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By Manos Angelakis

Vins du Roussillon

The wines of Roussillon owe their existence to ancient Greek merchants and sailors from Corinth that brought to their trade stations in the Catalan countryside cuttings of vines from the Eastern Mediterranean to create the first vineyards. Plantings of Moscato d’ Alessandria, Muscat à Petits Grains and Malvasia were later augmented with Grenache, Carignan and Macabeo from Aragon (Spain), and Cinsault, Syrah, Marsanne and Vermentino to create a thriving wine production now exported around the world.

Depending on the production area – Côtes du Roussillon, Côtes de Roussillon Villages, Collioure, Maury, Banyuls and Rivesaltes – the terroir dictates the grape varieties planted, with dry reds dominating some, while others create a variety of full bodied dry reds, dry whites and rosés and still others are dominated by aromatic, sweet whites and a few, very distinct, sweet reds (Banyuls Grand Cru). The grape-growing area is bordered by the Mediterranean in the East and tall mountains in the west.  

Vine growing is essentially a family business. The area’s small vineyards have shrunk in size through the years because of the inheritance laws and there are now approximately 4,500 full time grape growers, averaging 9 hectares each. Co-operatives began in 1907 and are presently handling 75% of the wine production.  

At a recent tasting I was enthralled by the mellow, aromatic sweet wines I tasted. Yes, there were numerous nice dry reds and whites in the tasting, but the highlights belong to the sweet, fortified wines - Vins Doux Naturels – that many Roussillon vineyards still produce.

To my taste the best was from Arnaud de Villeneuve, the 1969 Vieux Millésimes Rivesaltes Ambré Hors d’ Age, a wine that unfortunately is not officially imported in the US yet. Bottled in a very distinct rhomboid decanter with a gold vintage date, it has a color that is a medium teak, with orange/brown highlights. The palate is highly nuanced and textured, with floral and tropical flower notes predominating, especially honeysuckle and frangipani. The nose is redolent with fruitcake, honey, spice, and cigarbox aromas. From the same producer, the 2009 Muscat de Riversaltes was a fruity, amber-colored wine that would pair very well with foie gras. There were many other wines in their portfolio, both dry reds and dry whites, but their sweet wine palette was truly exceptional.

Domaine Madeloc showed the 2008 Banyuls Cirera, a lovely Grenache Noir based wine from grapes grown in a poor, acidy soil, in a hot, sunny climate, with the wine matured in large casks for more than a year.

Château Dona Baissas showed a number of nice dry reds from Côtes du Roussillon, especially the ones from old vines (vieilles vignes). But they showed four exceptional Rivesaltes Ambré Muscats that have a deep golden color with lots of glycerol, with fruitcake, honey and spice nose and a sweet palate that ends in a long finish with considerable acidity. Their Horse d’ Age Sweet Emotion was an especially delectable seductive wine.

Arcadie, showed an off-dry Méthode Traditionelle 2007 sparkler created from a blend of Carignan Blanc and Carignan Gris from 50 year old vines.

Domaine Montana showed a number of interesting dry blends, mostly Syrah/Grenache or Merlot/Cabernet Sauvignon or Grenache Blanc/Grenache Noir and even Carignan/Syrah/Grenache. They also exhibited an 100% Grenache, Le Sweet de Montana, that was fresh, light mahogany-colored and red fruit-scented.

Domaine Rière Cadène, showed a number of both white and red dry cuvees from traditional Roussillon varietals. But the 2010 Muscat de Rivesaltes blanc was a real charmer made from a blend of Muscat d’ Alessandria and Muscat á Petits Grains that had a wonderful nose of white flowers and citrus fruit.

There were a number of other exhibitors and all showed appealing wines but the above were the ones I found the most interesting. 

To your health!

Editor’s Note: In our very busy lifestyles, few individuals have the time or budget to personally taste and evaluate the thousands of wines a typical wine merchant offers or has access to every year. By necessity therefore, people look to us, the “professionals”, to guide them in their selections. Professionally evaluating wines is a very subjective exercise. Each critic’s personal preferences and prejudices play a major factor in their recommendations. We at The Oenophile Blog, taste wines every day and describe them in our stories. These suggestions are only a starting point for you, the consumer. Ultimately, it is your decision to either purchase or not our recommendations.

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