CATEAU DE SÉRAME MINERVOIS AOP 2008 - FRANCE
- Vintage : 2008
- Varietals : 37% Mourvédre, 28% Grenache Noir, 25% Syrah, 10% Carignan
- Terroir : The parcels of vines used in the production of Minervois are planted on terroir with remarkable potential: the soils are covered with magnificent gravel slopes which allow the Mourvedre, the predominant varietal, to ripen late, yet fully, and also bring good balance to all the different grape varieties cultivated.
- Vinification : Pre-fermentation cold maceration for some batches, thermoregulated fermentation. Ageing : 12 to 14 months in oak barrels.
- Tasting : The wine reveals excellent colour with ruby highlights. The nose, very elegant is characterised by red fruit aromas, a touch of minerality and hints of mocha. The wines' intense, fresh structure from the Mourvedre supports elegant body. The tannins are ripe and silky. The wine's distinguished finish exudes perfectly balanced aromas.
- Food and wine matching : Taste with game or meats cooked in sauce (guinea fowl, rabbit), spicy dishes or cheese.
- Gold Medal : at the Concours Mondal de Bruxelles 2011
- Silver Medal : at the Decanter Wine World Awards 2011
- Price : £10.99
MINERVOIS
Minervois is an appellation for distinctive red wines from the western Languedoc in France. In general, they are more supple than those produced in Corbieres, just to the south. The Minervois title also covers rosé and white wines.
The appellation takes its name from Minerve, a village 25 miles (40km) from the Mediterranean coast and surrounded by the southern French foothills. The village, by turn, is named after the Greek goddess Minerva. This is just a glimpse of the town's connections with ancient history; there are cave paintings in the local caves which date back more than 30,000 years, and fossilized footprints have been found which confirm human movements here more than 8000 years ago. The town's wine history is also impressively long; archaeological evidence shows that viniculture here dates back to early-Roman or even pre-Roman times.
The Minervois appellation was granted in 1985 and since then, the local wines have changed dramatically, gaining praise from critics in France and abroad. As with many French appellations, this increase in quality is due to significant investments in winery equipment and improved vineyard management.
The predominant grape varieties used in AOC Minervois wines are Grenache, Syrah and Mourvedre, which must collectively make up at least 60% of the blend, possibly complemented by Carignan and Cinsaut. Bourboulenc. The appellation's white wines, which vary considerably in quality and style, are made from Vermentino, Roussanne, Marsanne and Grenache Blanc. White Minervois Blanc is changing with time, becoming increasingly aromatic and refined.
In addition to dry red and white wines, the area has a historical sweet-wine-making tradition. Sweet, white Minervois Noble, as it is known, does not have its own appellation. It is a golden sweet wine made from the same white grapes as its dry counterparts. The grapes are picked when they have reached a high level of sweetness – either as a result of noble rot or by being dried out manually after picking. Similar in style, Muscat de St-Jean-de-Minervois (a delicate vin doux naturel) is produced to the north of Minervois.
Full or partial carbonic maceration (up to two weeks) is used for vinifying most Minervois Carignan. Other red wine varieties are traditionally fermented for longer periods, with frequent pumping over or punching down to encourage greater extraction. De-stemming is increasingly being used to reduce the tannin levels in Minervois wines, and the reds are generally aged for at least a year before release. Barrel maturation is becoming more common, but the Minervois name can rarely attract prices to justify the cost of this process.
The appellation is cleanly divided into five climatic zones: the Cotes Noires in the far northwest, located on the coolest, most Atlantic-influenced foothills of the Montagne Noire; La Clamoux, on alluvial terraces and flatter land in the southwest towards Carcassonne; La Zone Centrale, in the middle of the appellation, at an altitude of around 1200ft (400m); La Causse, on high land and poor, dry soils in the northeast, where yields are lowest; and Les Serres, in the warmest, most Mediterranean southeast.
LANGUEDOC-ROUSILLON
Languedoc-Roussillon is a large and diverse wine region in the south of France, covering an area that stretches from Nimes and Montpellier in the east, around the Gulf of Lyon to the Spanish border.
As suggested by the double-barreled name, Languedoc-Roussillon was once two independent regions – Languedoc and Roussillon. Although the worlds of wine politics and commerce have enduringly grouped the two together, geography and culture separate them; Languedoc is quintessentially French in character, whereas the strong influences of Spanish and Catalan culture are clear across Roussillon. While Languedoc's vineyards are mostly located on coastal plains, those of Roussillon are either perched on cliff tops or nestled in the foothills of the Pyrenees. However, the two regions have been treated as a single unit so often – and for such a significant period of wine history – that it is now difficult to divide them.
About a quarter of all the wine-producing vines in France are located in Languedoc-Roussillon, contributing to such diverse wines as the sparkling Mauzac-based Blanquette de Limoux, the rich, sweet red wines of Banyuls, and the rosés of the Cotes du Roussillon.
Soil types and terroir vary across the region as much as the topography, making it hard to collectively describe them. A large proportion of the land here is garrigue (the quintessential southern French landscape of dry, low-lying scrubland on limestone soils), but there are also areas of slightly higher-altitude terrain in the far south and around the Montagne Noire in the north. Overall, it is a hot, dry region, with a definitively Mediterranean climate.
Languedoc-Roussillon is showing significant progress in the quality of its wines. With keenly priced competition from countries like Australia and Chile, the rustic style of the region's traditional wines was not sufficient to ensure continued commercial success. Emerging styles, innovative producers and revived viticultural areas are now introducing fresh life. This is demonstrated by the rapid investment, diversification and improvement in the wines of Maury in northern Roussillon; the development of more-modern wine styles such as Cremant de Limoux; and the inclusion of rose and white wines in the Collioure appellation. Perhaps most significant of all, is the new Languedoc title – introduced in 2007 to provide a consistent quality appellation for the entire Languedoc-Roussillon region.
The arrival of railways in southern France (in the 19th Century) was a dramatic boost for the local wine industry, and led to significant changes at a national level. Historically, the transportation of wine had been limited almost entirely to water-borne means, giving regions like Bordeaux and the Loire Valley a significant advantage over the southern regions, which lacked an efficient connection with key markets in northern France, Britain, The Netherlands and Germany. Even with the Canal du Midi connecting Montpellier to Toulouse (and ultimately to Bordeaux via the Canal de Garonne), shipping wine northwards (effectively 'uphill') was a slow and impractical process. As soon as the vineyards of Languedoc and Roussillon were connected by rail, the demand for their affordable, large-volume wines rose dramatically. It was this industrial development which marked the beginning of the Languedoc's story as a successful wine region.
Sources: www.wine-searcher.com and www.chateaudeserame.com