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100% Mauzac. Big bunches and big grapes, all hand picked. This is from a certified-organic vineyard on a low, south-facing slope and is picked very (unusually) ripe.
'Mauzac is difficult to vinify as an interesting still wine for the same reasons that make it such a good base for sparkling wines: high acidity and a fairly neutral taste' hence the extra ripeness and concentration they look for. Fermented and matured for six months in seasoned French oak barrels with batonnage twice a week.
The only 100% barrel-fermented Mauzac in the appellation. In handwritten script, the label bears an old Occitan proverb 'Nostra terra mentis pas' (our soil tells no lies). First made in 2002.
Lots of intensity! Perfumed, like burying your nose in yellow mimosa blossoms. Minerality and lemon citrus with honey-tinged saffron and acacia, gorse flowers and delicate spice. Quite defined texture, almost tactile. So unusual. Richly curved and creamy but finishing long and lifted and fine. I know I get a bit romantic, but sipping this is like turning the pages of an ancient story book complete with hand-painted pictures. I fell in love with this wine! 13.5%
jancisrobinson.com, May 2010
100% Mauzac in a dry style. Pear, apple and floral notes on both nose and palate. Barrel fermentation gives a smooth, round, supple texture. Dry finish.
James Lawther MWDecanter Magazine February 2011 "Top Dozen Languedoc"
Southern richness combined with the freshness of Limoux: great vivacity, with a delicate, almond finish.
The Great Wines of France
Winemaking
Mauzac is the indigenous grape variety of the South of France, widespread during the Renaissance but now existent in only 2 appellations. It is extremely difficult to vinify, and this is the only example of a 100% barrel-vinified mauzac there is. The grapes are harvested by hand, rigorously sorted, and pressed in under two hours of harvesting. Fermented and aged in seasoned oak barrels for 7 months. Batonnage twice weekly. This wine comes from a plateau high in the foothills of the Pyrenees, where the grapes were able to reach high maturity without losing their natural freshness. The harvest at Rives-Blanques is generally 3 later than the harvest in the plains of Languedoc, and the grapes for Cuvee Occitania are the last ones we harvest. The vineyard was in the first batch to be recognised by the French government for its environmentally responsible viticulture ('Agriculture Raisonne')
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Biodynamically produced
Organically produced
Vegetarian
Vegan
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