Every Sunday, with an educational edge, I explore specific appellations or sub-regions, taking you along for the ride. If it’s old news, then brush up on some fading facts; if it’s uncharted territory, why not learn something new? If you know something I haven’t mentioned, then feel free to comment and share your experiences. Check out past Sunday posts here.

This is not a fortified wine. It’s my new study partner.

It’s one week tomorrow until my next WSET exam (units 4, 5 & 6 of the diploma). It feels like things are starting to come together, as thankfully, I’ve had enough full days to devote to planning possible essay scenarios. Leonard Cohen and Bernard Baudry’s ’08 Chinon ‘Les Granges’ both seem to help. This is a killer bottle of wine, by the way, which hopefully I’ll get a chance to talk about more later. My thoughts are with all the folks I know studying for the unit 3 exam (also on Monday), who there are quite a few of. I have yet to tackle #3 and it appears even more intense.

I’ll admit that this post is mainly for my own sake, but I figure you could read or skim and hopefully take something from it.

Southern France’s Vin Doux Naturel

The Languedoc-Roussillon and the Southern Rhône Valley offer no shortage of fortified wines. In North America, they seem to have fallen from the trendy crowds (are any fortified wines trendy these days? I’d make a case for Sherry. Who uses the word ‘trendy’ anyways?) Other than the odd Muscat de Beaumes-de-Venise, they don’t exactly populate Sommelier’s lists or wine shop’s shelves. Here’s the run down…

Vin Doux Naturel is a wine made by mutage or the ‘port method’ where high proof grape spirit is added to a wine before fermentation has finished. The high alcohol kills the yeast (which can’t typically survive in a wine above 16%) leaving the unfermented sugar. Muscat à Petits Grains and Grenache Noir are the primary grapes used and most are fortified to 16-18%. Many are aged oxidatively with exposure to heat to gain rancio characters (developed nutty, butterscotchy, blue cheese notes in fortified wines).

The Southern Rhône offers Rasteau – a blend made up from at least 90% Grenache Noir, Gris or Blanc from the villages of Rasteau, Sablet, and Cairanne (and Rasteau Rancio AC aged with exposure to oxygen for a min. 2 years – often with sun exposure); plus Beaumes-de-Venise from 100%  Muscat APG and made slightly drier (or less sweet?) than other Muscat VDNs at 110 g/l of sugar as opposed to 125 g/l. It’s usually just over 15% and the most popular brands are from Paul Jaboulet and Chapoutier.

I tasted a version from Jaboulet blind a couple weeks back that was undeniably Muscat. It was youthful, floral and fruity on the nose – white peach, orange blossoms and white table grape aromas. The palate was sweet with peach, kumquat and honey suckle characters. I found it pretty good, but lacking enough acidity to make it anything better. I couldn’t remember the last time I had tasted a Beames-de-Venise, but I was pretty confident I knew what it was.

(from thewinedoctor.com)

The Languedoc offers one of the more interesting VDNs in Muscat de St. Jean de Minervois from chalky soils and higher altitudes (200 m) lending higher acidity. The Muscat APG grapes ripen later, struggling with variable weather and the max yields are 28 hl/ha. Minimum 15% alcohol and 125 g/l of remaining sugar.

A little further south in Roussillon, you’ve got Muscat de Rivesaltes. Made from both Muscat APG and Muscat Alexandria, this appellation reportedly accounts for 70% of France’s total Muscat production! It’s a fairly encompassing area and yields can sink as low as 22 hl/ha. Rivesaltes is a separate appellation which covers most of Roussillon and its plethora of styles and colours is a little more complicated. It can be made from Grenache Noir with the white grapes Grenache Gris, Grenache Blanc, Maccabeo, and Tourbat (Rivesaltes Blanc is from the white grapes with up to 20% of the two Muscats from above). Aging may take place in stainless steel, oak vessels of all sizes, sometimes 25L glass jugs called bonbonnes which aid in rancio development, and once and a while the Spanish method of solera aging is employed. The designations Ambré (oxidative, tawny wine from white varietals), Tuilé (oxidative red, min 50% Grenache Noir, 2 aging years in oak), Grenat (reductive garnet red, min 75% Grenache, 1 year in oak/ 3 months in bottle) and Hors d’Age (Ambré or Tuilé with a minimum of 5 years oak aging) are also used.

Maury is a smaller area in the northern part of Roussillon which has schist soils that differ from the rest of the region. White from Grenache Gris/Blanc, Maccabeo, and Tourbat. Reds from Grenache Noir (min 75%) plus Carignan, Syrah and the white grapes. Twelve months minimum in wood for both.

Banyuls, in the southern part of Roussillon and just north of the Spanish border, is widely considered to be France’s most complex VDN. Grenache Noir must dominate the blend at 50% and there is no Muscat allowed. The yields are often poor and the grapes are usually shriveled. There is a Grand Cru appellation for 75% Grenache Noir aged in oak for 30 months. Often several weeks of maceration on the skins is carried out after fortification. Aging takes place in bonbonnes or various sizes of oak, sometimes in a solera and sometimes outside to encourage rancio. Banyuls Rancio is a separate designation for oxidative wines and can use the terms Ambré, Tailé, or Hors d’Age. Rimage are vintage dated wines.

I was going to continue with Greece and Cyprus, but I’m sure you’ll agree that that is enough for today.