côtes du roussillon grenache mas amiel 2007
ByOlivier Decelle purchased Mas Amiel in 1997. His artisan sensibility and meticulous approach to biodynamic farming have brought new appreciation to a declining appellation – known almost exclusively for late-harvest, fortified red wine.
Maury’s extreme climate (hot, arid summers and cold, harsh winters) lends itself to biodynamic techniques; ripeness and intensity are easy to achieve, finesse and backbone much harder. Grenache – from hand-harvested, old vine fruit, vinified entirely in stainless steel tanks – is one of Olivier’s dry Roussillion wines.
Bold, primary, red-berry fruit, and high-toned cinnamon and nutmeg spice are balanced by a robust, fleshy mouth-feel. Excellent with Provençal rabbit and Ratatouille.
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 1970s and early 1980s, smaller, high quality farms began producing substantial, traditional wines and the trend continues today.
Appellation Côtes du Roussillon covers an area rich in Spanish influence – the Catalan culture running parallel with the French from Nîmes to south of Barcelona.
The hot, wind-blown, sun-drenched climate and harsh soils are ideal for olives, vines and little else. Maury, where this wine is grown, is the remotest portion of this already remote region located 20 miles northwest of Perpignan.
Regional Foods
Perpignan and the small towns to the south are distinctly Catalan in their culture – natives still speak the Catalan dialect, signs are posted in French, Spanish, and Catalan, and the pungent, salty food often combines meat and fish-typical dishes include lamb with cuttlefish, and paella.
Excellent produce, proximity to the sea for fish, olives and olive oil, hot pepper, local tomatoes, oranges and garlic are some of the ingredients typically grown in the region.
The many styles of wine produced here are indicative of the broad variety of foods available. Muscat Rivesaltes, is the local aperitif, drunk chilled. Rosés accompany the langoustine and even lighter meat dishes. The powerfully flavored red wines accompany everything from paella to lamb. The local sheep milk cheeses, foie gras, and Roquefort are served with the delicious, sweet wines of Maury, Banyuls and Rivesaltes.
© 2008 Moore Brothers Wine Company