The Languedoc region has regularly been described as the New World of France.
It’s a sound analogy. For wine, the Old World is considered a place of intricate rules, intended to preserve traditional styles and combat fraudulent use of appellation names. But it can also be a place where rigid bureaucracies stifle all creativity.
The New World, by contrast, comprises wine regions without traditions in need of protection. Producers can follow their muses, wherever they lead. Anything goes, sometimes to a fault.
That Languedoc, an ancient land where wine has been produced for centuries, would find an apt comparison in the New World is, of course, a paradox.
It also testifies to both the region’s longstanding inability to produce much in the way of compelling wine and the appellation system’s failure to find logic in either its rules for Languedoc or a meaningful way of subdividing the land.
While appellations within Languedoc like St.-Chinian, Faugères and Corbières may resonate historically, they are virtually meaningless to most consumers. And the jumble of soils and microclimates makes it difficult to find a coherent way of organizing appellations.
CreditTony Cenicola/The New York Times
As a result, some producers see little economic or aesthetic advantage to sticking with the rules, unlike in more established, respected regions like Burgundy or the Rhône Valley. They have happily abandoned the right to use the local appellations in favor of the freedom to experiment.
Instead of the controlled appellations like Faugères, for example, they fall back on theoretically less prestigious general geographical categories like Vin de Pays de l’Hérault, which gives consumers an idea of a wine’s provenance while allowing producers the option of working outside the rules of the appellation system.
It’s a bit like Tuscan producers in the 1970s who, frustrated by inflexible and counterproductive restrictions in places like Chianti, chose instead to call their wines, no matter how ambitious, vino da tavola, or table wine, a category outside the appellation system generally reserved for simple, innocuous and inexpensive bottles.
Some of these wines eventually came to be called Super Tuscans, and became highly coveted. The appellation names were subordinate in status to either the individual producers or the proprietary names they chose to label their bottles.
In a small way, this has happened in Languedoc. Producers like Mas de Daumas Gassac and Domaine de la Grange des Pères have become well known and respected while working outside the controlled appellation system. Unlike in Tuscany, however, the Languedoc appellation rules have not evolved to become more helpful to consumers or producers.
Without the burden of onerous regulations, the New World of France, like most New World wine regions, has been prone to following fads and trends. In the period roughly from 1990 to 2010, that often meant oaky, plush, powerful wines, as well as popular grapes that seemed as out of place in Languedoc as tigers might be in Vermont.
Languedoc pinot noir? Sure, why not — even though it made little sense to want to grow cool-climate grapes like pinot noir in this warm Mediterranean region, where blended wines traditionally include grapes like grenache, carignan, cinsault, mourvèdre and syrah.
Cabernet sauvignon, the king of international grapes, made its inevitable appearance as well, though with greater success than pinot noir. Parts of Languedoc are those rare places where cabernet not only has the potential to thrive but can also take on a distinctive local character. The best Languedoc cabernets show the local aromas of wild thyme, lavender and other herbs locally known as garrigue.
To get a better sense of where things stand now with Languedoc reds, the wine panel in late March tasted 20 bottles from recent vintages. For the tasting, Florence Fabricant and I were joined by Katja Scharnagl, head sommelier at Le Bernardin, and Yannick Benjamin, head sommelier at the University Club.
All of us were impressed by the high level of winemaking. But more than that, we sensed that producers in Languedoc, as has happened in much of the world over the last decade, have backed away from pushing the boundaries of ripeness in the vineyard and wringing out the last measures of fruit and power in the winery.
The result was a set of wines that on the whole were far fresher than they might have been 10 years ago, with lower levels of alcohol, and flavors that went beyond simple power and fruitiness.
Keep in mind that 20 bottles is not a complete examination of Languedoc. But the sample did provide a cross-section of some of the best producers in the region.
Yannick was especially pleased to find aromas of garrigue and dried citrus in many of the wines, which gave those bottles a sense of distinctiveness. Nonetheless, we did find a few that still hewed to the big, bold, oaky style. We tended to reject those wines, as we did bottles that Katja called “made wines,” in which the hand and methods of the winemakers were more evident than a sense of place.
Our No. 1 bottle, the 2015 Domaine de la Grange des Pères, one of the producers working outside the appellation system, was lively, complex, textured and deliciously inviting. It was a blend of 40 percent syrah and 40 percent mourvèdre, with the balance divided between cabernet sauvignon and counoise, a grape most often seen deep in the blend of Châteauneuf-du-Pape.
Grange des Pères has often been called Languedoc’s cult producer, a description borne out by its $99 price, the highest in our tasting.
Our No. 2 bottle was the 2014 Causse du Bousquet from Mas Champart in St.-Chinian, an equally inviting wine, with lovely aromas and freshness. This wine was primarily syrah, with smaller amounts of grenache, cinsault, mourvèdre and carignan. It was also just $27, and our best value.
The 2014 Faugères from Léon Barral was our third favorite. Didier Barral, the vigneron, did an excellent job of balancing ripeness and spicy red fruit flavors with acidity in this cuvée of 50 percent carignan, 30 percent grenache and 20 percent cinsault.
No. 4 was the 2015 Cuvée Carlan from Mas Jullien, a bright, balanced and structured blend of 60 percent grenache, 30 percent cinsault and a mixture of other varieties in the remainder.
Mas de Daumas Gassac, founded in 1974, was one of the first Languedoc producers to take a New World approach. It planted a vineyard primarily with cabernet sauvignon and other Bordeaux varieties, but added a small percentage of unexpected grapes like nebbiolo and barbera.
Its 2016 was roughly three quarters cabernet sauvignon, and was lively and beautiful, showing great finesse and the distinctive aroma of garrigue. It was our No. 5 wine, showing just how strong this lineup was.
Our top 10 included a couple of outliers. Clos Marie is a solid producer in the Pic-St.-Loup area. As harvest was approaching in 2016, part of its vineyard was devastated by a hailstorm, and it lost much of its crop. Neighbors rushed in to offer portions of their harvest to Clos Marie, which made the 2016 Trois Saisons from those grapes.
The result is an earthy, crunchy blend that was fresh and lively. I don’t think Trois Saisons has been made again since then, which is perhaps good news about the weather since then.
The other anomaly was the 2017 Clin d’Oeil from Mas des Chimères. The 2017 vintage was difficult, and the producer judged the grapes not up to standard for making an age-worthy wine. So this 100 percent grenache cuvée was made as a onetime thirst-quencher. Its succulent, easygoing flavors make it absolutely delicious.
Other wines to note were the lively, elegant 2016 Fontanilles from Domaine des 2 Ânes; the pure, fresh, 2016 Réserve la Demoiselle from Domaine de Fontsainte; and the spicy, herbal 2016 Cuvée Olivier from Thierry Navarre.
Despite regional efforts to restructure the appellation system, it’s hard to feel confident it will have immediate meaning for most consumers. For the New World of France, consumers will depend on best practices in all New World wine regions: Follow the producer.
Come to think of it, that’s the best practice in Old World regions, too.
Tasting Notes: A Delicious Grab Bag
★★★1/2 Domaine de la Grange des Pères Vin de Pays de l’Hérault 2015 $99
Lively, complex and textured, with earthy flavors of red fruit and herbs. (A Daniel Johnnes Wine/Grand Cru Selections, New York)
Best Value
★★★1/2 Mas Champart St.-Chinian Causse du Bousquet 2014 $27
Fresh and bright, with aromas and flavors of violets, red fruit and herbs. (Kermit Lynch Wine Merchant, Berkeley, Calif.)
★★★ Domaine Léon Barral Faugères 2014 $37
Deep, rich and ripe, yet fresh and light, with flavors of spicy red fruits. (Kermit Lynch Wine Merchant)
★★★ Mas Jullien Terrasses du Larzac Cuvée Carlan 2015 $42
Lively, bright and structured, with balanced flavors of red fruits, herbs and minerals. (Rosenthal Wine Merchant, New York)
★★★ Mas de Daumas Gassac St.-Guilhem-le-Désert Cité d’Aniane 2016 $49
Very fine, with lively aromas and flavors of flowers, ripe red fruits and herbs. (Polaner Selections, Mount Kisco, N.Y.)
★★★ Clos Marie Languedoc Les Trois Saisons 2016 $26
Fresh and lively, with earthy, crunchy flavors of red fruits. (Weygandt-Metzler, Unionville, Pa.)
★★1/2 Domaine de Fontsainte Corbières Réserve la Demoiselle 2016 $19
Pure and fresh, with complex flavors of spicy red fruits and herbs. (Kermit Lynch Wine Merchant)
★★1/2 Mas des Chimères Coteaux du Salagou Clin d’Oeil 2017 $21
Easygoing and succulent, with bright flavors of red fruits and flowers. (Louis/Dressner Selections, New York)
★★1/2 Domaine des 2 Ânes Corbières Fontanilles 2016 $19
Lively yet elegant, with earthy flavors of red and dark fruits, citrus and herbs. (Jenny & François, New York)
★★ Thierry Navarre St.-Chinian Cuvée Olivier 2016 $19
Inky yet fresh, with straightforward flavors of spicy red fruits and herbs. (Fruit of the Vines, Long Island City, N.Y.)
Pairings: Chicken With Prosciutto and Sage
The red wines we tasted from the Languedoc region in southern France did not exhibit a singular personality trait. Some were dark and dense, while others shone light and bright. Alongside, a versatile dish is the accommodating choice. It’s what you get with this riff on saltimbocca, a combination of veal, prosciutto and sage. In my recipe, the dark meat of chicken takes the place of veal, and instead of meat slices topped with ham and herbs, I’ve made plump chicken bundles with the sage tucked inside. The prosciutto gives a nod to the meatier wines, as does the splash of balsamic vinegar at the finish line, while the sage picks up the garrigue notes of terroir that came through in others. I used boneless chicken thighs to make them easier to slice and eat, but left the skin on to brown. Fingerling potatoes simmer as the chicken braises, and fresh peas contribute a touch of spring, even on the Easter table.
