History of Languedoc Roussillon wine
Languedoc Roussillon is the second oldest wine growing area in France.
For years, the region’s wines have been considered to be of a slightly lower quality than wines made in other parts of the country. However, since the 80s, it has seen a resurgence in popularity thanks to the arrival of new vignerons who saw the area’s potential and its enormous amount of old vineyards as well as the richness and diversity of the land. Most work organically or biodynamically and many produce natural wines or without wine additives.
It is worth noting that the Blanquette de Limoux, a sparkling wine made in the French department of Aude, is considered the first sparkling wine in the world. It was invented by the Benedictine monks of Saint-Hilaire and the first production dates back to 1531.
Grape varieties
The most common white varieties are:
Bourboulenc, Chardonnay, Chenin blanc, Clairette, Grenache Blanc, Macabeo, Marsanne, Mauzac, Piquepoul, Roussanne, Terret Blanc,
And the most common varieties used for reds and rosés are:
Cabernet franc, Cabernet sauvignon, Carignan, Cinsault, Cournoise, Fer Servadou, Grenache noir and Grenache Rosé, Lledoner pelut or Garnacha Peluda , Merlot, Mourvèdre or Monastrell , Picpoul, Syrah, Terret Noir.
Location, climate and soils
The Languedoc Roussillon region lies in the south of France bordering Catalonia and the Mediterranean Sea to the south. The terrain is undulating because of the nearby Pyrenees, and the vineyards can lie up to 800 metres above sea level.
The soils are very rich and diverse. There are vineyards planted on gravel terraces, with sandstone and clays, and calcareous, clayey, sandy, shale soils.
The climate is typically Mediterranean, it is the sunniest place in France and they have no issues with grape ripening as they do in some of the country’s more northern regions.
Languedoc Roussillon wine classification
Some of the wine from Languedoc Roussillon is table wine. However, there is also the VDQS Côtes de la Malepère and many wines classified as AOC (appellation d'origine contrôlée).
The Languedoc AOCs are:
Le Blanquette de Limoux, Blanquette de Limoux méthode ancestrale, Cabardès, Clairette de Bellegarde, Clairette du Languedoc, Corbières, Crémant de Limoux, Faugères, Fitou, Frontignan, Limoux, Minervois, Minervois - La Livinière, Muscat de Frontignan, Muscat de Lunel, Muscat de Mireval, Muscat de Saint-Jean-de-Minervois, Saint-Chinian, Vin de Frontignan and Coteaux du Languedoc talking about the area in general and then looking at the sub-regions: Cabrières, Grès de Montpellier, La Méjanelle, Saint-Christol, Vérargues, Saint-Drézéry, Saint-Georges-d'Orques, Saint-Saturnin, La Clape, Quatourze, Montpeyroux, Pic-Saint-Loup, Picpoul-de-Pinet.
The Roussillon AOCs are:
Banyuls, Banyuls grand cru, Banyuls grand cru Rancio, Banyuls Rancio, Collioure, Côtes du Roussillon, Côtes du Roussillon Les Aspres, Côtes du Roussillon Villages, Côtes du Roussillon Villages Caramany, Côtes du Roussillon Villages Latour de France, Côtes du Roussillon Villages Lesquer , Côtes du Roussillon Villages Tautavel, Grand Roussillon, Grand Roussillon Rancio, Maury, Maury Rancio, Muscat de Rivesaltes and Rivesaltes.
Some outstanding wineries in Languedoc Roussillon
Domaine des Amiel: a small winery run by two brothers, Aymeric and Jordan Amiel. They are based in the small town of Montblanc, between Narbonne and Montpellier. They ecologically and biodynamically cultivate their 10 hectares of vineyards and are certified for their work. They have chosen these methods to ensure their wines are the pure reflection of the terroir they come from.
Domaine Roc des Anges: a winery founded in 2001 by the couple Marjorie and Stéphane Gallet. This winery is currently considered one of the best in Languedoc Roussillon. They work biodynamically, their vineyards are very close to the sea, planted in clay-calcareous soils and they vinify without adding enological products to their wines to make sure they are a faithful expression of where they come from.
Clos du Rouge Gorge: a small winery founded in 2002 by the young vigneron Cyril Fhal. Cyril works his 6 hectares of very old vineyards. The strains are aged between 50 and 100 years old. He cultivates the vineyard biodynamically and vinifies with minimal intervention so that the grape and the terroir are fully and finely expressed.
Domaine Gauby: located about 20km north of Perpignan. This team works organically in the vineyard and in the winery and they have plots with vines aged up to 120 years old. The vineyards lie on steep, wild and mountainous terrain, with limestone, marl and slate soils.
Les Enfants Sauvages: a small winery run by a German couple who fell in love with the south of France and decided to start their winemaking project in this region. They bought an estate with 8 hectares of vineyards with calcareous-clay soils surrounded by olive trees, almond trees, some fig trees and garrigue vegetation. They work with the highest level of respect for nature. The estate lies near the sea, about 5km from the coast, and they work all their plots manually and without using chemicals. In the winery, they use natural winemaking principles to get the full expression of the terroir.
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