Languedoc-Roussillon’s premium reds – Blind Tasting

It was a unique event in many ways: a first in terms of a flight of 22 of Languedoc-Roussillon’s finest reds brought together and tasted blind by an independent jury of 12 specialist journalists, oenologists and sommeliers. [subscriber-content] Scroll down to see the wines Apart from having a look at top-end Languedoc-Roussillon red wines in a blind format, the clear interest of organisers Jérôme Joseph and Laurent Calmel (of négociant-producer Calmel & Joseph) was to emulate Eduardo Chadwick and the Berlin tasting of his Chilean wines - and hope that their own wine, La Madone, was well placed in the event. The tasting took place at the company’s domaine at Montirat, just outside Carcassonne . To ensure impartiality, Jérôme and Laurent were absent from the tasting, as were the other producers, which was instead conducted by an independent supervisor, a sommelier for pouring and a huissier (judicial officer) to adjudicate the results. High end reds A minimum retail price of €50 per bottle had been specified for this tasting, with the most expensive wine weighing in at €180. This meant that wines from top estates like Mas Jullien or Domaine de Montcalmès were not included as they sell for less. Neither were many ‘regular’ cuvées from producers represented. Vintages selected varied from 2008 to 2016. The difficult years of 2012 and 2014 were avoided and 2015 was the most represented but it would be difficult to draw any conclusion about vintage status judging by the results. Continue reading below Premium Languedoc-Roussillon reds: group ranking [breakout]

1 Roc d'Anglade, Reserva Especial No 4, Gard NV 2 Calmel & Joseph, La Madone, Corbieres 2016 3 Gérard Bertrand, Clos d'Ora, Minervois La Livinière 2013 4 Domaine Gauby, La Muntada, Côtes du Roussillon 5 Gilbert & Gaillard, Roc Blanc, St-Chinian 2015 6 Domaine Le Roc des Anges, Las Trabasseres, Côtes Catalanes 2015[/breakout]

My personal favourite, Domaine Peyre Rose's Clos des Cistes 2008, came in seventh. For me, Gauby's La Muntada screamed of volatile acidity to the point of being faulty, so I did not score it. Other points of interest included the anomaly of the winning wine, Roc d’Anglade Reserva Especial N°4, which is a Vega Sicilia-inspired blend of different vintages. There were also discreet showings, which I endorsed, from Domaine de la Grange des Pères and Mas de Daumas Gassac’s Cuvée Emile Peynaud (respectively eighth and eleventh in the group ranking), the latter possibly explained by the oddity of 100% Cabernet Sauvignon appearing in a world of Syrah, Grenache, Mourvèdre and Carignan. [/subscriber-content] Premium Languedoc-Roussillon reds: James Lawther MW's ranking [wine-collection] You may also like: Mas de Daumas Gassac red wines: Recent vintages tasted Corbières: 10 names to know plus top wines to try Panel tasting: How good is rising star Terrasses du Larzac?