Country: | France |
Region: | Languedoc |
Winery: | Mas des Capitelles |
Grape Type: | Mourvedre |
Organic: | Yes |
Vintage: | 2018 |
Bottle Size: | 750 ml |
Mas des Capitelles Faugeres Vieilles Vignes is made from 50% Mourvedre, 25% Carignan and 25% Syrah
Deep inky color in the glass. Aromas of raspberry, cherry and hints of vanilla round out the nose. Medium to full-bodied and very well structured with ripe chewy tannins. Flavors of peppery humus, cherry and hints of leather flow towards a lengthy & spicy finish.
Manual harvest.
Unfiltered and minimum use of SO2.
Long vating 30 days
Average yield is 25 hl/ha.
The Carignan vines are 80 years old in average.
Delicious with lamb and grilled vegetable.
Mas des Capitelles Vintage Faugeres 40% Old Vines Carignan, 30% Mourvedre and 30% Grenache
No oak.
This wine has a purple intense color.
Aromas are reminicent of Mediterranean character with blackberry, garrigue, thyme and some herbal spice.
The mouthfeel is rich and fresh with some mintiness and a great length to the finish.
We called this new cuvée "Vintage" because this wine represents for us both tradition and modernity.
Tradition because in French, this term is used to designate old products having a style and excellent quality.
Modernity because we also wanted an international name, open to the world and understood by all wine lovers.
"La Catiede" is the name of the "Lieu-dit" where the vines are planted. It has been in the Laugé family for many generations and naming a Cuvée La Catiede represent the heritage and an hommage to their ancestors.
Grown on Schist soilsThe Carignan and the Mourvedre are aged in French Oak barrels for 24 months.
Minimum use of Sulfites
Traditional vinification with 30 days skin contact maceration.
The Grenache was vinified with delicacy, the Mourvèdre was harvested at optimum maturity and the Carignan was selected from our oldest vines
Average yield of 20 hl/ha.
Unfiltered wine
Pairs with delicious with lamb and grilled vegetables.
Review:
"The most expensive release in the 2015 Faugères Vintage, which comes from very old vine Carignan, Mourvèdre and Grenache, with the Carignan and Mourvèdre brought up barrel, and the Grenache all in tank. It shows some oak influence yet has wonderful fruit, notes of white flowers, vanilla, and pepper, medium to full body, and an elegant, seamless texture. Give bottles a year or so and it should keep nicely through 2025. It’s another beautiful wine from this estate."
- Jeb Dunnuck (March 27th 2019), 92 pts
Cazaux Vacqueyras Blanc Vieilles Vignes 50% Clairette, 30% Roussanne and 20% Viognier
The wine has a beautiful golden color.
The aromas are rich and
exotic with mango, almonds, toast, lemon, pineapple white flowers and
papaye. These aromas will develop to honey, butter and pear after ageing
for a few years.
The finish is long, citrusy and toasty.
Terroir: Slopes of sandy soil or grey limestone.
Yield: 25 -30 hl/ha
Age of the vines: 70 years old minimum. The oldest are around 90 years old.
The
grapes are pressed pneumatically after a few hours contact with the
skins.The must is kept at 20°c during the alcoholic fermentation to
optimise the aromas and respect the wine’s suppleness.
Barrel fermented an aged in 228-liter French Oak barrel for 12 months with regular stirrings of the lees.
MaloLactic Fermentation also in barrel.
Enjoy this wine with rich dish, river fish or poultry cooking in creamy sauce. Delicious with a mushroom risotto.
Review:
"Limpid yellow. A wild, expansive bouquet displays an array of citrus pith and pit fruits, succulent and (once-) illicit herbs, dried flowers and honey, along with a smoky mineral flourish the emerges with air. Stains the palate with juicy pear nectar, candied fennel, chamomile and bitter quinine flavors that take a sweeter turn on the back half. The impressively long, chewy, focused finish echoes the floral note and leaves a refreshingly bitter pear skin note behind. Color me impressed. I'd love to see this wine, when it gets bottled, up against some high-end Châteauneuf-du-Pape whites. Raised in barriques. - Josh Raynolds"
- Antonio Galloni's Vinous (February 2020), 92-93 pts
Cazaux Vacqueyras Blanc Vieilles Vignes 50% Clairette, 30% Roussanne and 20% Viognier
The wine has a beautiful golden color.
The aromas are rich and
exotic with mango, almonds, toast, lemon, pineapple white flowers and
papaye. These aromas will develop to honey, butter and pear after ageing
for a few years.
The finish is long, citrusy and toasty.
Terroir: Slopes of sandy soil or grey limestone.
Yield: 25 -30 hl/ha
Age of the vines: 70 years old minimum. The oldest are around 90 years old.
The
grapes are pressed pneumatically after a few hours contact with the
skins.The must is kept at 20°c during the alcoholic fermentation to
optimise the aromas and respect the wine’s suppleness.
Barrel fermented an aged in 228-liter French Oak barrel for 12 months with regular stirrings of the lees.
MaloLactic Fermentation also in barrel.
Enjoy this wine with rich dish, river fish or poultry cooking in creamy sauce. Delicious with a mushroom risotto.
SALE!
Patricia Raquin Chablis Vieilles Vignes is made from 100 percent Chardonnay.
Tasting Notes: Golden color with slight green hints. Very fresh nose with some white flower notes. Very light oak flavors on the finish with vanilla notes.
VINIFICATION: Alcohol fermentation in thermoregulated temperature (22°C) in stainless tank with fine lies remontage.
Very light filtration - vinification only with natural yeast (no yeast added). Aging in 500 liters barrels for 5 months.
VINEYARD: Kimerigian Marl
HARVEST: Harvest by hand.
Best over any white meat, fish and cheese. Also as pre dinner drink.
Xavier Vignon Cotes du Rhone Rouge Vieilles Vignes is made from 70% Grenache, 15% Mourvèdre and 15% Syrah
Grenaches are almost hundred years old, Mourvèdres more than 60 years old and Syrahs are 45 years old in average.
There's a spicy, green peppercorn edge to the Cotes du Rhone Vieilles Vignes. It's medium to full-bodied, with svelte, supple tannins and plenty of plummy fruit that exhibits more savory notes and spice on the long finish.
Pairs with grilled lamb ribs - braised beef - spicy pork chops.
Review:
"The 2017 Côtes du Rhône Cuvée Vieilles Vignes is a smoking good Côtes du Rhône and offers full-bodied aromas and flavors of blackberries, black raspberries, cassis, lavender, and flowers. It's rich and concentrated, yet also elegant, weightless, and layered, with notable complexity." - Jeb Dunnuck (August 2018), 91-93 pts
Mas des Capitelles Faugeres Vieilles Vignes is made from 50% Mourvedre, 25% Carignan and 25% Syrah
Deep inky color in the glass. Aromas of raspberry, cherry and hints of vanilla round out the nose. Medium to full-bodied and very well structured with ripe chewy tannins. Flavors of peppery humus, cherry and hints of leather flow towards a lengthy & spicy finish.
Manual harvest.
Unfiltered and minimum use of SO2.
Long vating 30 days
Average yield is 25 hl/ha.
The Carignan vines are 80 years old in average.
Delicious with lamb and grilled vegetable.
Review:
Even better, the 2016 Faugères Vieilles Vignes checks in as 50% Mourvèdre and 25% each of Carignan and Syrah, brought up in 80% tanks and 20% French oak. Deeper colored, with a powerful bouquet of dark fruits, plums, crushed rocks, and licorice, it hits the palate with medium to full-bodied richness, loads of fruit, a stacked mid-palate, and a great finish. It’s not the most elegant wine out there, but it has loads of character and is a joy to drink. Enjoy bottles over the coming 7-8 years. - Jeb Dunnuck 92 Points
The Mas des Capitelles Estate
Mas des Capitelles is a small family-owned Estate in the village of Faugères, located in the South-West of France. It is certified Organic and biodynamic. The Lauge's family is the current owner with 2 generation working together.
The Mas des Capitelles Vineyard
24 hectares (60 acres) of vineyard. Everything is planted on Schiste soils and manual harvested.
Bernardins Dry Muscat Dore des Bernardins is made from 100% white Muscat petit grains.
Doré des Bernardins is a dry white wine that is only produced in years when the Muscat à petit grains crop is large enough. Grapes are picked at the same ripeness level as for the Vin Doux Naturel. In contrast to Muscat de Beaumes de Venise, the fermentation isn’t stopped, giving a fruity dry wine with intense Muscat aromas.
Dry Muscat with a fruity, nice perfume, honeysuckle and melon aromas, lively rounded mouth-feel. Elegant, fresh and medium-bodied.
Situation
Spreads out over the south-east side of the Dentelles de Montmirail hills, in Beaumes de Venise in the southern part of the Rhone valley.
Terroir
On a poor sandy, hungry and arid soil consisting of tender limestone and gritty zones of sandy mollasse.
In the vineyard
The vineyards and their terroir are the essence of our wines. This is where everything starts and where we focus our efforts throughout the year. You can’t make great wine without great grapes.
The viticulture is essentially done by hand. Five people work full-time in the vineyards. They are supplemented by seasonal employees who work during bunch thinning and the harvest in order to bring out the very best in our vines. Working by hand and the attention each vine gets are fundamental. Pruning, de-budding, trellising, leaf removal and picking are thus carried out by hand with the utmost care.
We prepare the soil by using good old-fashioned ploughing. Organic compost is made from grape marc (the discarded stalks and skins).
As a way of protecting the plants, we only use phytosanitary products when necessary and within strict guidelines by staggering the treatments appropriately, to minimise the amount of chemicals used. We prefer to use as much as possible manual and organic techniques. Leaving natural grass cover, removing buds and leaves from the vines, preserving biodiversity around the vineyard: olive, almond and cypress trees, wild rosemary and capers.
Winemaking
Our Doré des Bernardins is a dry white wine that we only produce in years when the Muscat à petits grains crop is large enough. We pick the grapes at the same ripeness level as for the Vin Doux Naturel. In contrast to Muscat de Beaumes, the fermentation isn’t stopped, giving a fruity dry wine with intense Muscat aromas.
Nicely chilled, this dry white wine is great as an aperitif or with asparagus, seafood, king prawns, fish.
Roland Champion Champagne Blanc de Blancs NV is aged for minimum 30 months (the minimum for NV is 15 months). This cuvee is made from 100% Chardonnay and is produced from the free run juice only. The current release is the result of the blend of the 2005, the 2006 and the 2007 vintage.
Fresh and delicate, its fine bubbles and wide range of aromas will be perfect as an aperitif. This Champagne will also match very well with seafood and shellfish.
dosage : 8 grams per liter
ageing : 30 months on laths
Even if it doesn't say on the label, 100% of the production is RD (Recently Disgorged)
Total Production for this Cuvée : 1,500 cases (9 liter equivalent) per year
Reviews:
"(L40): Light yellow-gold. Musky pear and peach pit aromas are enlivened by notes of lemon zest and chalk. Weighty but energetic, offering powerful orchard fruit flavors and hints of candied fig and lemon curd. The pear skin quality comes back strong on the clinging finish. This powerful Champagne is definitely better suited for duty at the table than for serving by itself. - Josh Raynolds" - Antonio Galloni's Vinous (Dec 2012), 91 pts
- Roger VOSS"
Wine Enthusiast (December 1st 2019), 92 pts
"Golden yellow color. Lively, fruity, toasty leesy aromas of honeyed brioche and apple tart with a satiny, tangy, dry-yet-fruity medium body and a sleek, interesting, snappy lemon curd, nougat, and chalk finish with silky, soft, fruit tannins. A classic example of blanc de blanc champagne, delicious."
- Beverage Testing institute , 93 pts
"Spiced with ground anise and ginger accents, this offers notes of poached pear, lemon meringue pie, hazelnut and stony mineral. Very elegant and well-meshed throughout, with a silky finish. Tasted twice, with consistent notes. 1,500 cases made. –AN"
- Wine Spectator 92 pts
"This cuvée made from 100% Chardonnay offers a fresh aromatic nose of light toast, dried yellow fruit and nuances of yeast. On the palate it has a creamy mouth feel of toasted nuts and rich autolytic notes. This is a beautiful wine, rich and complex."
International Wine review 92+ pts
"Small grower. Autumn fruits dominate the aromas of this wine, which is blatantly more like a wine than we normally expect a champagne to be. Some may find that unexpected and even off-putting, while others will find it intriguingly delicious."
- Washington Post - EXCELLENT
"Roland Champion is a small family-owned producer, now with the fourth generation, in the village of Chouilly (”shoo-ee”), which has only Grand Cru vineyards. Made from 100 percent chardonnay grapes, this Champagne offers ethereal grace and poise and harmony; if I were fighting a duel tonight, I would ask for this Champagne as my last beverage. The nose here is about the richness of warm biscuits and hazelnuts, dried fruit and spice, like a Platonic, ineffably light fruitcake; in the mouth, however, it’s about a structure that encompasses an incredible marriage of power and elegance, like the delicacy and strength of the finest bone china. And there’s something porcelain-like about this Champagne, in its notable crisp, lively character, its transparency and its slightly chalky, shale-like mineral elements. Forget the Champagnes that come on with heavy toasty, caramel qualities; here, instead, is a wealth of subtlety and nuance touched with a racy, dynamic edge. Exceptional."
Biggerthanyourhead.net
Domaine de l'Ecu Muscadet Orthogneiss is made from 100% Melon de Bourgogne sourced from a 3 hectare vineyard.
Sub-soil: Orthogneiss
Yield: 45-50 hl/haSoil ploughing and soil scraping. Canopy management.
PRUNING: Simple Guyot.
Orientation of slopes is SOUTH EAST. Soil is granulous and not very deep. Sub-soil: Orthogneiss.
Production: 555 cases
It is the color of white gold and crystal clear. The nose is subtle and elegant with the zest of citrus fruits, white flowers and spices such as ginger and cumin and there are notes of flintstone, dried fruits and toasted almonds. The attack is sharp and straight, the mouth is complex, an impression of great purety and rare elegance; very salty notes, chalky and slightly smokey notes and notes of citrus fruits, a wine with the ability to be kept for a long time.
Organically farmed since 1975. Biodynamic – Demeter certified since 1998. 100 % hand-picked grapes Reception of the grape harvest by gravity, no use of pumps. Pneumatic gentle press No racking of the must Fermentation: 100 % natural yeast • Temperature control: 15 °- 17 °. Aged "ON THE LEES" in underground vats
A perfect match to the following dishes:
Asian cuisine, fish curry,
Thai white rice, cucumber raita.
Snail Casserole Sole meunière & steamed crispy vegetables.
Brittany Lobster, wine and brandy reduction, puréed sweet potatoes with star anise.
Scallops in spicy breadcrumbs.
Scallops flambéed in whisky.
Spicy prawns, coriander cream.
Chicken Colombo.
Review:
"Tightly wound and very savory, with a core of lemon zest and honeysuckle flavors, while tangy fleur de sel and oyster shell notes give this intensity on the finish. Pure, showing impressive length. Drink now through 2026. 1,000 cases made, 100 cases imported. - AZ”
- Wine Spectator (December 2019), 91 pts
"One of a pair of wines named after the rock of the vineyard, this offers great fruitiness, crisp lemon and a mineral edge that balances with the wine's fresh character. It is a delicious wine, still developing, ready from late 2019. - ROGER VOSS”
- Wine Enthusiast (October 2019), 91 pts
Betz Family La Serenne Syrah is 100% Syrah
La Serenne is the most reflective of the site/vintage dynamic of our three single-site 2012 Syrahs. Lovers of this wine know that its source, the Boushey Vineyard, is the highest altitude of the three vineyards and is typically the latest harvested. This cool site was accentuated by the cooler season and the results reflect the seriousness of this vineyard and its care.
An extraordinary, nearly impenetrable black purple color leads to a concentrated, inky aromatic impression: smoky black cherry and wild blackberry dominate, but a litany of supporting aromas is already emerging: smoke, violet, mushroom, roasted meat, Chinese 5 spice and minerals. It has a full attack on entry and a big, rich mouthfeel that goes on and on.
2012 is our 13th harvest from this site and these rows. We continue to be impressed with the chameleon nature of this vineyard, in cool years and hot, in heat spikes and cool springs: it provides us with surprises and opportunities at every harvest. While the themes of deep black fruits and pliant structure always surface, the nuance of this vineyard and its care (thank you, Dick Boushey) make it some of the most satisfying fruit we work with every harvest.
Review:
"The pure, elegant and textured 2014 Syrah la Serenne offers that classic violet and floral characteristics of the cuvee, as well as medium to full-bodied richness, lots of black raspberry fruit, fine, sweet tannin and a great finish. It’s not as powerful or concentrated as the La Cote Rousse, yet it’s a joy to drink and will cruise for a decade or more on its balance and purity. - Jeb Dunnuck"
- Robert Parker's Wine Advocate (Issue #225, June 2016), 93 pts
Croix Senaillet Macon-Davaye is 100 percent Chardonnay.
Pale brilliant yellow color. Fresh nose of citrus fruits (lemon, grapefruit). Mineral and salty notes on the palate. Fresh, supple and harmonious in the mouth.
Produced from 7 different parcels of vines spread over 3.77 hectares, planted on clay and limestone based soils. Average age of the vine is 28 years. Careful vinification. Minimal intervention in the vinification process. Modern equipment (pneumatic press, thermo-regulated tanks). Each parcel is harvested at full maturity. Destemming, slow press, slow fermentation, malolactic fermentation, aging on the lees.
Excellent as an aperitif and pairs well with grilled fish and Asian food.