Sommelier Wine Awards 2009: Rest of France

Plenty of bang for your buck in this go-ahead section, but the quality wasn’t just at the bottom end; the South of France delivered some excellent wines right the way through

For all the less-than glamorous title, there’s a vibrancy to this category that makes it one that’s well worth exploring, not least because a good number of the wines come from the South of France, and often have value for money hardwired into their genes.

Last year saw six wines Shortlisted and two Gold Listed. This year saw a major step up, with 13 wines on the Sommelier’s Shortlist and five making the Gold List. It made this one of the most impressive categories in the competition, and our judges were pleased with what they were getting.

Overall, the whites were (as you might expect) fairly erratic. There were a few fairly rough creations in amongst the diamonds – ‘just not very well made’, grumbled Tate Cateing’s Hamish Anderson – with the lighter, more aromatic style tending to perform best. Those that were picked out, however, really impressed. ‘They were really versatile, and would be especially good with oriental or lightly smoked dishes,’ said team leader and consultant Angela Reddin.

The reds were, overall, more consistent, with the tasters impressed with the strong variations in character and personality. This personality tended not to appear until the £7-8 level, though even at the cheaper end the tasters were happy with the £5 wines as simple by-the-glass options. Moreover, some of the top wines were absolutely outstanding.

‘The upper end was good winemaking and good grape-growing,’ said Tom Forrest of Vinopolis. ‘Almost winemaking as it used to be. It shows that if they put in the effort in the South of France, they can make damned good wines.’

Special congratulations, by the way, to Cazes, whose 2006 Canon du Marechal made the Shortlist last year, but whose 2008 went one better this year.

The reds would need a bit of hand selling, but not much. I’d be happy asking customers for the necessary money for these. Sarah Guignard, The French Table

GOLD LIST

Le Canon Du Marechal Muscat Viognier 2008, Cazes, Vin De Pays Des Cotes Catalanes
£5.80 @ Waverley TBS
Zesty fresh lime aromas overlaid with white peach, honeysuckle and apricots. Bold presence on the palate that becomes refreshing and slightly floral, with roses on the finish. ‘This would be good with any food with a fruit element to it,’ mused Angus McNab

D.A. Chardonnay Limoux 2007, Domaines Paul Mas, Languedoc
£7.90 @ Stratford’s Wine Agencies
A fair bit of oak on this one: vanilla, buttered toast and wet rope were some of the judges’ comments. ‘Lovely freshness and complexity, though,’ said Virgilio Gennaro. It scored highly with the tasters for its price and versatility.

Chateau Puysserguier St Chinian 2005, Les Vignerons De Puysserguier, St Chinian
£6.70 @ Mckinley Vintners
‘Fruit cake with black fruits, cumin and coriander,’ said Louise Gordon. Savoury richness appealed to the tasters, though its tightness meant it ideally needed a bit of time to open up.

Carignan 2006, Domaine St Croix, Corbieres
£13.78 @ Novum Wines
Fleshy red fruits (‘St Emilion style’, according to Roger Jones) with an attractive funky animal character. Fleshy, but dry, with firm tannins. Needs big food to tame it.

La Forge 2005, Gerard Bertrand, Corbieres Boutenac
£25.00 @ Les Caves De Pyrene
Deep and dense, with spicy liquorice and chocolate character, black fruit and a slightly earthy finish. ‘Great nose,’ said Nigel Lister, while taster after taster loved this wine’s class, poise and supreme dry-palated food friendliness.

SOMMELIER'S SHORTLIST

Domaine Des Pourthie Chardonnay 2007, Languedoc
£5.34 @ Hallgarten Druitt
Light nose of hay, meadow flowers, honeysuckle and Asian pear. ‘Some RS on the palate, but it works well,’ said Angela Reddin.

Laurent Miquel Prive Viognier 2007, Laurent Miquiel, Vin De Pays D’Oc
£8.00 @ HWCG Specialist
Restrained spicy nose, but the palate is attractive, building over time to show luscious passion fruit, melon and river stones. ‘Textured and well balanced,’ said Hamish Anderson.

L’Etoile De Begude Chardonnay 2006, Domaine Begude, Vin De Pays D’Oc
£11.67 @ Goedhuis & Co Ltd
Expressive peach and apricot nose, backed up by madeira cake. Ripe, intense stuff, that cruises effortlessly across the palate despite its big flavours.

Domaine De Bahourat Cabernet Sauvignon 2007, Boutinot, Rhone
£5.17 @ Boutinot Ltd
Juicy red fruits with some chocolate and spice providing an attractive counterpoint of bite. Honest, straightforward and great value.

Domaine Des Pourthie Cabernet Sauvignon 2007, Languedoc
£5.34 @ Hallgarten Druitt
Warm, slightly cooked raspberry and cherry fruits. Quite gentle, with some spiciness and soft tannins.

Robert Skalli Pinot Noir 2007, Robert Skalli, Vin De Pays De L’Ile De Beauté
£5.62 @ Wine Studio
Light red fruits, with a lick of oak. Sweet cherry and smoke. Reasonable complexity for the price. Would suit gastropubs.

Chateau Maurel 2006, Caves Languedoc Roussillon, Cabardes
£5.86 @ Corney & Barrow
Good depth and concentration of forest fruits, with spice, smokiness, lavender and firm tannins. Complex for the price.

Chateau Moureau 2007, Caves Languedoc Roussillon, AC Minervois
£5.88 @ Corney & Barrow
Earthy, peppery and quite rustic, with very dark concentrated fruit and some complexity. Ripe and juicy.

Chateau Paul Mas ‘Clos Des Mures’ 2007, Domaines Paul Mas, Languedoc
£8.45 @ Stratford’s Wine Agencies
Intense colour and intense black fruit, with plenty of spicy oak. This isn’t a shy wine, and with its big flavours and chunky tannins it’s a lot of vin for the price.

Laurent Miquel Saga Pegot 2006, Faugeres
£12.00 @ HWCG Specialist
Plenty of smoky-bacon brettiness here, which most of our panel liked. Extracted, velvety, voluptuous and powerful. ‘Savoury, rich and smoky,’ said Gal Zohar.

Cuvee Arthur 2005, Chateau Cabezac, AOC Minervois
£14.82 @ Just Great Wine
Real complexity here. Chocolate, plums and cedar, with figs and forest floor. Gripping acidity and a long finish. ‘Soft, elegant, beautiful warmth and an attractive finish,’ said Sarah Guignard.

Cigalus 2007, Gerard Bertrand, Vin De Pays D’Oc
£20.00 @ Les Caves De Pyrene
Cedary and slightly herbaceous but with plenty of fruit coiled in a tight ball behind it, this was loved by many of the tasters. ‘Rich and spicy – really good,’ said Samuel Walker. A toss up between this and La Forge for the Gold List. Unlucky to miss out.

Le Viala 2005, Gerard Bertrand, Minervois La Liviniere
£25.00 @ Les Caves De Pyrene
Big rounded loganberry/wild strawberry and floral nose, with a sweet dollop of vanilla from the accompanying oak. A bit of pencil shaving on the palate. Big and chunky – it needs time, probably.

Usually you’d think of this as being a hunting ground for lower-end wines, but in fact it delivered right the way through. The top-end stuff was really very good. Gal Zohar, L’Anima Restaurant

Key to colours: Green = white wine; Red = red wine

Editorial feature from the Sommelier Wine Awards 2009.

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