Languedoc-Roussillon

Fontarèche is one of the oldest vineyards of the Languedoc, with some of the plantings dating back as far as 1350. In 1682, the Mignard family purchased Château Fontarèche. Today, nine generations on, the family Lamy own and run the estate, with chief winemaker Vincent Dubernet at their side. The 160 hectares of vineyards have a wide range of soil types, making it possible to grow a diverse number of grape varieties.

This old-vine Corbières is ripe and generous in fruit, with a serious backbone of supple tannin and sweet spice. The nose is warming with red and blackberry fruit, rich and slightly jammy with an elegant floral lift. The palate is fleshy and juicy, with soft ripe tannins and a finish expressing soft liquorice and herbs. This is a wine made to marry red meat dishes, preferably smoked or grilled.

The 2012’s blend demonstrates once more the affinity of Syrah and this famous eponymous limestone escarpment. 60% Syrah is blended, after elevage, with equal measures of Mourvèdre and Grenache. The wine has captured the equilibrium and real sense of place for which 2012 is quickly gaining recognition; myrtle, sousbois and forest –floor aromas are matched on the palate by a weight of black fruit which is poised and gently peppery. Southern Syrah is here captured in one of its more elegant manifestations.
Simon Field MW, Wine Buyer 

This rosé is not one to readily comply with the routine requirements of AOC Collioure Rosé; its colour lacking the requisite brightness and the application of oak being conducive to interest and complexity but not, apparently, to the constraints of bureaucracy.

When first poured there was a distinctly oxidative quality to the nose, not obtrusive but certainly attention-grabbing when tasted alongside a range of more orthodox wines. Don’t be put off by this, this is a serious wine and requires a little time to show its true colours. Revisited it showed an intensity of wild strawberry fruit alongside the savoury garrigue-esque notes of rosemary and thyme, and ¬retains some of the initial oxidative element in an undercurrent of hazelnut. This is well suited as a food wine and would partner well with delicate red meat dishes such as a rare-roast rack of lamb or, dare I say it, the annual visitation of roast turkey.

Grenache, Carignan and Syrah. They have moved to direct pressing to get a lighter Rosé but one that they believe expresses the ‘terroir’ and enables a fresher more vibrant style of Rosé. Raspberries, fresh almonds and citrus minerality. Refreshing with restrained fruit concentration. Fermented in used barriques and aged for 8 months.
Fiona Hayes - Buyer

This reminded me of just how good 2016 was in the South of France and, paradoxically, just how good a winemaker has to be not to be overwhelmed by nature's ripe benevolence. This is harmonious and gloriously complex, a child of a biodynamic weave and a confident ambassador for an ambitious price-point.
Simon Field MW

The wine is an attractive garnet red with purple highlights. The intense and delicate nose reveals luscious ripe fruit aromas mingled with succulent milk chocolate and liquorice notes.

The supple and smooth attack shows mature, elegant, well-rounded tannins, while the packed and elegant mid-palate expands on red fruit flavours accompanied by notes of toast, leaving an impression of succulence and fullness. Distinguished, the very long finish lingers on elegant fruit.

Winemaker Olivier Jullien first started making wine in the Languedoc in the early 1980s when much of the Languedoc was known for producing commercial wine. Arriving after such a great vintage as 2010, the 2011 was always destined to suffer by comparison. Olivier was keen to stress that he was not planning to make a “petit frère”, but rather to work hard to create a wine with its own personality, one that truly reflects the vintage.

Located to the northeast of Montpellier, the modish Terrasses du Larzac produce this Southern Rhône blend. Comprising Syrah, Mourvèdre and Carignan, the wine is full-bodied and rich. This is a heady wine with rich fruit backed by firm tannins and a full-bodied structure. It will pair well with big, rich dishes.
The 2011 Coteaux du Languedoc Terrasses du Larzac shows fine form, with ample black and purple fruits, searing minerality, and a tight, compact feel that just begs for additional cellar time. Full-bodied, beautifully concentrated and with polished, yet present tannin, it should be at its best from 2016-2026.

Established in 1985 and covering 15 hectares around the village of Jonquieres, north of Montpellier and in the Terrasses du Larzac region, Mas Jullien is run by the passionate Olivier Jullien, who was one of the early pioneers of the region to push for quality.

Farming all organically, he uses varying degrees of whole clusters during fermentation, vinifies each variety separately and utilizes primarily larger format barrels for aging. The entire lineup is stacked with quality and the wines show distinct, individual personalities. Moving to the reds, Jullien does two cuvees, the Terrasses du Larzac release which is a blend of Carignan, Mourvedre and Syrah, and cuvee Carlan, which is mostly Grenache, with smaller parts Carignan, Cinsault and Syrah.
94/100 Jeb Dunnuck eRobertParker.com #212 Apr 2014

First planted by the Romans, these beautiful vineyards share the terrain with the Roquefort-producing sheep and the wild savagery of the garrigue. The “domaine” consists of a stone barn, its location almost exactly halfway between the two great properties of Grange des Pères and Mas de Daumas Gassac.

Syrah dominates the blend once again in 2011, with Grenache and Mourvèdre lending support. The 2011 vintage is an attractive, forward, somewhat underappreciated vintage (by all but the growers and select cognoscenti!); all positive when one reflects upon the sheer inscrutable power of La Peira in “big” vintages. Elegance is all here, with cassis and plum fruit evocative of Médoc class and a spicy, gently peppery finish rendering suitable homage to the Mediterranean.