Article and Photos by Lance Berelowitz
I’m tasting wine with Pascale Rivière at La Jasse Castel, her winery just outside St-Jean-de-Fos in the Terrasses du Larzac. Located west of Montpellier in the south of France, Terrasses du Larzac is one of the newer appellations in the greater Languedoc. Its wines are now among the best in this huge region that stretches west from the Rhone River along the Mediterranean, and up into the foothills of the Massif Central.
The Languedoc is experiencing a wine revolution. While French authorities give subsidies to grape farmers to remove vineyards on the coastal plain where most of the high-volume ‘value’ wines are produced, the opposite is true of several Languedoc appellations further inland and at higher altitudes, and the number of such appellations continues to grow in lockstep with the quality focus. Newer appellations include La Clape, Pic Saint-Loup, and Terrasses du Larzac. All these areas, each with their own distinctive microclimates and soils, and many new winemakers committed to quality, are transforming the Languedoc into the most dynamic wine region in France.
This ongoing transformation is thanks in no small part to the efforts of Les Vinifilles, a diverse yet committed group of women winemakers who work across the Languedoc-Roussillon region. The Vinifilles – currently comprising about 20 women winegrowers – is, as its website says in English translation, an association of “creatures of the female sex engaged in viticulture in Occitania, united in 2009, fans of the pleasure and richness of their professions, beautiful, rebellious, active, greedy, friendly, sociable and dynamic!” On my recent visit to the Languedoc I met with several members.
Pascale was one of the driving forces behind the establishment of the Vinifilles as a registered association in France. She acquired her first vineyards around St Jean-de-Fos and Montpeyroux, on the flanks of the wild Terrasses du Larzac plateau. Fiercely independent, she is a passionate defender of the wines of this region, and also of what the Vinifilles have achieved since she helped create the group in 2009.
Pascale’s diverse range of wines includes El Abanico, an intriguing white blend of grape varietals that includes Chenin Blanc. With bottle age, it takes on complex, smoky, petrol notes along with passion fruit, as tasted in the 2016 vintage that she kindly poured. Her reds are equally interesting, with several variations on the classic Languedoc varietals Syrah, Grenache, Cinsault, and Carignan. Don’t miss the full-bodied, rich, complex Les Combariolles, which is mostly Grenache with Syrah in a supporting role.
Pascale’s diverse range of wines includes El Abanico, an intriguing white blend of grape varietals that includes Chenin Blanc. With bottle age, it takes on complex, smoky, petrol notes along with passion fruit, as tasted in the 2016 vintage that she kindly poured. Her reds are equally interesting, with several variations on the classic Languedoc varietals Syrah, Grenache, Cinsault, and Carignan. Don’t miss the full-bodied, rich, complex Les Combariolles, which is mostly Grenache with Syrah in a supporting role.
Up the road from Montpeyroux, the hamlet of Arboras clings to the hillside overlooking the Herault River valley. Here I meet another Vinifille, Marie Chauffray at Domaine de la Réserve d’O, in one of the highest, coolest parts of the Terrasses du Larzac. We drive up to the high plateau above the village, where Marie’s prized old-vine Grenache and Syrah vineyards are located, surrounded by forests and overlooked by the imposing Mont Saint-Baudille. This is rugged garrigue country, and I keep my eyes posted for a glimpse of the resident Bonelli eagles.
Marie makes elegant wines from these rocky limestone-clay soils. She tells me she aims for “an equilibrium of acidity and alcohol”, which could well stand for the classic Terrasses du Larzac wine profile. Her flagship wine La Resérve d’O – a complex, layered Grenache, Syrah, Cinsault blend aged in amphorae and concrete vats – authentically reflects this special terroir. The Hissez O cuvée meanwhile is from the highest part of her vineyard at 400 m altitude, and is an arresting, oak-aged, Syrah-dominated blend that is balanced, complex and elegant.
Lidewij van Wilgen, originally from Holland, is another Vinifille. Her idyllic Terre des Dames winery is located on the edge of the Saint Chinian AOC, near Beziers. However most of her wines are classified as IGP or Vin de Pays, which gives Lidewij more flexibility in her winemaking than the rigid AOC regulations permit.
We taste together on the terrace of Lidewij’s 18th century country mas (farmhouse), surrounded by her vineyards, which are planted in small plots enclosed by stone walls and scrubland forming a natural south-facing amphitheater. Terre des Dames is completely organic, and the vines – many 50-100 years old – and surrounding native landscapes attest to this. Her wines reflect this wild, healthy environment: alive, concentrated and fresh. Don't miss her delicious L’Unique, from low-yield, hand harvested old-vine Syrah, aged in Burgundy barrels and amphorae. Truly unique!
Lidewij offers 'Wine Weekends' for small groups staying at her charming home: she organises workshops in wine-tasting, blending, and food and wine pairings, combined with visiting the surrounding region. I make a mental note to sign up on my next visit. You should too.
The Languedoc is a vast, diverse, and relatively undiscovered region, from coastal lagoons where oysters are raised to limestone crags where eagles soar, and river gorges with natural swimming pools between the two. Add in picturesque medieval villages, gracious cities such as Montpellier and Pezenas, inspiring winemakers, and fantastic wines and food, and you have the makings of a memorable visit. Move over, Provence.
© Lance Berelowitz
Vancouver, Canada
