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Côtes de Gascogne Domaine du Chateau Larroque 2022 DE
Tasting Notes: This beautiful Côtes de Gascogne coats the glass with its deep garnet color, like a young Libournais Bordeaux, and the nose unfurls gradually with aromas of ripe black cherries, c... assis, crushed violets, and what I imagine chocolate covered black currants would smell like, alternating with crushed violets, and fresh garden sage, as the nose evolves in the glass. On the palate, the wine is juicy, supple, and concentrated, with clean precise black and red berry flavors that echo the nose, all seasoned with fresh white tobacco, grated nutmeg, cardamom, and raw carob beans, elegantly punctuated by silky, ripe, fine-grained tannins. Maybe the most elegantly structured wine ever at Château Larroque. Drink now–2030. Read More
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There are five hectares of vines (along with seventy-five hectares of cereals, sunflowers, and pasturage) at this ancient polyculture farm in Sainte Christie, in the heart of Armagnac country. Pascal Bozzi renovated the original sixteenth-century cellar fifteen years ago, and with the help of his enologist cousin Stéphane Beuret, grows about 2000 cases of the most elegant red wine in all of the Côtes de Gascogne. Stéphane Beuret is best known for his work at the University of Bordeaux, where he won the Conseil Interprofessionnel du Vin de Bordeaux Grand Prix in 1998, and we know him as the consulting enologist at Château Brûlesécaille, one of our favorite estates in the Côtes de Bourg. His meticulous cellar work at Château Larroque, which includes aging the wine for twelve months in a mix of used barrels that he now buys from his best clients in Bordeaux, along with Pascal’s impeccable organic farming (manure from his own Aubrac beef cattle enriches the compost), results in a unique red wine that puts many more expensive Bordeaux to shame.
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Viticulture in the Southwest of France was initially established by Phocaean traders and certainly expanded under Roman occupation. The region's network of rivers made it possible to transport its wines to distant markets and by the 2nd Century AD, wines from the Southwest were the most highly prized in Europe. The vine louse, phylloxera, literally wiped out the vineyards and the 2000 year-old traditions of the region. A renaissance that began in the 1950s continues to this day as enthusiastic growers and a new generation of winemakers reestablish the ancient vineyards. Appellation Côtes de Gascogne red wines perfectly addresses the local diet, which is high in fat - indeed, the initial studies finding a correlation between low cholesterol and red wine-drinking were done in this region. The rarer white wines, are generally, soft, and aromatic, pairing with the local cheeses.
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A Basque and Gascogne specialty, many wines in the southwest of France include the Tannat in their appellations. Most famous are the wines of Madiran and Irouléguy. The grape's dark color and high concentration of tannins made it a perfect wine to accompany the dense, fatty foods of the region. Tannat requires careful farming to produce wines that showcase more of its fruit, and to achieve physiological ripeness of the tannins.
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Fatty grilled ribeye steaks, as well as slowly braised beef with root vegetables are perfect for this wine. Duck roasts or seared duck breast are also recommended.
