Languedoc rising
The fortunes of Languedoc, in southern France, could be on the up again, as the value of vineyard land has rebounded from the burst investment bubble of the mid 1990s.
Saint Chinian
St Chinian, 20 miles north-west of Beziers, and deep-set in the Languedoc foothills of the Black Mountains, is a complex and appealing appellation.
My 3,000th twitter follower
My 3,000th twitter follower (@NMollard) makes wine. How wonderful is that? They even sent me a bottle to taste, so I thought I’d write it up here.
Minervois versus Corbières
I thought it about time I try to get to grips a little with the difference between these two adjacent Languedoc appellations. For too long I’ve not accorded them their individual identities.
St Chinian – “crème de la crème”?
In trying to build the reputation of the appellation the Saint Chinian syndicate has made a marketing campaign around easy-drinking, everyday wines and terroir wines from the appellation.
Rybeyrenc and Oeillade – Languedoc past and present
Thierry Navarre, of his eponymous domaine, in Roquebrun, Saint-Chinian, has made something of a mission of not just preserving ancient Languedoc grape varieties, but making commercial volumes of them.
Vineyard Joggings
(aka the jog blog – thanks @thewinebird). Having taken up jogging again in the summer of 2012, I thought it might be fun to share some microclimatic observations.
Domaine de l'Arjolle
Family-owned Domaine de l’Arjolle is a producer making a virtue out of flavoursome and interesting, easy-drinking, varietally-labelled IGP wines, as well as ploughing the sustainability furrow.
Château Massamier La Mignarde
Frantz Vènes is no newcomer to the Languedoc. The now 70 hectare Château Massamier La Mignarde, in the Minervois, has been in the family for 300 years. He is a fan of carbonic maceration.
A lesson in viticulture at Domaine d’Arjolle
Charles Duby, the viticulturist at Domaine de l’Arjolle in the Languedoc gives a great session on the role of the soil.
