’s possible to make wines that rival any in the world.
A cru system of sorts is also emerging. Several smaller appellations like La Clape, Minervois, La Laviniere and Pic Saint Loup are being recognized for the high over-all quality of their producers.
Les Crus du Soleil, 146 Rue du Chateau Paris 75014, Tél. : 01 45 39 78 99
Les Crus du Soleil
Posted by Greg Roberts No Comments »
Posted On March 1, 2010 at 2:26 pm in Languedoc
Small vats at Combe Blanche
I was recently in the Languedoc tasting at two trade shows in Montpellier for organic and bio-dynamic wines, Millissime Bio and La Remise. While in the region I also took a brief detour one hour further south to visit with Guy Vanlancker owner of Domaine Combe Blanche in the village of La Liviniere.
You drive past acres and acres of vineyards on the flat plains of the Minervois AOC where in the hot summer months grapes mercilessly bake in the sun. These vineyards are some of the earliest to be harvested and the wines from here tend to be unstructured and overly fruit-driven.
La Liviniere and the vineyards of Combe Blanche which means small white valley are located hills and valleys at 700 feet altitude. It was unusually cold but sunny so we decided to drive up into the hills to inspect his vineyards and talk shop. Soils are limestone and red clay and many vineyards are north facing. Because they receive less direct sunlight and they therefore have a longer more gradual growing season. All of these factors make for more aromatic, rich and complex wines.
You won’t find state of the art vinification equipment in his cramped but functional cellars. But when you start with healthy grapes taken from some of the best vineyards in the appellation you don’t need much else to make great wine.
"Les Morels" hot, dry and early ripening vineyards, the Coteaux in the background
Posted by Greg Roberts · Tags: French, Languedoc, Minvervois, vanlancker, Wine · No Comments »
Posted On December 3, 2009 at 11:14 pm in Languedoc
I recently had a review for Domaine Combe Blanche ” La Chandeliere” 2004, on the popular wine blog site Wannabee Wine Wine Blog:
In the mouth I found black cherry, currants, leather, spice, tart red berries, spice, and pepper. I thought the wine had great acidity and nice tannins. I think I’d serve this with one of my lamb dishes as a substitute for a full on Syrah, just for something a bit different. See full article
Posted by Greg Roberts · Tags: france, Grenache, Languedoc, Minervois, Syrah, Wine · No Comments »
Posted On November 6, 2009 at 8:50 pm in Languedoc
The hard work in the vineyards that Stephanie Chanot and her team have done over the past four years is starting to show results. When Bernard Kohler bought the estate both the winemaking facilities and the vines had been neglected for years. The vines had not been properly pruned and many were over-productive. Thankfully, rather than pulling them out as was recommended they kept many of the old vine parcels including one 60 year old parcel of Mourvedre.
The summer heat continued well into September in the Languedoc. Despite the lack of rain yields were average this year. Grapes were perfectly healthy when harvesting began on August 28th. Due to the favorable weather and excellent quality of the grapes harvesting was able to continue to October 13th.
1792: The new cuvée:
Chateau Moyau has its origins from the Middle Ages. Legend has it that the original settlers were pirates whose leader answered to the name Moyau. Another story claims that Moyau is derived from the word marais or marsh. A 1792 map documents the presence of a village called Moyau then called Mautÿa in the Occitan language. Some of the buildings at Chateau Moyau date to this time.
1792 is a Grenache based cuvée: full-bodied, soft nose with notes of woody undergrowth, truffles and black fruits. Its starts with a freshness in the front of the mouth and releases fine complex aromas and powerful tannins
Posted by Greg Roberts · Tags: Languedoc, Moyau, Wines · No Comments »
