A tasting of Languedoc-Roussillon wines stocked by Cambridge Wine Merchants; 30 wines was tasted on the night, below are the notable ones. Prices are retail by the bottle. Many thanks to Cambridge Wine for the invite.
WHITES
2010 Domaine Gayda 'Flying Solo' Grenache Blanc Viognier. IGP d'Oc.
£7.49
Plenty of aromatics; ripe peaches and white stone fruits, white flowers, nice lifted nose. Mouthfeel is rather thick and textured, does fill out the palate nicely; fleshy yet not flabby, acidity in check.
2010 Domaine Gayda 'Cepage' Viognier. IGP d'Oc
£8.99
Very similar to above except that its lost a bit of the ripe white stone fruits, instead having notes of citrus coming through. Filling mouthfeel, with notes of peaches and grapefruit. Refreshing.
2008 Domaine Gayda Cuvee Occitane Blanc. Vin de Pays d'Oc.
£12.69
48% Grenache Blanc, 28% Marsanne, 16% Roussanne, 8% Viognier.
Some oak on the nose, again nice aromatics leading the way, notes of apples and white stone fruits. Palate is noticeably fuller, very generous; plenty of ripe fruits, acidity is more persistent, as is the finish. A more complex wine.
2009 Chateau Rives-Blanques 'Cuvee Odyssee' Chardonnay. Limoux.
£12.99
Rather neutral nose, touches of wood and citrus showing, not particularly expressive. On the palate, its generous and filling, rather complex actually; nicely textured, with vibrant acidity, notes of grapefruit again on the finish. Probably better with food.
REDS
2008 Domaine du Grand Cres 'La Cadela'. Corbieres.
£9.99
Red fruits compote on the nose, crushed fruits, lifted. Palate is full of very attractive lush red fruits, with balanced acidity; its not overly extracted, hence retainig freshness, not bogged down, just full of bright fruit. Charming, balanced. Slightly fuller and fleshier than the 2006 vintage I tried here.
2008 Domaine Treloar Three Peaks. Cotes du Rousillon.
£11.99
Again plenty of fruit on the nose, fruit compote again, smells fresh; theres abit of woody /savoury note too. Palate is full, again fruit forward but not clumsy, nice acid still; theres more extraction and body, its a fuller wine, with decent concentration; slight grip at the end, but nothing to worry about. A food wine.
2004 Domaine Combe Blanche 'La Chandeliere'. Minervois La Liviniere.
£13.95
Lots of darker fruit on the nose, along with some sweet oak; sherbety almost; also some heat shows in the form of cedar and sweet spices, even touch of smoke. Palate is full, generous on the fruits; what I would call rustic / earthy; still rather tannic, does grip a bit, needs either food or time to resolve. Classy.
2009 Domaine de Cebene 'Les Bancels'. Faugeres.
£15.99
Sweet red fruits; raspberry, currants and dark cherries; then some sweetish spice and woody herbs, perhaps cedar and leather; complex and interesting. Palate carries the bright and juicy red fruits, its a big and filling wine, really coats the palate; decent extraction, has some depth to it; the savoury notes linger as well; some grip towards the end. Long-ish finish; this complex and balanced wine develop with time.
2008 Domaine Gayda Chemin du Moscou. Vin de Pays d'Oc.
£21.99
Full on dark fruits on the nose, jammy heat showing as well; then theres the spice showing, led by cinnamon, cloves and some tobacco. Palate is full-on dark fruit bramble, decent extraction, really quite rich but not heavy; theres a lush roundedness to it, almost a sherberty feel to it. For a big wine, this hardly grips.
2009 Domaine de Cebene Ex-Arena. Vin de Pays d'Oc
£29.99 (150cl Magnum)
Red fruits on the nose, cherries and currants mostly; but theres so much sweet spices, cloves, five spice and star anise; weird thing to say but its a fragrant wine. Palate is so juicy and plush, plenty of fruit, its not fully extracted so its not heavy; the savoury herbyness carries through the palate. A more rustic, mature style of wine. Delightful.
2009 Domaine de Cebene Felgaria. Faugeres.
£25.99
Top end wine from Brigitte Chevalier of Domaine de Cebene; a blen of 50% Mourvedre, 30% Syrah and 20% Grenache.
Dark fruits on the nose, brambles and blackberries, theres a plummy note too; then the spices again, which are more woody, licorice-like; some of sweet spice of cinnamon and cedar as well; very attractive. Palate is fuller, fruit is deeper and more extracted; depth and weight on mouthfeel is more noticeable; rounded, somewhat chunky tannins still; great length. A fantastic wine now, and will no doubt develop with time. Superb.
SWEET
2006 Chateau Rives-Blanques 'Lagrema d'Aur' Vendange d'Hiver. Vin de France.
£18.99 (50cl)
A blend of late harvested 60% Chenin Blanc and 40% Mauzac; Limoux appellation doesnt allow sweet wines form these varieties hence the declassification all the way down to Vin de France.
Nose is of sweet mandarin oranges, tangerines and also grapefruit. The lightness of the palate belies the 70g/l residual sugar, it doesnt cloy nor is it overly flabby; acidity and sugar in balance. Mouthfeel wise, this is in the middle end of sweet wines. Has the nice marmalade-like bitterness on the finish. An interesting wine.
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