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.

‘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