2006 Chateau La Roque Coteaux du Languedoc Pic Saint Loup Rouge "Cuvee Les Vielles Vignes de Mourvedre"

Wow!  After that mouthful of a title do I really need to write anything else for a nice, lengthy blog post?  Well of course I do, because the Languedoc is not well known enough to most of the world and they are making some really good wines these days.  I'm here to help spread the word!  Coteaux du Languedoc, where this wine is made, is the 2nd largest AOC in the Languedoc, and rather than being one contiguous area, the classified growing areas are a number of separate areas scattered throughout a large portion of the Languedoc. Most of the wine produced in the Coteaux du Languedoc is made from red wine grapes, with the main varietals being Grenache, Syrah, and Mourvedre, with Carignan and Cinsault also being allowed by the AOC. It is also important to note that Coteaux du Languedoc has only had AOC status for 25 years, and the area anticipates having many additional AOCs in the future as the growers and winemakers find out more about each of the many microclimates in the region.

You would think that this would be a relatively young region based on there short period as an AOC, but that is absolutely not the case.  Wine has been made in this are since Roman times, and the De La Roque brothers planted new vines in the Chateau La Roque estate vineyards in the 13th century!  The history in the Languedoc region is long and storied, but it is in recent times that the attention to quality vs. quantity has really improved turning the Languedoc into a great up an coming wine region.  It is these types of regions where great wine values can be found, and this offering from Chateua La Roque is no exception. 

Made from 90% old vine Mourvedre and 10% Grenache, the wine is a very deep, garnet red in your glass.  The nose brings aromas of black cherry, blueberry, game, and just a hint of barnyard that is quite pleasant.  On the palate I get cherry, blackberry, and blueberry fruit with a spicy element on the finish.  Decent acidity and solid tannins bring some structure, and an enjoyable finish.  Overall this is a good and interesting wine that can be found for about $20.  I found it in a cool shop I just discovered not too far from my Long Island home called Lake Side Emotions in Stony Brook, NY.  

I happened to sip this all by itself last night and it paired really well with my glass, but this is a pretty food friendly Mourvedre.  Its not just a big ball of muscle and power.  This would be great with just about anything on the grill.

As a final side note, this wine is imported by Kermit Lynch who has even more interesting info about the Chateau on his website at http://kermitlynch.com/our_wines/chateau-la-roque/  

Cheers!     

2005 Bellum Providencia Yecla

The 2005 Bellum Providencia Yecla is yet another great value from a relatively unknown region of Spain. The casual wine drinker probably only knows Spain for Rioja which is Spain's most famous wine region or Denominacion de Origen (D.O.). More serious wine drinkers are probably also familiar with Priorat and Ribera del Duero. The best kept secret in the wine world these days is that Spain is loaded with numerous wine regions that produce a very wide variety of different grapes and styles of wine. The tradition of winemaking is long and storied in Spain, and over the past 20 years there has been a real quality revolution throughout most of the country, which has seen many regions move away from cheap, mass produced wines into much higher quality fine wines.

Yecla is one of many regions that is participating in this fantastic change where the focus in no longer on quantity but on quality. The winemakers in this D.O. as well as the neighboring D.O. of Jumilla, have discovered that they can make truly great wines with careful tending of the vines and attention to detail. They have been able to get fantastic results from the Monastrell (called Mourvedre in most other parts of the world) grape either on its own or as the primary grape blended with Garnacha, Tempranillo, Cabernet Sauvignon, or Merlot. This is a big change from the old days in Spain when Monsatrell was for mass produced, lower quality wine or merely a blending grape. The great benefit for you and me is that they are making these very good wines and selling them at a very competitive price. To learn more about Yecla and other Spanish wine regions go to http://www.winesfromspain.com/icex/cda/controller/pageGen/0,3346,1549487_4946338_4944445_1147_2,00.html

The 2005 Bellum Providencia is made from 100% old vine Monastrell. As an interesting aside, the Bellum name and label comes from a prehistoric cave painting in the region depicting a war between two bear clans - the locals call the painting Bellum Ursi (The Battle of the Bear). In the glass you have an intense, dark purple wine with a very nice, full body to it. On the nose you get blackfruit - especially blackberry as well as some blueberry pie. This wine is jam packed with fruit flavor with lots of blackberry, black cherry, and blueberry. Tannins and a touch of spice provide some balance and a pleasing finish. At a price of $15, this wine is a solid value.

Enjoy Bellum Providencia with red meat, chorizo sausage, or BBQ ribs.