At his new business, based on the same terroir, he is also shunning the letter of the Limoux law – which is why this wine and his two delicious still whites are sold under the all-encompassing Vin de Pays d'Oc name. The authorities insist that some Mauzac is included to qualify for the Limoux appellation for whites and 30 per cent of 'Mediterranean' varieties such as Syrah for the reds. He has acquired some Mauzac so that his 2002 whites have already been granted the Limoux appellation and will sell his reds from the 2002 vintage as the more specific Vins de Pays de la Haute Vallée de l'Aude.
| All of which bureaucratic nonsense will doubtless convulse any non-European reader with laughter. And anyway the main thing is the wine itself which is stunningly good for the €15 it currently sells for chez the cavistes of France. Yields were low enough to notch up an alcohol level of 14 per cent even at this altitude yet the wine is beautifully balanced and has the seriously appetising menthol quality of a high altitude Merlot (older British readers, think Consulate...). We enjoyed this bottle over two or three days and it showed no sign of deterioration. Luscious yet uplifting, it could be enjoyed any time over the next four years, I would have thought, though the not inconsiderable tannins and the 18 months of barrique aging are well masked. On re-inspecting the empty bottle after having forced my son at gunpoint to take a picture of it, I see that the wine won a gold medal at the pretty highly regarded Concours Mondial in Brussels last year. | Note: every drop drained |
He also makes, at slightly lower prices (€12 retail), a fine Chardonnay Sainte Marie 2001 and an even more interesting Chenin La Rivière 2001 – serious whites, these.
Denois' wines from the previous vintage were good too. I have just been waiting to see whether any consistency emerges before strongly recommending them.
| Official importers of Denois' wines are: Update – Garrigue Wines of Falkirk (who have what looks like an excellent selection of southern French wines) list the 2000 Chloé at £11.45. |
