La Vigneronne tastingDomaine des Aurelles is the brainchild of two ex-Bordeaux vignerons,
Karl Maguin (who worked at Latour) and Basile St Germain (Haut Brion).
It's a relatively recent operation, with the first vintage in 1995.
The winery is located in Caux, while the vineyards are close by in
Nizas. Nearest large town is Beziers, and a few kilometres up the road
from the well known estate Prieure de St Jean de Bebian, and not too
far east of Faugères. There are five parcelles of vines, some
15 ha in all, with average yield 25 hl/ha (this is pretty low, even
for the South of France). The varieties grown are fairly typical for
the region, with Grenache, Mourvèdre, Syrah and Carignan making up
the red contingent, and Rousanne, Clairette, Terret Blanc and Ugni
Blanc the whites (I just tasted the Aurel Blanc here, but a Solen
Blanc is planned).
They use new oak for the whites but not the reds: a couple of
Bordeaux barriques (from Domaine de Chevalier) were used for the first
vintage, but the results weren't great, so now Karl and Basile just
use large oak vats to age their red wines. This is an encouraging
sign: unfortunately, the first thing many ambitious vignerons do with
their top wines is to smother their character with new oak. It's also
good to see Carignan being used, a non-trendy grape that can do really
well when low yields and old vines are involved. My only slight gripe
is the prices. With the Aurel selling for almost £20, it's really
battling it out with the big boys.
1999 Aurel Blanc
70% Roussanne/30% Clairette, aged for 18 months in new oak. A pale
yellow/gold cold colour. Fresh, appealing nose with some rich toasty
oak notes (but this new oak is pretty well integrated). Quite a
sophisticated, oaky palate: full flavoured with a herbal edge, some
faint waxy notes and a youthful, rounded texture. Very good+
1998 Aurel Blanc
A fuller yellow/gold colour. Full, developed nose with unusual,
pronounced herby character with some caramel and butter notes. Palate
is buttery, soft and evolved. Full flavoured with lowish acidity, I'd
drink this soon. Very good
1999 Solen
35% Grenache, 65% Carignan. Ripe fruity (sweet) open nose¾
a rich, seductive style. There's some ripe, peppery fruit on the
palate and a touch of dusty tannin. With good concentration, this is
an attractive, fruity, easy-drinking wine. Very good+ (£11.75 La
Vigneronne)
1998 Solen
Deep coloured, this has a lovely fragrant nose of sweet fruit,
with notes of herbs, liquorice and smoke. The palate is soft,
concentrated and slightly spicy. This is a delicious, supple red wine,
with just enough structure to hold things together. Very
good/excellent
1996 Solen
Pleasant, evolved nose shows sweet fruit with some subtle herby
notes. Sweetly fruited palate shows quite a bit of dusty, herby
character. Quite Southern Rhône style, this reminds me of a classic
Châteauneuf du Pape. Very good+
1995 Solen
Delicious evolved herbal nose shows some earthy, animal-like notes
with a hint of caramel. Soft caramel and berry fruit notes on the
palate with a spicy, tannic finish. Very southern in character; not
fruit driven. Very good+
1999 Aurel
45% Grenache, 30% Mourvèdre, 25% Syrah and a dash of Carignan.
Striking nose showing rich, spicy, liquoricey notes and herby
complexity. Rich, full, concentrated palate with liquoricey fruit and
spicy complexity. Quite fruit driven, but with plenty of stuffing and
very tasty. Very good/excellent (£17.95 La Vigneronne)
1998 Aurel
Deep purple/red colour, this is very concentrated. Sweet berry
fruit on the nose with some liquoricey notes. Soft-textured, ripe
palate is concentrated and full, but could do with a bit more
structure. Still, quite delicious. Very good+ (£18.95 La Vigneronne)
1997 Aurel
Another deep coloured wine, but a touch lighter than the others.
Rather simple nose showing sweet ripe fruit. Nice, full, concentrated
palate with a spicy finish. Very much in a Languedoc style, this is a
bit simpler than the 1999. Very good+ (£17.50 La Vigneronne)
1996 Aurel
There's a sweet, herbal edge to the ripe fruit. The evolved palate
shows herby, spicy fruit with a touch of caramel and a dry finish.
Interesting; quite like a Châteauneuf du Pape. Very good
Retailer contact details:
www.lavigneronne.co.uk