Languedoc whites: Panel tasting results

Elizabeth Gabay MW, Poppy de Courcy-Wheeler and Justin Howard-Sneyd MW tasted 158 wines, with 2 Outstanding and 30 Highly Recommended.

Languedoc whites: Panel tasting scores

158 wines tasted

Exceptional 0

Outstanding 2

Highly recommended 30

Recommended 114

Commended 12

Fair 0

Entry criteria: Producers and UK agents were invited to submit current-release, still white wines from any of the AOPs within the Languedoc (with the exception of AOP Picpoul de Pinet), as well as from any of the IGP and Vin de France, but not including single-varietal Sauvignon Blanc or Chardonnay.

The wine-growing region of Languedoc is 200km in length, arcing round the southwestern edge of France’s Mediterranean coastline. Diverse terroirs with schist, limestone, clay and sand can be found along the coastal plains and the southern foothills of the Massif Central.

There is an Atlantic influence in the northwestern vineyards, higher altitude coolness in the foothills of the Pyrenees in the south, and cool air sweeping down the Rhône Valley in the east. The resulting diversity can make it almost impossible to define a ‘Languedoc style’.

Languedoc white wines rated 90+ listed below

A riot of varieties

A long history of producing large volumes of cheap and cheerful wines has fixed the image of the region for many consumers, but affordable land and free-minded attitudes have meant that the region has, for a number of decades, also produced some stellar wines.

Judge Justin Howard-Sneyd MW said: ‘It was great to see the wines aspiring to price levels certainly not achieved 20 years ago, meaning the best wines are excellent value compared to wines of similar quality from the Rhône, Burgundy or California.’

A distinctive feature of the tasting was the rich assortment of local white grape varieties. These include Clairette, Piquepoul, Terret Blanc and Gris, Carignan Blanc, Grenache Blanc, and Riveirenc Blanc and Gris; some saved from obscurity or even extinction.

Rhône varieties such as Marsanne, Roussanne, Bourboulenc, Araignan (also called Picardan) and Viognier, as well as Rolle (Italy’s Vermentino) and Macabeu (Viura in Spain), are also increasingly widespread. For Howard-Sneyd, ‘the most successful wines were Mediterranean blends’.

Since the 1980s, international varieties have been increasingly planted in Languedoc. Chenin Blanc was an early introduction in the area around Montpellier, appreciated for its acidity, and can now be considered a local grape. It is used extensively in Limoux and in the area of Terrasses du Larzac, where it is hoped it will soon be included in the list of permitted varieties.

Wines made from 100% Chardonnay or Sauvignon Blanc were excluded from the tasting. Newer international varieties such as Riesling, Petite Arvine, Colombard, Petit Manseng and Alvarinho do crop up, and can contribute freshness and acidity.

Single-varietal Viognier performed well, but blends including a small percentage of it did not.

Oak, concrete and freshness

Not every Languedoc appellation includes white wines, and those that do often produce just a small amount. This makes it more difficult to establish regional styles and Howard-Sneyd notes that whites under the large Languedoc AP ‘struggle for identity, and this risks being a dumping ground for anything that doesn’t have a more specific AP.’

Great freshness was found in maritime La Clape and the higher altitude and limestone soils of Terrasses de Larzac, but we were disappointed not to have found greater freshness in the wines from Limoux.

The best wines all had extended ageing in wood, concrete or tank, with great balance of freshness and richness, complexity and power. Poppy de Courcy-Wheeler felt that the use of oak did not always justify higher prices.

The lowest-scoring wines were often marked down due to flabbiness and a lack of freshness or, conversely, by hard, unripe greenness and more clumsy use of oak.

While there may not yet be clear regional Languedoc white styles, the range is still impressive: from rich, complex, oaked wines to lighter, fruity wines with prices from below £10 to over £50. Clearly this is a region with opportunities for exciting discoveries.

Languedoc whites panel tasting scores

Wines were tasted blind

The judges

Elizabeth Gabay MW is a wine writer, educator, speaker and consultant, with a focus on rosé and the wines of southern France, where she has lived since 2002. Her second book Rosés of Southern France (£22 Amazon, 2022) was co-authored with her son Ben Bernheim

Poppy de Courcy-Wheeler is a wine buyer for Waitrose, focusing on rosé, Burgundy and regional France, having previously worked for more than five years in roles including wine buying and head of trade sales at importer Charles Taylor Wines

Justin Howard-Sneyd MW is the DWWA Regional Chair for Languedoc-Roussillon. A former wine buyer in UK multiple retail, he is a wine trade consultant via his company The Hive Wine Consulting, a trustee of the Regenerative Viticulture Foundation, and produces wines at Domaine of the Bee in Roussillon

Related articles

• Aragón reds: Panel tasting results
• Amarone: Panel tasting results
• German whites beyond Riesling: Panel tasting results