Our wines are starting to get noticed! This Summer and Autumn we've been so happy to receive positive comments from a number of different corners of the wine world....
Starting with our IGP Amourettes, Tamlyn Currin of JancisRobinson.com said this of our 2019 white: "Smells like a sharp-white-cheese pastry tart with honey [...], and sliced baked orange peaches. Something also a little white-petal floral. Very pretty. Delicate, dancing, filigree florals with a lovely rounded peachy bottom."
For the 2019 rosé Tamlyn wrote "Paler than their other three pinks, although not what you would describe as a pale rosé, for which I heartily applaud them. Wet sand and ham and goji-berry nose. A street-jiving bluster of damsons and blood orange, apple skin and grapefruit peel, rust and nuts, bresaola and cranberries. Sharp and dry and you could have this as an aperitif but it's much more interesting with food."
Moving on to the AOP Languedoc Château de la Devèze Monnier 2018 white, Tamlyn said that it "Smells like peach kernels and quite 'biscuity', like McVities digestives. Heady frangipani florals on the nose and through the palate. Some saltiness and tang, almost like green olives pickled in brine with a touch of sharpness. Fragrant elderflower on the palate, green apricots, and a gentle nuttiness, like sunflower seeds. Lots of layers here. Little pop shots of bitterness and acidity that sparkles like tiny crystals tucked into the flesh. Unfolds in the glass. Fantastic structure - quite geometric, linear, direct." (We love Tamlyn's way of describing wine! So delightfully expressive!! :-)
For the Château de la Devèze Monnier 2018 rosé Tamlyn Currin described the wine as "Deep tomato-pink. Smells like tinned strawberries and chilli jam. Palate is defined by sweet-chilli-jam piquancy and red-bell-pepper sweet-savoury fruitiness. This is a very interesting rosé. It was so numbed down when I first opened it that on day one and on day two, I thought it was not terribly interesting. But after being open for a week in my cellar, when most pinks would have fallen apart, this suddenly blossomed. Not bone dry, but the strawberry-jelly roundness is flecked with dried thyme, sage leaf, tomato vine and a lick of iron. And the finish is bone dry, whatever the residual sugar."
Elizabeth Gabay, a Master of Wine specialising in rosés and based in Provence, tasted the same wine and wrote, "Strong onion skin orange. Restrained fruit acidity, still fresh. After decanting, more fruit coming to the fore. Black mineral inner core (Syrah?) with vibrant red currant acidity. Feels a little chunky structure wise – acidity not quite powerful enough? although I like the intensity of fruit and weight." On an Instagram program she and sommelier Sumi Sarma run, I Love Rock 'n Rose (video here, where they start talking about this wine at 17 or so minutes into the video. They also discuss the 2018 Accords rosé later in that video), she re-tasted the wine and wondered why she had ever thought that the acidity wasn't strong enough - she used this as a reason why it's important to re-taste wines and under different conditions!
Elizabeth also tasted our Empreintes 2019 rosé, which is the new name for the Château de la Devèze Monnier line, and thought that it had "Darker salmon pink red fruit aromas. Silky creamy, acidity well integrated with ripe fruit and a firm minerality. Vibrant, redcurrants, hint of savoury garrigue phenolics on the finish."
The IGP Saint Guilhem les Désert Accords are also getting accolades. Tamlyn tasted the Accords 2018 blanc and described it like this: "Smells like a bouquet of dried Mediterranean herbs. Pear cream and wonderful dry bay leaf, oregano, thyme and rosemary on the palate. Has richness and bite. Cream and a savouriness that reminds me of toasted spelt along with the sweetness of ripe apricots and peaches. The long tang and vibration of acidity really pulls the length and finish across the line."
For the Accords 2018 rosé she said, "Very dark pink, on the clarete-moving-to-red spectrum. Vanilla and strawberry shortbread. Packed with vanilla-syrup-glazed strawberry fruit on the palate. Hibiscus petals and some butterscotch but overall more savoury than sweet. Dry and a little bit of texture. More of a red wine than a rosé, although I'm missing some length. Don't drink too cold (I found it best at about white burgundy temperature). Very good with biltong! Definitely a wine for substantial food (think meat) rather than an aperitif."
Elizabeth Gabay described the same wine in this way: "Dark pink red. Very vibrant red berry fruit. Soft, silky texture. Strawberries and raspberries with beautifully integrated minerality and long fresh vibrant acidity. Really lovely."
The Accords 2018 red, which was blended from parcel-specific wines made in small batches, also received a thumbs' up from Tamlyn: "Remarkably fragrant! Raspberries and raspberry leaves and hibiscus tea leaf. Sandalwood and cedary fragrance on the palate, too, running through the depth of dark-cherry-liqueur chocolates. Lifted, leafiness on the finish giving it this long, fresh elegance. The tannins are tight and dry but not astringent. Alcohol beautifully in balance. This will give more with time."
Our AOP Terrasses du Larzac Caprices 2017 red has also been praised, with Decanter saying, "Blackcurrant intensity on the nose, immediately identifiable and welcoming. The palate is so juicy and chewy, incredibly lively with almost mouthwatering acidity. This is a fun style, happy and not at all heavy, with red and black fruits, cherries, raspberries and sweet strawberries. Tannins are grippy in all the right places and this feels like a well-made, balanced wine with great freshness. A touch of liquorice lingers on the finish adding complexity at the end. 91/100"
More recently, VertdeVin (issue 16, Winter 2020-2021) also rated it 90-91/100, saying, "A generous and fruity nose of cherry, red currant syrup and lighter notes of cassis, along with touches of crushed strawberry and violet as well as hints of liquorice, pink laurel and pepper/spices. The palate is fruity, smooth and unctuous, showing concentration as well as intensity, dynamism and a strong acid backbone. On the palate this wine shows crushed cherry and raspberry, with notes of redcurrant syrup and pulpy cassis as well as very fine hints of liquorice, pink laurel and caramelization, all wrapped up in well-structured tannins." (translated from French)
We are so happy that our wines are getting such positive comments, but we're even happier that more people are getting the chance to experience our wines. We strive to make the best wines we can, and if people are enjoying them, we feel like it's been a job well done!
À votre santé! 🥂