Fenouilledes Wines Show Their Stuff

The wines of Roussillon continue to impress. When I first wrote about the region in 2003-2004, very few Americans were aware of the wine quality, although Brits like Jancis Robinson and Tim Atkin had been on to it for a while.

It seems that it’s just getting better. I was at a tasting last week organized by vins-fenouilledes.com of wines from the Fenouilledes region of Roussillon, and the quality was amazing, especially the white wines. Winemakers in the region have really tapped into the strengths of the Macabeu, a grape used in Spanish Catalonia for cava production.

Here, there is the occasional varietal bottling, often in a vin doux, but the grape works very well in blending with Grenache Blanc and Grenache Gris. The higher acidity and floral quality of the Macabeu add a brightness to the blend that keeps me reaching for another glass.

The red wines, typically a blend of Grenache, Carignan and Syrah, I had expected to be outstanding, and they were.

I believe the wines of Roussillon are a true expression of origin, that leap from vineyard to bottle to glass that can be called terroir.

There isn’t time here for a complete report on the tasting, which included some 40 producers, each pouring several wines, but names to look for included:

Domaine de l'Ausseil , info@lausseil.com
Domaine Rousselin, domaineroussellin@yahoo.com
La Clos de l’Origine, closdelorigine@gmail.com
Camp Del Rock, phbotet@wanadoo.fr
Terres de Maliyce, corrine.soto@packsurfwifi.com
Mas Mudigliza, masmudigliza@neuf.fr
Domaine des Soulanes, les.soulanes@wanadoo.fr
Les Clos Perdus, hugo@lesclosperdus.com
Domaine de l'Elephant, renaud.chastagnol@wanadoo.fr

For more information on the region check out www.vins-fenouilledes.com

Larry Walker