Languedoc-Roussillon

This wine consists of 100% Picpoul (or Piquepoul) - a very popular, traditional local variety planted on sun-drenched hillsides called "costières" (coastal region) in the Mediterranean garrigue, near the Etang de Thau - a coastal lagoon situated between the port of Sète and Marseillan. The vines are 15-20 years old.

The garrigue is the name given to open scrubland made up of low-growing, dwarf bushy shrubs including holm oak, juniper, broom and wild herbs such as rosemary, thyme and sage.

The color is a superb pale yellow with bright hues. The nose is elegant, with aromas of fresh fruit and citrus fruit especially grapefruit. Well-balanced with typical focusing and zesty acidity.

A pure expression of the grape varietal, the wine shows how good Picpoul can be when grown on its favorite terroir. Our best value, this wine impresses novices and hardened geeks equally.

Located in small village of Sainte Colombe de la Commanderie, on the terroir of Aspres, at the foothills of Mont Canigou, the last peak in the Pyrenees before the Mediterranean sea. Aspres means arid or dry in Cataln, depicting the chalky clay and schist soil of the region, which is the best terroir for vins doux naturels made of Grenache noir, Maccabeo and Grenache gris. Georges Mossé (1884 – 1964), the father of the current owner, decided to not sell the entire harvest each year but instead preserve some great vintages in oak after WWI. That’s why we are fortunate to have these exceptional wines in barrels.

-Importer notes (Martine's)

This is the domaine’s top cuvée based on Syrah, made in barrels, about one-third of which are new. The Syrah comes from their limestone parcels with the most clay high up on the plateau above the village. Orience has black/blue fruit with spice, earth and elegance in spades. It's with this cuvée that the mountain microclimate really shines through. Production averages 600 cases

-Importer notes (Roy Cloud)

Granaxa is Occitane dialect for Grenache, and this is Coupe Rose’s Grenache cuvée, raised in second and third-year oak barrels. Now we get into more weight and body, with distinctly earthy overtones in the red fruit. Their Grenache grows in their stoniest soils. Yearly production averages 1,000 cases

-Importer notes (Roy Cloud)

Pronounced Ar-jess, this comes from the lieu-dit of Babio to the northeast of the village (Karst comes from the north-northwest). The name is an homage to the ancient Greeks, who may have been the first to make wine in Gaul; it's their word for clay. The soil here is clay-limestone, but the emphasis is on the clay, and it's the coupe-roses clay once used by Françoise's forefathers to make roof tiles. This heavy topsoil lays 1-2 meters over limestone bedrock, nurturing just over three acres of Roussanne and just over one of Grenache Blanc. Harvest is by hand, the grapes pass over a selection table, fermentation is spontaneous (20% in neutral 500L demi-muids, the rest in steel), blending takes place in early December, and bottling is in the following spring. No fining or filtration, no SO2 or other additions.

"...an under-the-radar favorite among KLWM staff but also was named winemaker of the year by multiple French magazines in recent years. So it follows that such a talented vigneron is able to find finesse where many others find power.
     Sylvain Fadat of Domaine d’Aupilhac does so by blending organically grown Grenache, Cinsault, Carignan, Syrah, and a splash of Alicante Bouchet, and aging half the blend in foudre and the other half in stainless steel for six months. He uses a light vinification and these aging vessels to preserve fresh, juicy fruit characteristics without extracting too much tannic structure. The result is simultaneously elegant and full of the aromas and flavors we associate with this slice of France..."

-Importer notes (Kermit Lynch)

"...Hailing from the rugged and windswept hills of Corbières, which teem with garrigue and olive groves, La Demoiselle delivers a glorious taste of the South. Made mostly from the Languedoc’s great red grape, Carignan, from vines planted as far back as 1904, this rouge achieves that rare feat of delivering class, charm, and complexity whether you open it right after release or twenty years later, as a magnificently fresh and silky bottle from the 2001 vintage proved last week..."

-Supplier notes (Kermit Lynch)

Domaine la Sobilane is located near Perpignan, in the Eastern Pyrenees region between the villages of Canet and Saint-Nazaire in the heart of the Roussillon. La Sobilane's oldest vintages date from the end of the Second World War, and the property now belongs to Mauricette Daniel.

-Importer notes (Martine's)

A custom cuvée for European Cellars and a joint project between Eric Solomon and Jean-Marc Lafage, Bastide Miraflors is a cuvée created from old vine Grenache (30%) grown on the schist and granite soils of Saint-Paul de Fenouillet, a terroir that always ripens late in the year, and Syrah (70%) from gravelly soils near the Mediterranean. After a long maceration of six weeks, the wine ages for 12 months in roughly 3/4 concrete vats and 1/4 600L French oak demi-muids.