If you think you know everything about the sultry south of France, think again.

Winemaker Anne Gros of Vosne-Romanee with the 2008 vintage has introduced a new labor of love and wine in Minervois. These wines—cared for, harvested and vinified in tandem with her partner Jean-Paul Tollot—are very impressive and a completely different style of Minervois wine.

What we’ve experienced here is plenty of southern Languedoc soul, with the silky touch and suppleness found uniquely in Burgundy. To be sure, Gros and Tollot are taking Minervois more seriously than it has ever been taken—these wines take the Languedoc to a whole new level of quality and complexity.

Finesse and precision are the two main characteristics of this new collection from Minervois—words more often used for Gros’ Burgundian crus. The couple’s desire to capture the region’s unique “gout de terroir” has inspired them to make wine as if they were in Burgundy, by strict vine training, multiple green harvests as well as diligent sorting during harvest.

Their 14 hectares of vineyards in Cazelles, north of Carcassonne, sit at the foot of the “Montagne Noir,” at some 660 feet above sea level—the same altitude as Vosne-Romanée. The higher elevation too helps Gros’ older-vine fruit achieve ideal balance, as the cooler evenings at altitude allowed grapes to ripen slowly and evenly. A mix of limestone and sandstone delivers good mineral energy to each cru, for wines that are racy, fresh and perfectly balanced.

Gros said the 2008 vintage in Minervois was blessed with “classic Burgundy conditions,” that is—weather that allowed grapes to ripen slow and easy, cool evenings to ensure balance, and dry but warm temperatures during harvest.

Monday, May 24, 2010