Château de Flaugergues Cuvée Sommelière Rouge 2012
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Cuvée Sommelière Rouge 2012
La Méjanelle
Languedoc France
65% Grenache Noir. 30% Syrah. 5% Mourvèdre.
Deep garnet/black in color with overtones of magenta, an immediate presence. Rich plum, cassis and spice on the nose with earthy fruits, bark and dark cocoa on the palate. Silky mouth feel the moment the juice touches the tongue, no doubt from the syrah. Blackberry and herbaceous spice follow. Given a little more time, hints of mossy forest floor along with plenty of acidity for a certain buoyancy. An elegant package bursting with vivacious, lush, saucy fruits and a spicy finish balanced beautifully with concentration and length. Terrific! 3-4 years resting in the bottle should bring it to full maturity.
I recently picked up a bottle of the 2012 in a moment of spontaneity, as I had much enjoyed previous vintages. I absolutely loved this one. Little did I know that mere weeks later I would be in a car with Pierre & Marie Colbert, owners of this historic Languedoc Estate, making our way up to Belfast for the Easterly Wine Show! They were special guests that day, on hand and available to speak with buyers of the trade, mostly from the mid-coast region of Maine.
Marie & Pierre Colbert w/tasters at Easterly show, Belfast, ME |
Built in the countryside near the city of Montpellior in Mejanelle' (one of the twelve terroirs found in the Côteaux du Languedoc), Château de Flaugergues has been in the Colbert family since 1696. A stunning piece of historic architecture surrounded by gorgeous gardens and home to the Estate grown vineyards, as well as their restaurant, Folia. Grapevines and Olive trees were cultivated here over 2000 years ago by the Romans, and according to Pierre, the Languedoc is the first French area where wine was produced. Terroir consists of galets roulés, or 'les Grés', round pebbles or rocks with alluvial traces from deposits in the Rhone delta. These retain heat from the plentiful Mediterranean sun and release it at night. Vineyards also receive a distinctive Maritime influence, with cooling breezes.
In addition to grenache noir, syrah, mourvèdre, carignan, cinsault, merlot, cab sauvignon, grenache blanc, marsanne, roussanne, rolle and viognier, Pierre spoke of some new varietals they are working on with L'INRA - all vinifera crosses ... Marselan, Arinarnoa and Egiodola (Pays Basque) ... these will be small production wines. Stay tuned!
Jack Scully (Easterly Wine) w/Marie & Pierre Colbert (Flaugergues) |
Languedoc is near and dear to Pierre's heart. He states that while the Languedoc region has the largest area of vineyards, 250,000 - 300,000 hectares to Bordeaux's 100,000 and Champagne's 10,000 for example, it has a way to go to achieve the notoriety of these regions. It is I believe safe to say, that he would love his region to attain such value and worth. On the other hand, he is not bound by laws that hamper the creation of his wines. In Languedoc, Pierre envisions a new world style, more progressive, less locked in to tradition and not reactive to the market. As he states "Bordeaux is in a straight jacket in terms of winemaking". In his words "tradition is dead". Instead he sees Change and Innovation as his challenging yet creative tools. I found his wines to have an exciting freshness of the new, with the old world pulsating at the heart. What better combination?
Also tasted at the Easterly show was Château de Flaugergues Languedoc Rose', 2014. Grenache Noir, Cinsault, Syrah. Light salmon chiffon in color with hints of wild strawberry blossoms on the nose. Round, lush, rich and clean on the palate, with purity of fruit. Just enough acidity for freshness. Creamy on the tongue. Delicious wild sweet berries. Acidity in back supporting all that luscious creaminess. Bracingly clean finish. 2-3 months on the lees and late bottled ... but not too late!
Château de Flaugergues Rose' 2014 |
If you're lucky enough to still find this, (hopefully more will be coming our way in June), try:
Treats, Wiscasset; Meridians, Fairfield
Blue Hill Wine Shop, Blue Hill
The Cuvée Sommelière Rouge 2012 can
be found in Portland at RSVP. Around $16/btl.
These wines are distributed in Maine by Easterly Wine in Belfast and imported by Ideal Wine & Spirits Co., Medford, MA
Tammy Scully (Easterly Wine, Belfast) |
Easterly Wine is a smaller distributor located in mid-coast Maine. You can trust theirs to be a selective, discerning palate, choosing uniques wines of excellent character. Founder Jack Scully is a true vanguard, bringing wine knowledge and great wines to Maine since 2001. His wife Tammy, with her excellent organizational savvy handles the business end. Their team is also extremely knowledgeable. They work with family owned/operated vineyards/wineries and truly know where the wines come from. For more information: 30 Washington St, Belfast, ME 04915. (207) 338-9917. In Maine, look for their label on the back of the bottle!