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North of Béziers I drove, through garrigue and undulating hills, though classic tree lined lanes that wound on forever, eventually I turned into another tree lined drive to face a fairy tale Château perched at the top of a small Puech (Languedocian for hill). The Château peered eagerly over the slopes of vines down to the Herault River, from which the region takes its name. I had already been sold on the wines and was at the château to make acquaintance with winemaker and family, with an excuse to taste through the wines once again.
Once introduced to M. and Mme Bernard and Beatrice Nivollet and M. François
Perez who make the wines at Blanville, I was taken around winery and
Château. The journey was not long; the Chateau was delightful and
quintessentially French and the winery small and very, very hands on!
Everything was on show and obvious to see - the most remarkable sight was
the large underground cellar where the wines are matured in racks of
bristling new French oak, to give them the creamy notes that we in the UK
crave - even the most inexpensive wines get a little time in oak to give
them structure and softness.
The lower end wines do have the ability to have the Vin de Pays d’Oc appellation but the Nivollet Family choose to give them the higher rank of |
Vin de Pays de la Vicomté d’Aumelas |
because of the specific soils of this very small region and particular micro climate that makes the wines so unique and special. The difference between the labels for Domaine and Château are the Domaine wines are on the lower slopes of the estate and the Château wines are the wines that actually touch the Château itself on the higher slopes. |
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Domaine Haut Blanville Merlot 2004 Vin de Pays de la Vicomté d’Aumelas £4.99
It has taken me a long time to find a Merlot that has the flavour of high quality wine at this price point from the Languedoc. The wine is oaked from its maturation in barrels and has a very serious edge to it, with a rich middle palate and the all illusive truffles and herb finish that I adore - topped off with a delicious waft of creamy oak. This effect has been achieved with the addition of a little Cinsault, giving the wine depth and suppleness along with a percentage of the wine being matured in new oak for 10 months. A lovely wine at a lovely price.
Domaine Haut Blanville Rosé 2005 Vin de Pays de la Vicomte d'Aumelas £4.99 Elegant soft and stylish, hints of asparagus and cabbage, vegetal notes with elegant redcurrant and bilberry fruit - please do not let this tasting note put you off, it has a lovely soft fruit character that shines through and the vegetal tasting note is quite appropriate and delicious - honest! A very full style of rosé.
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Domaine Haut Blanville Rive Gauche 2003 Vin de Pays de la Vicomte d'Aumelas £6.49
Classic forward fruit style, very approachable and the type of wow wine at a supper party - black cherry with strawberries and cream, with well integrated oak and elegant blackberry fruit - big wine akin to an Australian Shiraz but with much more class and ability to eat food with. The blend in this new world style wine is dominated by Cabernet Sauvignon 90% with small amounts of Merlot, Syrah and Carignan - an illegal Grape variety for AC in the Languedoc the Cabernet Sauvignon relegates this wine to a Vin de Pays even though the wine making is top notch - a bargain of a wine
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Domaine Haut Blanville Peyrals 2004 AC Coteaux du Languedoc £7.99
One of my favourites from the second trip to the Languedoc 2006, made from Syrah 80% and Grenache and in a less commercial style - much more funky and edgy which appeals to my slightly exhausted palate. Sweet blackberry fruit with strong herb flavours that rip out of the mid palate, leading to a classic new oak finish of cream and cedar wood yummy!
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Château Haut Blanville Clos des Cistes 2001 AC Coteaux du Languedoc £9.99
The Clos des Cistes wine from Blanville is the traditional style made at the estate incorporating 15% Carignan into the blend with Grenache 70%, Syrah 15%. A full bodied wine with the unmistakeable punch of Grenache grape variety, and lovely finish of redcurrant and coffee. A superb food wine, with lilting garrigue flavours (the heather strewn moor land of the Camargue region) but without so much of the white pepper feel that Syrah can bring to the wine.
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Château Haut Blanville Grande Cuvee 2003 AC Coteaux du Languedoc £10.99
Château Haut Blanville Grande Cuvee 2003 AC Coteaux du Languedoc Magnum £22.99
The Grand cuvée is the wine that impresses, a big voluptuous wine with
sweeping fruit and well-integrated, yet big, new oak. Dominated by the Syrah
grape variety 98%) the wine has a powerful middle palate, with touches of
herbaceousness and a sprinkling of white pepper pulled together by the new
world style oaking. Powerful blackberry middle palate and a luscious finish
make this wine a must try.
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Pictured above is Beatrice showing me (Floyd) around the cellar February 2006 |
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