Diversity and innovation in southwest France: Foncalieu plus six wines tasted

Founded in 1967, Fonaclieu has grown and evolved over the last 50 years, expanding its winegrowing territories across three main regions; Languedoc-Roussillon (the company’s ancestral home), Gascony and Rhône.

Vineyards stretch from the Corbières massif to the shores of the Mediterranean and from the Mistral-swept hillsides to the sun-kissed plains between Carcassonne and Béziers.

Scroll down to see the Foncalieu tasting notes and scores

They comprise the five appellations of Languedoc, St-Chinian, Minervois and Corbières plus five IGP; Pays d’Oc, Coteaux d’Ensérune, Côtes de Gascogne, Vallée du Paradis and Cité de Carcassonne.

From generation to generation, the team of winegrowers, agronomists and oenologists have worked to unlock the potential of the region’s patchwork terroirs through a wide array of 23 different grape varieties from Carignan, Artaban and Malbec to Roussanne, Piquepoul and Albariňo.

Wine ranges

Foncalieu produces a number of collections; Atelier Prestige which is comprised of four high-quality artisanal wines – a St-Chinian, Minervois, Coteaux d’Ensérune and Corbières. The wines are made by a select number of 15 winegrowers with a micro-terroir approach and limited edition 7,000 bottles of each cuvée made each year.

‘The process started in 2001 and took seven years of research before launching in 2008’ Foncalieu marketing director Audrey Arino said.

‘It’s uncommon for a cooperative to work on this kind of project but we wanted to show our best and to show the very best of the Languedoc appellations,’ Arino continued.

Les Extraordinaires is a range of innovative wines that bring together interesting blends or unexpected grape varieties for the region. One of which is a 100% Albariňo bottling, with Foncalieu being the first to plant the grape in the region. ‘We were looking for a fresh and floral grape variety as we are known for having fresh terroirs so we chose Albariňo’ said Arino. ‘We launched a few years ago and now it’s a real success’.

Planted in vineyards in the commune of Puichéric, with Carcassonne to the west and Narbonne to the east, these Albariňo grapes benefit from oceanic and Mediterranean influences revealing rich but fresh aromas and flavours.

Foncalieu’s Le Versant and Ensedune ranges are both comprised of single-varietal bottlings, the first using eight common varietals (Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Viognier, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Grenache Blanc, Syrah and Pinot Noir), the latter using grapes with strong roots in the region (Marselan, Malbec, Petit Verdot and Muscat) – both designed to show the purest expression of each grape in different Languedoc terroirs.

Foncalieu also owns Château Haut Gléon, a 260ha estate that was purchased in 2012 with 35ha of vines in Corbières and Vallée du Paradis. It was purchased to provide a welcome space and tourist spot for the company, said Arino.

‘We wanted to have a premium hospitality destination and were looking for a place we could entertain our clients and upgrade our strategy. It is now our flagship estate’. Three whites, two rosés and three red wines complete this range.

Innovation

As well as focussing on an ever-increasing range of roses, being a significant producer in the south of France, Foncalieu is also committed to experimentation with regular launches of different and innovative wines.

One of which is NU.VO.TÉ, a small, 3,000 bottle production made with new varieties Artaban and Vidoc both of which are suited to the growing conditions in the Occitania region and require less use of chemical products to fight disease.

‘For 10 years our head agronomist Gabriel Ruetsch has been researching in our vineyards. We were the first in France to launch a wine made with these varieties. The idea is to produce something not classical and to adapt ourselves to climate change but in a natural way with respect to the winegrowers and consumers.’

Talking about the wine Ruetsch said; ‘The speed of climate change is promoting us to question our techniques and we are convinced that tomorrow’s vineyard management requires change’.

The Foncalieu range expresses such a diversity of wine styles ranging from fresh and fruity to serious and age worthy. Many can be found on the high-street, with four of the below wines available for between £9-11 / $12-15 making them especially good value.

‘In all our brands we try to reflect the work of winegrowers in our vineyards but also express that we can make wines with a high standard of quality.

‘Today, it is not right to think of a cooperative as only dedicated to mass market wines because that’s absolutely not the case for us,’ Arino concluded.

See the Foncalieu tasting notes and scores

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