Limoux – Cabardès

Where Mediterranean meets Atlantic

Close to the dividing line between oceans separating the Atlantic side from the Mediterranean, there’s a spot where Bordeaux, Burgundy and Rhone grape varieties live side by side. Portrait of a grape-growing Eden.

When you think about wines from the South of France, the first images that spring to mind are sun, beaches, bullfighting and rugby. And it’s true: they do produce, down there in the Languedoc-Roussillon stretching from Nîmes to Perpignan, red wines full of sunshine, full-bodied and warm like celebrations after the whistle; and powerful enough to stand up to bull stew. But if you venture further inland, if you follow the Aude upriver beyond the Medieval City of Carcassonne; you’ll soon notice this region and its wines have a lot more to them than they’ll readily admit to seaside holidaymakers.

Those Cathar castles aren’t the only ones to rise up against and defy the status quo. The vineyards also climb up as far as the Pyrenees foothills and the Montagne Noire. Up here, they have the advantage of cool nights typical of vineyards at altitude as well as ocean winds that, after breezing through Bordeaux then Toulouse, end up here. I.e. very close to the dividing line between oceans, marking the point where rivers flow back into the Atlantic on one side and the Mediterranean on the other. Geological and climatic conditions like this are both a curse and a blessing for winegrowers, as the price of having wines with unique character is having to watch over them very carefully. They don’t make wine on the off-chance here, wines like ‘every other Tom, Dick and Harry’. And even if it wasn’t always like this, the combination of experience on the ground and outside knowledge from Bordeaux and Burgundy has gradually allowed wines to emerge, which wine lovers are now tracking down with mouths and ears wide open.

A little bit of Burgundy in the Pyrenees foothills

The south of France’s most atypical vineyards are without doubt in Limoux. Indeed, how do you make sparkling wine here, even though Champagne folk claim that you can only get fine delicate grapes when grown in a northerly location? The answer is obviously altitude, as well as a variety whose natural crispness lends itself to this type of winemaking: Mauzac, which the locals call “Blanquette” thanks to the fine white down that covers its leaves. This sparkling wine territory within red wine country is also able to produce some fine white wines, a quality demonstrated by Jean-Louis Denois at the outset of the 80s. This son and grandson of Champagne growers who trained in Burgundy came - after stints in California, Australia, New-Zealand and South Africa – and settled in the Haute Vallée de l’Aude to set up Domaine de l’Aigle and innovate by planting Chardonnay and Pinot Noir from Burgundy. The right move since, ten years later, one of his Chardonnays was to be ranked among France’s 80 best classic white wines by James Turbull in his book Great wines from France. The estate, originally sold on to Burgundy house Antonin Rodet then Gérard Bertrand from the Languedoc, is still proving how suitable this terroir at 450 metres altitude is to its varieties, since their 2007 Aigle Noir wine was ranked as the best French Pinot Noir and third international Pinot Noir in the Mondial du Pinot Noir competition 2008, which took place in Sierre, Switzerland.

Mouton Rothschild takes a gamble on the South

The planting spree of northern varieties in the Limoux region has since resumed on a larger scale. The Sieur d’Arques co-op cellar is at the forefront of this policy. Firstly, by actively campaigning for the introduction of Chardonnay on the authorised varieties’ list for making white AOC Limoux wines, achieved in 1993. Then by working on defining four homogenous vineyard sites suited to producing Chardonnay. Consequently, Sieur d’Arques has been selling Chardonnays called Terroir Méditerranéen, Terroir Océanique, Terroir d’Autan and Terroir de Haute Vallée for the past twenty years. So, every wine lover should find a Chardonnay to their liking or that goes well with a meal; from the rich Mediterranean Chardonnay up to the Upper Valley Chardonnay, more restrained when young but superbly elegant after lying it down five or six years. These wines are the centrepiece of an annual auction christened Toques et Clochers, sponsored by a leading chef (a ‘toque’) with the proceeds going towards restoring the clock tower in one of the region’s villages. It pulls in not only many French restaurateurs and wine merchants, but also buyers from around the world who know the Chardonnays from here are worthy of the best restaurant lists. As success breeds success, the young Australian winemakers Nigel Sneyd and Nerida Abbott came and set up shop in Limoux in 1996 and created the Abbott’s label. But the most symbolic investment came from a woman from Bordeaux, Baroness Philippine de Rothschild, who took over Domaine de Lambert in 1998 and turned it into Domaine de Baron'Arques.

Why choose between Syrah and Cabernet?

The most interesting aspect of the owner of château Mouton Rothschild’s approach is her decision to produce just red wine from Baron’Arques’ 47 hectares of vines. And not a Bordeaux-styled wine but a savvy marriage of Atlantic (Cabernet-Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot) and Mediterranean varieties (Syrah, Grenache), a recipe officially sanctioned in 2003 by new rules establishing AOC Limoux for reds. This bringing together of, in theory, opposing grape varieties is the trademark for wines from AOC Cabardès on the other side of the river Aude. It’s ironic, by the way, to note that it’s undoubtedly here in this little French region where they’ve managed to get closest to the kind of balance much sought-after by the New World, between their Cabernets’ intense liquorice characters and Syrah’s amazing peppery floral aromas and flavours. Probably because this marriage wasn’t really sought out but imposed itself thanks to the damned “terroir” bringing the East and West winds together. Cabardès wines throw you in a blind tasting, as wine enthusiasts don’t know if it’s an extra fleshy Bordeaux or Languedoc with firmer structure. One thing’s for sure, their reputation is gaining ground. You naturally think of Château de Pennautier, known for both its 17^th-Century building listed as a historical monument and wines made by the de Lorgeril family. But the entire vineyard area is just waiting to be discovered starting with Domaine Ventenac, 90 hectares farmed sustainably by the Maurel family.

These two appellations’ varietal repertoire is impressive if you relate it to the size of the vineyard area, 2000 ha for Limoux and 700 ha for Cabardès. And yet nobody can claim one of them is usurping the other. From Chardonnay to Mauzac, Chenin to Viognier, Merlot to Grenache or Cabernet to Syrah; each vine finds the right soil, exposure to the wind or altitude that suits it best. It’s then up to the winegrowers to know how to play these instruments!

Thomas Gueller

Little selection of wines we like

Domaine de l’Aigle – Vin de pays d’Oc Pinot noir 2007

The original benchmark Chardonnay and Pinot Noir has maintained its standing under the leadership of wine magnate Gérard Bertrand, with this supple fruity wine despite being aged in oak barrels.

Abbotts cuvée Zéphyr – Limoux chardonnay 2007

A Limoux Chardonnay that, like the zephyr, blows hot and cold; representative of the two sites it comes from, which have given it a nose marked by fruity citrus notes and lively mineral mouthfeel.

Cave de Sieur d’Arques – Limoux chardonnay Haute Vallée 2007

Lovely example of a structured pedigree Chardonnay, one of those for lying down and trying to forget how good it is to avoid the temptation of opening the bottle before it reaches its peak (now to 2017).

Domaine de Baron’Arques – red Limoux 2004

Bordeaux born and bred, same hybrid of Languedoc grapes and terrain; Domaine de Baron’Arques’ wines need time to open up. Especially, if like this one, they were matured in oak casks with 1/3 of them new barriques.

Château de Pennautier – Cabardès 2007

Nice colour, fruit, body… In short, pure pleasure. The best-known Cabardès is a point of reference you can relax with over a barbecue or Provencal beef stew with friends.

Mas Ventenac – Cabardès 2007

We like everything about the Maurel family: the dynamic son-in-law Olivier Ramé, father Alain Maurel’s expertise, their snazzy vins de pays based on Chardonnay or Syrah and, above all, this top of the range wine showing perfect balance between its Atlantic and Med influences.