Julien Zernott and his wife, Delphine Rousseau took on the challenge of creating a “domaine” in the stony, hot, arid land of Pégairolles-de-l’Escalette – a tiny commune of 144 inhabitants in the Hérault, north and west of Montpellier. Julien, with his degrees in viticulture and oenology (as well as a track record of producing outstanding wines in the Loire appellation of Menetou-Salon), and his wife Delphine, a writer and champion of small-farm agriculture in the Languedoc, have built the domaine from small parcels of old-vine Grenache, Carignan, Syrah, and old plantings of Alicante, Carignan Blanc, and Terret.
The farming is organic, leaning towards bio-dynamic, and the fruit is hand-harvested and sorted.
The Le Grand Pas is dense with the flavors of its old-vine Carignan and Syrah. The wine has a polished, refined mouthfeel, rich, red-berry fruit, and a subtle spiciness. Perfect for roasts of lamb and beef.
Regional History
The Languedoc-Roussillon, on France’s Mediterranean coast, forms an arc beginning west of the Rhône to the Spanish border. France’s first vineyards were planted here in what is now Narbonne. By the late 1800s, the area produced 44% of France’s total output of wine. Greed (and the region’s relatively quick recovery from the devastation of phylloxera), transformed the region into a “wine lake,” known for producing huge amounts of thin wine-often pumped up with richer, imported wines from Algeria and southern Italy. In the 1970′s and early 1980′s, smaller, high-quality farms began producing substantial, traditional wines and the trend continues today. The appellation Côteaux du Languedoc covers a broad expanse of hills overlooking the Mediterranean. This wine comes from just east of Montpellier, an area known for fruit farming as well as wine.
Regional Foods
The marvelously varied cuisine of Provence and further south is defined – but not limited – by its geography. Proximity to the sea and the mountains often results in plates that combine fish and meat and produce, along with the ubiquitous olive tree.
Two classic regional dishes reflect this diversity: brandade melds salt cod, potatoes, garlic, olive oil and fresh cream; bouillabaisse brings together local fish such as racasse, langoustine, skate, and squid, plus sausages, served in saffron-scented stews.
Abundant game adorns restaurant menus: boar, duck, antelope, and rabbit (often as rillettes) are common plats du jour, and lamb in form of “la ficelle,” a leg hung by rope over an open flame.
Anchovies from the coast are eaten grilled and served with rosé.
The distinctive olive oils produced here are blended with fresh olives and herbs to make tapenade. Languedoc-Roussillon specifically supplies France with the first of the season’s peaches, cherries, and apricots.
© Moore Brothers Wine Company