Full-flavored, pink-colored rosé with layers of strawberry and cherry fruit. An exuberantly fruity, seductive style of rosé.

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.

Mas Champart’s Pays d’Oc white (previously called Monts de la Grage) is a fascinating blend of ancestral Languedoc varieties, Terret (80 percent) and Grenache Gris (20 percent), the former from 110-year-old vines, its meagre progeny picked late and then vinified in large wooden vats.
The wine is appropriately different, with hints of salinity underscoring a mid-palate profile, which is dominated by grapefruit, quince and poached pear. Notes of honey and spice are also evidenced and the finish is powerful; an unusual but most impressive example. Exactly the kind of wine, all too seldom unearthed, which shows off the rich diversity of the heritage of the Languedoc.

Domaine d'Aupilhac is an acclaimed organic property located in the enclave of Montpeyroux, 36 kilometres to the north of Montpellier and its inspirational chef de cave Sylvain Fadat is acknowledged as one of the most respected and capable winemakers in the Languedoc. The Cocalières vineyard is located on the site of a prehistoric lake and the soil is shared between petrified volcanic emissions, limestone and basalt.

Aged for 20 months in barrique, the wine is then given time in the winery to settle and harmonise. The 2012 has a rich purple colour and a distinctive nose which marries forest floor, black cherry and hints of peat. The terroir is elegantly expressed in other words, and the gentle hint of sweetness on the finish provides perfect foil for the flavours of sloe, cassis and pepper on the mid-palate. Excellent with game.

Syrah, Grenache and Mourvèdre share the honours in this outstanding and very well named wine. After twelve months in barrel (some 225 litres, some 400 litres) the aromatics are wonderfully seductive, the oak in no way influencing a hymn to Mediterranean sunshine; blackberry, sloe and cherry, with a sprig of rosemary. The palate is equally poised, its tannins reassuringly fine and its fruit fulsome but far from overbearing. The Mourvèdre adds a spicy kick, grounding the higher notes of the Syrah but in no way compromising the pleasure principle. Drink now to 2018.
Simon Field MW, Wine Buyer
The dramatic cliff of the famous eponymous “Pic”, located in the foothills of the Cévennes, provides a fitting backdrop to Domaine de l’Hortus, where wines are crafted under the tutelage of paterfamilias Jean Orliac, one of the most honest, likeable and talented winemakers one could hope to meet.

A blend of Syrah and Carignan, black olive, pepper and bramble fruits play on the nose. Spice and garrigue add complexity on the palate. The firm, fine-grained tannins are well integrated, with juicy fruit density and a mineral backbone. Delicious.

‘Old vines’ is a somewhat nebulous term, but the Carignan vines that provide 35% of this blend are unequivocally long in the tooth – planted up to 125 years ago. The remainder of the blend is Grenache (a mere 55 years-old), Mourvèdre and Syrah, which have been cultivated bio-dynamically since 2001. Like all the domain’s wines, Vieilles Vignes Rouge is bottled un-fined and unfiltered in order to capture as much as possible of its exceptional provenance.
The 2012 is redolent of the hillsides of Roussillon: aromas of garrigue and fresh black fruit. Black fruit dominates the palate, supported by firm tannins. The finish is long and confident.
Will Heslop - Buying Department

All wines are unique but some are more unique than others. Domaine Gauby’s La Roque Blanc has few peers among the white wines of Roussillon or anywhere else. Whole bunches of Muscat Blanc à Petit Grains and Muscat of Alexandria macerate for between ten and twenty days – an eternity in the context of white winemaking. Fermentation relies exclusively on indigenous yeasts.
The result is an astonishing array of aromas, including honeysuckle, orange blossom and fresh lemons; honed to a long, precise finish.
Will Heslop - Buying Department

The Peira white is an enticing blend of Viognier and Roussanne, two of the most potentially rich and aromatically explosive grapes in the canon. The risk, therefore, is of too much of a good thing, and it is therefore to the great credit of Messrs Dougan and Depierre that they do not over egg the proverbial and turn this into a pudding wine. They achieve this by allowing the deep limestone terroir full expression and by not stirring the lees during the elevage of this barrel-fermented cuvée.

The result entices, for sure, with aromatics of honeysuckle and spring flowers and a seductive palate which is dominated by notes of poached pear, soft tangerine and zesty spice.
Simon Field MW – Wine Buyer