Faugères report 2023: Latest releases tasted

Faugères 2021 vintage rating: 4 / 5

Faugères 2020 vintage rating: 4.5 / 5

In the foothills of the Cévennes mountains, with vineyards dotted across dips and slopes between 150m and 400m altitude, Faugères is synonymous with schist soils. With its flaky sheets that crack and crumble, schist allows the roots of the vines to slither deep down through its layers, in search of the droplets of water that reside there.

The majority of production is red, at 79%, with only 4% of white. One of the most impressive and forward thinking actions of the appellation in the last 15 years has been the ban on herbicide use, which was entered into the appellation regulations in 2011. 50% of producers practise organic viticulture, and ‘everyone has taken measures to reduce chemical entrants in the soil,’ says Jérôme Salles, vice president of the only cooperative winery in Faugères, Mas Olivier.

See the Languedoc report 2023 homepage

Scroll down to see tasting notes and scores for the top Faugères wines from 2021 & 2020

2020

The growing season

2020 was a vintage that ‘took it’s time to reach maturity,’ says Brigitte Chevalier of Domaine de Cébène.

There was rain in May and cooler weather into June; some humidity meant that ‘we had mildew, but less than in 2018,’ says Corine Andrieu of Clos Fantine. This lead to the wines losing some of their leaves, and Andrieu believes it was therefore the roots that had to work to nourish the fruit.

This was followed by a very hot and dry summer, and the yield was relatively small for some.

Reds

The reds that are still available from 2020 are a little varied in quality and style but most are accessible now, offering good drinkability. The best have waves of fresh acidity, silky, velvety tannins and ripe, balanced fruit, while less successful wines have harsh, underripe tannins and a leaner fruit profile.

See the Languedoc latest releases score tables:

All top-scoring wines

All top-scoring white wines

All top-scoring red wines

See notes and scores for all Faugères latest releases rated

2021

The growing season

Starting with regular rain over the winter, this extended into spring, which ‘allowed regular sustenance for the vines,’ says Chevalier.

‘Spring and summer were fresh and rainy,’ says Pierre Jacquet of Domaine Binet-Jacquet, and in fact there was more rain over the summer than usual.

‘Rain just before harvest caused the berries to swell,’ says Chevalier, and they ended up much larger than usual.

Reds

Some may fear dilution in a vintage such as this, however this didn’t present itself during my tastings. The top wines have great depth of fruit, substance, refined tannins and surging freshness. Some even have a little red-fruited quality on top of dark stone and flinty minerality. Only a few lacked concentration.

2022

All of the whites tasted were from the 2022 vintage, and there are a couple of 2022 reds already on the market, so it is worth taking note of this vintage, which was very hot and extremely dry.

There was hardly any rain after spring, and ‘the rare rainy spells couldn’t penetrate deep enough into the soils and reach the vines roots,’ says Chevalier.

The older vines fared better, where the deep established roots can find water in the cracks in the schist rock.

Jacquet says that some rain between mid-August and the beginning of September ‘saved the harvest’, although such lack of water would have produced small berries with ticker skins and less juice.

The whites are ripe, exotic, with a little nuttiness, but generally fair balance. The 2022 reds on the market already are those made in a fresh, immediate, more light-bodied style, very fruity and supple.

Coming this week – individual appellation analysis:

Limoux | Corbières & Minervois | St-Chinian | Picpoul de Pinet | Terrasses du Larzac | Pic St Loup | La Clape

Top-scoring wines

White

Domaine Ollier-Taillefer, Allegro, Faugères 2022 – 93 points

Red

Domaine de Cébène, Belle Lurette, Faugères 2021 – 95 points

Domaine Binet-Jacquet, Réserve, Faugères 2020 – 95 points

Top five value wines

Domaine Ollier-Taillefer, Allegro, Faugères 2022–93 points

Mas Olivier, Blanc, Faugères 2022 – 90 points

Domaine de Cébène, Ex Arena, Faugères 2022 – 93 points

Château Chênaie, Conviction, Faugères 2021 – 93 points

Mas Olivier, Sélection, Faugères 2020 – 92 points

Top producers to look out for

Domaine Binet-Jacquet

A biodynamic domaine of 9ha set up by Pierre Jacquet and Olivier Binet, planted completely anew, with their first harvest in 2005. They sourced massal selection vines of Grenache and Carignan from Priorat and Syrah from the Rhône.

Domaine de Cébène

Brigitte Chevalier has forged a path within this small Languedoc appellation and has become well known for producing wines of great finesse. Her wines are structured, with satin tannins and a profound sweet succulence that’s impossible to resist.

Domaine Ollier-Taillefer

Run by brother and sister Luc and Françoise Ollier, this is an organic domaine of 36ha that offers excellent consistency in its range of wines.

Mas Lou

A young domaine with 8ha between 200m and 300m, lively and fresh wines, one to watch.

See the Languedoc report 2023 homepage

Tasting notes and scores for the top Faugères latest releases:

The wines below are listed by score.

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