Languedoc Selection, Autumn 2004

 

Chateau la Sauvageonne
Chateau la Sauvageonne

2002 "Les Ruffes" Coteaux du Languedoc

This is the winery's basic bottling, an unoaked blend of 40 percent Syrah, 30 percent Grenache, 15 percent Cinsaut and 15 percent Carignan. Dark cherry-red in colour, it offers rustic but appealing scents of plummy fruit and the "garrigues" herbal blend of Southern France. Sweet red-fruit and earth over crisp acidity and smooth tannins come together in what may be one of the best under £6.00 French reds on the market.

2002 "Pica Boca" Coteaux du Languedoc

A blend of Syrah (60 percent) and Grenache (40 percent), made half in tank and half in oak barrels, the wine is dark garnet, with perfumed and pleasantly peppery aromas leading to a mouth full of plummy, structured fruit.

2001"Puech de Glen" Coteaux du Languedoc

Deep and concentrated, pure black fruit, "sweet" and full, this prestige wine presents pure essence of fully ripened Syrah fruit.

 

 
   
Fred Brown, a York businessman, and his winemaker Gavin Crisfield searched Languedoc for two years before finally finding La Sauvageonne.
Languedoc was featured last month in our summer offer. We give no apologies for presenting another superb collection of southern French reds. The domaine is classified AOC Coteaux du Languedoc 'Terrasses du Larzac' and is situated 50km northwest of Montpellier and lies between Clermont l’Herault and Lodéve.

"Having searched for 18 months for the ideal terroir, it was clear from our very first visit that the potential for quality, at this domaine, was remarkable.

"The vines cover 32 hectares on a band of schist at an altitude of between 150 to 400m. A variety of well-exposed sites and the prevailing north westerly winds ensure that our vines reach perfect maturity with little risk of disease. The use of chemical herbicides is avoided and vine treatments are kept to the minimum. We work the land and vines as much as possible by hand, with meticulous shoot and grape selection.

"This aids the phenolic ripening of the grapes and reduces the use of fungicides. Harvest is carried out between early September and late October; all parcels are harvested by hand and vinified separately; picking dates are determined by taste rather than analysis."Gavin Crisfield