Antech, M le Mauzac, Brut Nature, Languedoc
Critics reviews
Certified Terra Vitis. One of Françoise Antech-Gazeau's new range of three 100% Mauzac Blanquettes aimed at showcasing the variety.
Apple blossom and minty. Dry, but gentle thanks to the soft bubbles. More tingling than fizzing. Green apples, pomelo pith and peel, chicory leaf and a tiny hint of nectarine. Mauzac stripped bare. I'd love to try this with cockles!
Tamlyn Currin, JancisRobinson.com (July 2020)
About this WINE
Antech Limoux
Maison Antech is a family-owned winery based in the Limoux appellation of Languedoc-Roussillon in the South of France. Antech is known particularly for its sparkling wines, notably for its Crémant de Limoux, the local traditional method sparkling wine.
In the early 20th century, Eugénie Limouzy became one of the first women in the Languedoc to manage a vineyard. In 1931, her niece Marguerite married Edmond Antech, whose efforts made the estate’s wine more widely and commercially known.
Edmond’s sons Georges and Roger succeeded him, maintaining their father’s winemaking philosophy and preserving the estate’s history while introducing new technology. The brothers created new storehouses and modernised the winery. Georges devoted his professional life to developing Antech’s sales and marketing, while Roger enthusiastically took on the technical aspects of running the vineyard.
Since 1995, Georges’s daughter Françoise has dedicated her energy to the family property. She was joined in 2020 by her son Baptiste, representing the seventh generation of the Antech family here.
Languedoc-Roussillon
Over the last 25 years, the fortunes of Languedoc-Rousillon have been transformed largely due to the introduction of the Vin de Pays classification in 1979. This led to extensive replanting on more suitable sites, a drastic reduction in permitted yields and, crucially, reducing the dependence of red wines on the ubiquitous Carignan grape.
The new classification enabled producers not only to experiment with other grape varieties, but also to pick up the gauntlet thrown down by the New World – to give the customers what they wanted, namely clearly-labelled international varietals like Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon.
Despite a sometimes deserved reputation for its contributions to the European wine lake, this exciting region continues to see a flow of investment from the Bordelais and others, which has enabled the evolution of the qualitative pyramid to continue. Perhaps the most striking improvements have been seen in Minervois La Livinière and Pic Saint Loup, but not far behind are the wines of St.Chinian and Cabardès.
Regardless of the financial influx and the wonderful terroir of the different appellations, the increase in quality is also allied to some extraordinarily-gifted winemakers, including Jean-Luc Terrier and Jean-Louis Denois.
Mauzac
The Mauzac grape is prolific in the Limoux region, but almost non-existent elsewhere, and produces a rustic wine with distinct aromas of fresh cut grass and apple-peel flavours reminiscent of apple cider.
The grape is the dominant component in Blanquette de Limoux, the Languedoc sparkling wine that can contain three grape varieties: Mauzac with a minimum of 90% of the blend, the balance with Chardonnay and Chenin Blanc.
When is a wine ready to drink?
We provide drinking windows for all our wines. Alongside the drinking windows there is a bottle icon and a maturity stage. Bear in mind that the best time to drink a wine does also depend on your taste.
Not ready
These wines are very young. Whilst they're likely to have lots of intense flavours, their acidity or tannins may make them feel austere. Although it isn't "wrong" to drink these wines now, you are likely to miss out on a lot of complexity by not waiting for them to mature.
Ready - youthful
These wines are likely to have plenty of fruit flavours still and, for red wines, the tannins may well be quite noticeable. For those who prefer younger, fruitier wines, or if serving alongside a robust meal, these will be very enjoyable. If you choose to hold onto these wines, the fruit flavours will evolve into more savoury complexity.
Ready - at best
These wines are likely to have a beautiful balance of fruit, spice and savoury flavours. The acidity and tannins will have softened somewhat, and the wines will show plenty of complexity. For many, this is seen as the ideal time to drink and enjoy these wines. If you choose to hold onto these wines, they will become more savoury but not necessarily more complex.
Ready - mature
These wines are likely to have plenty of complexity, but the fruit flavours will have been almost completely replaced by savoury and spice notes. These wines may have a beautiful texture at this stage of maturity. There is lots to enjoy when drinking wines at this stage. Most of these wines will hold in this window for a few years, though at the very end of this drinking window, wines start to lose complexity and decline.
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Description
Certified Terra Vitis. One of Françoise Antech-Gazeau's new range of three 100% Mauzac Blanquettes aimed at showcasing the variety.
Apple blossom and minty. Dry, but gentle thanks to the soft bubbles. More tingling than fizzing. Green apples, pomelo pith and peel, chicory leaf and a tiny hint of nectarine. Mauzac stripped bare. I'd love to try this with cockles!
Tamlyn Currin, JancisRobinson.com (July 2020)
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