Languedoc nous a plu!

Pictures clockwise from top left: Poppies and vines; Horse, vines and garrigues; Abbaye Sainte Marie d'Orbieu, Lagrasse; Map of Languedoc; Chateau de Lastours. (I'm still learning how to include images!)

A bit of geography: The Languedoc region stretches from the Rhone to the Garonne. Toulouse is the capital of Haut Languedoc and Montpellier is the capital of Bas or Mediterranean Languedoc. Our trip focus was mainly Bas Languedoc. Bas Languedoc is a 40km strip along the Mediterranean coast, between mountains of the Massif Central, from the mountain ranges of the Cévennes, the Espinouse, Minervois and Lacaune, as far as the Montagne Noire, and the first limestone foothills of the Pyrenees, the Corbières. The Garrigues, , derived from the Occitan garric, or kermes oak, rise 200 – 400 m above sea level and consist of sun-scorched limestone hills, with white rocks and clumps of holm-oak, broom and aromatic wild thyme and rosemary, cultivated with olive trees, mulberry bushes and vines. The flat landscape also features occasional limestone outcrops, eg La Clape and Agde.

15 May 2010: We landed in Paris after 12 hours on the plane from Hong Kong and began our 3 hour wait for the connection flight to Toulouse. Arrived in Toulouse just before midday. After the usual Air France chaos with luggage and a bit of delay, we collected the car from Avis and set off for Bize-Minervois in the Languedoc!

Checked in at La Bastide Cabezac (http://www.la-bastide-cabezac.com/) in the hamlet of Cabezac, just off Bize-Minervois, a little hotel with plenty of rustic charm, now run by Guillaume and Mary Desgranges who took over not too long ago. Guillaume speaks perfect English (Mary is English) and the staff are all very charming. He and Mary both worked in the restaurant in the evening. The food was tasty, creative and original, with a regional focus in the ingredients. Chef Dominique Champroux has been busy entering competitions to raise his game. We started each with a Crémant de Limoux, which came with a fine mousse, and a nose of brioche, pears and sweet candied fruits. A fruity and light-hearted apero, semi-dry, well-balanced with medium level of acidity and a medium length. Then we proceeded to try the Château Cabezac Cuvée Alice 2007, AOC Minervois, (http://www.chateaucabezac.com/), named after owner Gontran Dondain's granddaughter. A blend of Bourboulenc, Muscat and Grenache Blanc. Dry, minerally, with fruit character of white peach, lychee and citrus fruits, and some hints of floral, honey and almonds. Crisp acidity and good length. Drinking perfectly now, and for the next 3 – 4 years. This went very well with the amuse-bouche of prawns over an asparagus mousse. Richard started with braised carrots over a puree of corn and a poached egg and I had the pea cappuccino with almonds, scallops and lemon grass. (I should also mention that I just met Gontran at Vinexpo Hong Kong and he was very kind to explain to us and have us try the other wines in the range - I was particularly impressed by the 2005 Belvèze based mainly on Syrah, supported by Mourvèdre and Grenache and the Cuvée Arthur, based mainly on Mourvèdre, supported by Syrah and Grenache. Arthur is Gontran's grandson.)

Our red wine selection for the evening was the Château Massamier La Mignarde Domus Maximus 2006 – AC Minervois La Livinière; 80% Syrah and 20% Grenache. (Website: http://www.massamier-la-mignarde.com/) A concentrated, structured and powerful wine with a deep ruby core and a bouquet of the region – herbal and aromatic garrigue, black cherries, cassis, spicy cloves, dried dates and figs. Good level of acidity and firm tannins. Drinking well now (depending on the food), but is still rather youthful and it will definitely evolve over the next 5 – 8 years into a more interesting wine. The 2001 vintage of this wine won the best wine in its category (Syrah, Grenache, Mourvèdre) award at the International Wine Challenge in 2005. Richard had a 12-hour slow cooked (at 75°C) saddle of lamb served on a bed of root vegetables and a pain perdu salé which tasted rather stodgy, but the lamb was definitely worth the wait! I had an interesting whole-roasted sole, with a calves feet sauce and an aligot made with Ossau Iraty cheese. The wine did dominate somewhat! Richard managed a slice of vieux Laguiole….I had a taste.

There was a lovely and refreshing pre-dessert of strawberry cordial, with shortbread. After a mouthful of petits fours, we left feeling rather satisfied!

16 May 2010: We drove on to Carcassonne. Vineyard after vineyard, we’re in the bosom of the biggest vineyard in France. We drove through undulating hills of vines in limestone and garrigue covered Minervois. Because of the hot dry climate, all the vines are gobelet/bush trained and are fairly densely planted. We took an impromptu detour to Lastours in the Montagne Noire – we were curious about the Cathar history of Château de Lastours. We were rather under-prepared – both for the steep and precipitous climb/hike that followed the ticket office, and for the gusty wind which got even stronger at those heights!

Château de Lastours is in fact a collection of 4 castles, the ruins of which perched on the same spur of rock formation. The largest one is called Cabaret and it was here that the Cathars resisted most relentlessly the attacks led by Simon de Montfort, commanding the 13th century crusade to persecute the Cathars whose renouncement of the material world the Catholic Church believed to be threatening the homogeneity of the church. The Cathars (named after a German derogatory term meaning “cat-worshippers”) or Christians as they called themselves believed that the material world was essentially a creation of evil and that the spiritual world alone was God’s kingdom. The austere Parfaits (“perfect ones”) embraced poverty, chastity, patience and humility. The Cathar Church or “Albigensian Church”, started by 4 bishops from Albi, Toulouse, Carcassonne and Agen, flourished during the 12th Century in the Languedoc lowlands, between Carcassonne and Toulouse, Foix and Limoux, areas dominated by the textile industry. The Catholic Church after years of indulgence in wealth and luxuries were determined to stamp out such heresy. Repressions, persecutions, blindings and mutilations are well documented in history books. The fall of Quéribus marked the end of the Second Albigensian Crusade in 1255. While we barely stood (in the face of the powerful winds) on the narrow paths, admiring the breathtaking views of the serene but daunting rocky deep Garrigue valley, with wind-defying cypress trees randomly rising above the slopes, our minds naturally drifted to the bloody savage past that these castles, paths and valley witnessed.

There is a lovely restaurant in the town of Lastours – Le Puits du Trésor - but unfortunately we could not fit it in on this trip. Next time definitely!

We took a speedy tour round La Cité de Carcassonne after checking in at the Hôtel du Château. A marvelous site- but still very windy!

Hôtel du Château (http://www.hotelduchateau.net/) is a charming boutique hotel neatly situated at the entrance of La Cité (without having to bother with the complicated parking system if you’re staying at one of the hotels inside La Cité). The staff are extremely friendly and helpful. All the rooms have modern décor and inspiring colours and are well designed. There is no restaurant but there is a delightful breakfast/bar area which is more than sufficient.

We arrived at La Barbacane, the 1-Michelin starred restaurant inside Hôtel de La Cité. I had an Antech Blanquette de Limoux, dry, aromatic, with notes of peach, honey, floral and lime, a shorter length finish, but a nice simple and refreshing wine. Our wines for the evening were the Roque Sestière Vieilles Vignes 2008 (55% Maccabeu, 35% Grenache Blanc, 10% Roussanne) and Alain Chabanon Les Boissières 2005 (AC Coteaux du Languedoc; 90% Grenache, 5% Mourvèdre, 5% Carignan and aged 36 months in stainless steel vats). The white was a delightful discovery. A lemon yellow colour, aromas of peach, honey, floral, mineral, herbal and almonds. Light-medium body, crispy acidity, medium length finish. A well-balanced wine with a slight rich style but retaining much of the mineral character and acidity.

The Alain Chabanon (http://www.domainechabanon.com/) was really outstanding, in a style one calls “pinoté”? Certified organic, exploring biodynamic. Red fruits, red cherries, some spiciness. A very elegant wine with much finesse, a medium body, medium level of fine-grained tannins, good level of acidity, and a long finish. Drinking well now, can do with further bottle ageing of around 4 - 8 years before reaching its peak. We were very impressed with this wine, so expressive of the fruit and the terroir!

We both had vegetarian starters – I even managed to negotiate a green salad! Richard had the suckling pig, a house specialty, and I had the turbot cooked in vin jaune – the turbot was fresh but somehow the chef added in some candied walnuts which were rather unnecessary and distracting and the morels lacked taste and were rather watery. Richard’s pig was quite tasty and beautifully presented. We had some cheese….the bethmale from the Pyrenees was really good! Then after much discussion about the ice-cream trolley, Richard had a simple boule of vanilla ice-cream – according to him, best vanilla ice-cream he’s had! A brisk walk back to the hotel!

17 May 2010: A lot of driving (for me!). Starting from Carcassonne, first to Narbonne, then Gruisson, then Béziers, then back to Carcassonne. Béziers was probably the least interesting, but Narbonne was a picturesque Mediterranean town, with an ancient cathedral and cloisters, the historic remnants of Via Domitia and the Canal du Midi as once the backbone to the town’s commerce and now a beautifully maintained waterway thriving with tourist-driven business! We had a lovely lunch at l’Estagnol in Narbonne – a charming restaurant specializing in seafood with excellent service. We had a 500ml of the Roque Sestière Carte Noire 2008. Racier, but still refreshing and well made.

After lunch, we felt like checking out the beaches along this stretch. To get to the beaches, we drove through the winemaking region of La Clape. The sight of the limestone promontory of La Clape was stunning. The soil consists mainly of limestone with red clay and gravel. La Clape is a sub-regional appellation in the Coteaux du Languedoc and there are strict regulations to ensure the quality of its wine. For example, the vines need to be a minimum of 5 years old before qualifying for this appellation. For reds, at least 70% of the assemblage needs to come from the cépages améliorateurs, ie. Grenache, Syrah and Mourvèdre, with a minimum of 20% Grenache. For whites, there must be a minimum of 40% Bourboulenc, with Grenache Blanc, Clairette, Picpoul and lots others making up the cocktail. The whites are minerally and dry and they claim to taste of the sea and the limestone! We can’t wait to try a bottle from this region! The meandering roads slowly led us down the hills to the beaches of Narbonne and Gruisson. Narbonne Plage had a very familiar English feel to it, almost Brighton like! Gruisson seemed like a nice little town with a few beaches…but apparently the best beach was actually in the étang, not right by the sea.

In the evening we just strolled into La Cité and tried out the restaurant called La Courtine. A simple meal of salad and l’entrecôte and frites . And to wash it down, we had a bottle of Castelmaure Grande Cuvée 2007 (AOC Corbières). It was just perfect with the bistro food, a deep ruby colour, medium body, firm tannins, good acidity, plenty of black fruits, spice and the garrigue herbal notes. A less complex wine than the others we tried on the trip, but still a good example from the region!

18 May 2010: We drove to Pézenas, crossing country from the Minervois appellation to the Coteaux du Languedoc appellation. A pretty town, with a more gentrified feel to it. Then we went to see Sète and Marseillan. Marseillan is where the Pourcel brothers have opened a restaurant at the port – Le Château du Port. Sounds promising!

For the evening, we had dinner at Le Parq by Franck Putelat. The Chemin des Anglais was not so clearly marked but we got there in the end. It’s definitely a restaurant going from 1 to 2 stars. We were really impressed by the food, ambiance, knowledge of the staff and professional service. The décor was modern and had we gotten there a bit earlier (instead of getting rather confused by the roads), we could have taken our aperitif on the terrace. Richard not knowingly ordered 2 main courses and a dessert – so we were rather well fed! Again we started with the Roque Sestière Vieilles Vignes 2008 (apart from it being a good minerally wine, with body and good acidity, it was a rather good size at 500 ml). The pre-starter was excellent – served in a fake egg-shell was a mélange of egg yolk and caramelized onions. Richard’s starter (or rather first main course) was the lobster with white asparagus and giant morels, all cooked in vin jaune. I had a spider crab with carrot mousse and foam. Very well executed dishes! Then he had the award-winning Bocuse d’Or beef dish, cuisson “bleu”! I had the Saint Pierre, dusted with wasabi breadcrumbs, with scallop cannelloni, fava beans and overly salty girolles. Our red wine was Franck Avéla Théodore 2005 (he declassed it from AOC St Chinian to Vin de Pays de l’Hérault from vintage of 2003 or 2004 – cannot remember exactly). Website (what I found anyway!): http://www.domaineavela.com/. A blend of Syrah, Grenache, Carignan and Cinsault, including some very old vines from 1911 plantings. Yields are kept low, highest being 18 hl/ha. A deep colour and a rich concentrated full-bodied wine with plenty of elegance. Spicy, herbal (eucalyptus), and minerally, with red cherries, blueberries, figs. Medium (+) acidity, medium level of firm tannins, and a very long finish. Very excellent recommendation by Thomas the sommelier.

19 May 2010: We made a quick stop at La Livinière (amongst vines) for our picnic of fresh campagne bread, the most delicious brie de Meaux and a tranche of mild creamy and nutty Aubrac that we picked up in the morning from La Ferme, probably my favourite shop in Carcassonne. We then drove to Fontjoncouse where L’Auberge du Vieux Puits (http://www.aubergeduvieuxpuits.fr/), the only 2010 addition to the prestigious league of 3 Michelin starred restaurants in France, is situated. And the village is probably very thankful to Gilles Goujon, the chef and proprietor – Fontconjouse otherwise is a hamlet in the heart of wild and hilly Corbières, full of derelict houses, and most of them seem to have a “For Sale” sign! A true 3 star restaurant! The amuse-bouche of poached oyster from La Rochelle on a puree of spinach, with a sauce made with brine and oyster jus, was just perfect. This amuse-bouche went so well with our Château de La Negly La Brise Marine 2009 (AC Coteaux du Languedoc – the vineyards are in the La Clape region) – a light-bodied wine that tasted as the name suggests, reminiscent of marine, mineral, citrus fruits, herbal and chamomile. Crisp acidity and a medium finish. Then Richard had the starter of egg with truffle (and lots of it – the centre piece of sliced truffle, topped with a poached egg filled with truffled yolk (the maître d’ invited Richard to cut open the egg and out flowed what looked like rotten yolk! The chef’s joke!), ladled with a sabayon of truffle sauce; to its right, a stylish helping of truffle cappuccino and to its left, a truffled brioche!). Richard’s words: “Simply outstanding!” I watched, fascinated! While we waited for Richard’s pork to be cooked, we tried the already decanted Domaine Gauby La Muntada 2000 (AC Côtes du Roussillon Villages). (Website: http://www.domainegauby.fr/) What an impressive wine it was! 45% Carignan of over 120 years old, 45% Grenache around 50 years old, 5% Mourvèdre of around 20 years old and 5% Syrah of around 15 years old. Extremely low yields of 20 hl/ha and 30 months of elevage in a mix of foudres and barriques. An elegant medium-full bodied wine, with length, finesse, richness and complexity. The sommelier told us about a special cuvée that Gérard is about to launch – still in cask at the moment. The first vintage will be 2008 – based on very old Grenache and in a pinoté style, only 600 bottles! Apparently Gérard enjoys working with Stockinger casks from Australia (will do more research)! Richard’s pork finally arrived (almost 11 pm!), as well as my rather pink pigeon. The main courses were perhaps slightly less interesting than the starter and amuse-bouche. Well-fed, and very satisfied with the 2000 Gauby, we left, in anticipation of our next meal at the restaurant – the following day!

20 May 2010: A slow start. It’s been a very hectic trip and we decided to take it easy in the morning. The wind is showing no signs of attenuation! Just perfect for me to catch up on my blog.
We drove to Lézignan-Corbières to try out the local fitness centre and then we decided to drive to Lagrasse where L’Abbaye de Lagrasse is for a slice of history and a small picnic. The abbey, Abbaye Sainte Marie d'Orbieu, dating back to the 8th century, with various improvements and repairs in the course of time, was a magnificent sight, built along the Orbieu river. La Cité Mediévale was also very interesting and one must not miss Les Halles and Le Vieux Pont. It was a beautiful setting and the wind seemed to have died down a bit and we were able to enjoy the warmth and the sun!

We drove back along the scenic route, through the villages of Talairan and Coustouge before arriving back in Fontjoncouse. All our neighbours had been profiting from the balmy afternoon sun!

Second dinner at L’Auberge du Vieux Puits. We were treated to an elaborate version of fava bean soup as amuse-bouche. Frédéric the sommelier with the rather infectious laugh, recommended us to try Consolation Juliette, Roussanne Sauvage 2009 (Vin de Pays de la Côte Vermeille). The wine was named Juliette after the winemaker’s daughter who has red hair (the pun being “roux” for red hair as in “Rous”-sanne). It was a really interesting wine, with a lot of minerality, at the same time a roundness and tamed richness, with notes of baked apples, pear drop, honey, brioche, spice, roasted nuts and vanilla. Careful use of new oak fermentation using wild yeasts and lees stirring produced a wine of such concentration, richness and yet minerality, with a backbone of medium acidity, and a very long finish. Very good recommendation indeed! Consolation is a joint venture between Englishman Andy Cook and Philippe Gard from Coume del Mas in Collioure. The range of wines changes from year to year, based on selection from the best sites. Each wine is produced in small quantities, 1 – 2 barrels. For Juliette, only 600 bottles were produced in 2009. We are becoming very convinced by the quality of white wines from this region. Given that they are currently priced much lower than the level for high quality village level Chassagne Montrachet or Meursault lieu dit, we are set to see very interesting developments amongst the white wine scene in this region! This went extremely well with Richard’s sole on a bed of violet potatoes with a caper relish and my seared scallops with seasonal asparagus and lemon confit from Menton!

After our main course, we moved to a concentrated, complex and elegant red wine, Château La Voulte Gasparets Cuvée Romain Pauc 2005, based on 50% Carignan (ranging from 45 to 115 years old vines), supported by 25% Grenache and 25% Mourvèdre, at very low yields of 25 hl/ha. Corbières-Boutenac appellation. Hand-picked grapes, fermentation in concrete and stainless steel, followed by 12 months ageing in oak barrels (20% new). The wine is named after the original founder of the estate, Monsieur Romain Pauc. Check out the website: http://www.lavoultegasparets.com/. Excellent example of wine from the region. Perfume of red fruits, red cherry, spice and vanilla. Medium acidity, medium body and medium tannins. Drinking well now and will continue to evolve over the next 5 – 6 years. It went very well with the Cantal and Salers. We also tried a couple of really tasty cheeses from the Pyrenees. Richard said he had to have the dessert and he went for a chocolate presentation. What a marvelous presentation! In Richard’s words, “coming here has restored his faith in the institution of 3Michelin-starred restaurants!” Well, perhaps not so dramatic, but certainly a very good meal and I feel very satisfied!

Off to Paris tomorrow. Sadly this wonderful holiday is coming to an end!

21 May 2010: The wind certainly died down and we had a most enjoyable drive to Toulouse-Blagnac airport. We landed in Paris and it was hot! So looking forward to drinks with Choo and John who live in Paris now and other friends, Mark, Liz and Richard.

Choo and John prepared this lovely Lirac white wine for us to try. It was called Cuvée Confidentielle by Château Saint-Roch (http://www.chateau-saint-roch.com/). We were really impressed by the balance between citrus fruit character, minerality, acidity and body/richness for this wine. 100% Clairette (including some very ancient vines). Hand-picked grapes are pressed before fermentation in barriques. Elevage is until May following harvest, with regular lees stirring.

We then went to dinner at a small one-chef restaurant in 5eme arrondissement called L’Agrume. The menu degustation was perfect. We started with a delicious crab and gazpacho dish, followed by an interesting dish of potatoes and white asparagus in a slightly piquant vinaigrette, followed by a perfectly cooked sole on a bed of petit pois and bacon, and then the main course was a piece of côte de boeuf cooked saignant, with anchovies and braised carrots. The dessert was a less plausible effort of slightly over-gelatined panna cotta and bruised strawberries. We shared a couple of bottles of Mas Bruguière L’Arbouse 2008 (AOC Coteaux du Languedoc; 55% Syrah and 45% Grenache) from Pic Saint Loup. 12 months in concrete tanks with 50% of the wine spending time in large oak casks. A medium-bodied wine, displaying the hallmarks of Pic Saint Loup: smooth, well-balanced and elegant, a nose of blueberries, liquorice, herbal and chocolate. Medium length finish. Drinking well now and will continue to evolve over next 2 – 3 years. Relatively complex, but not a wine for long ageing. A perfect wine to be shared with friends in bistro-esque settings. Check out the winemaker’s website: http://www.mas-bruguiere.com/. Just a quick word on the Pic Saint Loup appellation: it is a sub-regional appellation of the Coteaux du Languedoc (also doubles up as a communal appellation). A lot of effort has gone into improving the quality of wine from this now famous region. The terroir is mainly argilo-limestone, with very stony soils. The red wines must contain at least 90% of the cépages améliorateurs – Grenache, Syrah and Mourvèdre and the vines must be at least 6 years old. Other varieties would include Carignan and Cinsaut.

22 May 2010: What a beautiful day in Paris! Endless blue sky, balmy to hot temperatures, a light occasional breeze and happy but rather too many tourists and rugby fans! Luckily around 3:30 pm, they all got into their coaches to be taken to Stade de France for the European Rugby Cup final. A simple lunch at Café Flottes on Rue Cambon. Excellent Montagny by the glass and a couple of well-made salads. We wandered to check out the Bordeauxthèque at Galeries Lafayette. There was this amazing collection of first growth Bordeaux (they also included La Mission, Pétrus and Cheval Blanc) from numerous vintages. Very impressive! For the evening, we had a bit of drama about our dinner. First we got cheated by a taxi driver who claimed some minimum charge of EUR 6.40 (instead of the normal EUR 2.20) – he claimed it was the night charge but it was only 8:30 pm! For whatever reason, I was too lazy and timid to challenge him. Then came the real disaster! I thought I had confirmed my booking at Guy Savoy and moved it back half an hour. We then asked the concierge to call ahead to say we’re running late. The restaurant claimed that the concierge never called and they had given our table away. Furious and frustrated, we walked off to contemplate the challenge of finding a table for 2 on a Saturday night, at 9:30 pm! Well, we got back to the hotel and got out the Michelin guide. We managed to find a table at Alain Senderens! Yippie!

Definitely a first class act by the man who shocked the culinary world by denouncing the 3 stars for his restaurant at the pinnacle of his career so that he could focus on the cooking. The restaurant is now back at the 2-star level and the food every bit as good – the detail of the execution, the flavours, the presentation! The service was a little haphazard – I got fed up waiting for them to give us red wine glasses and decided to rinse out my white wine glass with water and poured red wine for myself! Richard followed suit. Nobody even noticed or commented! Quite bizarre! After two rather unsatisfactory half bottles of 2002 Chablis Bougros by William Fèvre (sort of madeirised), we switched to a half of 2004 Chassagne Montrachet Marquis de Laguiche by Drouhin, which was delicious. We had a really excellent 2002 Chambertin by Philippe Charlopin. Perfumed, elegant, a lot of focus on the length, the expression of the fruit and the acidity. It was more in the style of a Chambolle than a Chambertin. We liked it a lot and had a long chat with the sommelier who was really knowledgeable!

23 May 2010: Time to go home! Les Champs Elysées had been turned into a giant organic vegetable garden and animal farm over night! Quite amazing!

Sad to leave Paris basking in the sun, looking so magnificent! All in all, a great trip and a great discovery of the Languedoc region! Can’t wait to return!

Our highly recommended wines from Languedoc-Roussillon (minimum score 16/20)
Reds
2006 Château Massamier-La-Mignarde Domus Maximus, AOC Minervois La Livinère
2005 Domaine Franck Avéla Théodore, Vin de Pays de l’Hérault
2005 Domaine Alain Chabanon Les Boissières, AOC Coteaux du Languedoc
2005 Château La Voulte Gasparets Cuvée Romain Pauc, AOC Corbières-Boutenac
2000 Domaine Gauby La Muntanda, AOC Côtes du Roussilon Villages

2005 Château Cabezac Belvèze, AOC Minervois

Whites
2009 Consolation Juliette, Vin de Pays de La Côte Vermeille
2009 Château de La Negly La Brise Marine, AOC Coteaux du Languedoc
2008 Roque Sestière Vieilles Vignes, AOC Corbières