Wine Review: Domaine Roc Des Anges Côtes Catalanes IGP "L'effet Papillon" Grenache Blanc 2015

March is Languedoc-Roussillon Month on TheWineStalker.net!

This month I'm taking a tour of the  Languedoc-Roussillon in southern France from the comfort of my own home! I've got ten wines from the region; six from Roussillon and four from Languedoc. As you probably know, it's been rather difficult to keep this blog going lately so these reviews will be short and sweet

Woof! That's a long name, huh? Let's break it down. Domaine Roc Des Anges is the winery, Côtes Catalanes IGP is the region, L'effet Papillon is the label, and Grenache Blanc is the grape. Côtes Catalanes borders Spain with its vineyards on the eastern slopes of the Pyrenees mountains, facing the Mediterranean. The breeze from the sea cools the grapes during the hot summer days, and the breeze from the mountains also cool the grapes at night. Within this IGP are the AOC regions of Cotes du Roussillon, Banyuls, and Collioure, which we've already explored this month with M. Chapoutier Les Vignes de Bila-Haut Côtes du Roussillon-Villages 2016, Gérard Bertrand Banyuls 2013, and Domaine La Tour Vieille Collioure La Pinède 2015.

Now, without further ado, let's review the first white wine of the month!

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Wine Review: M. Chapoutier Les Vignes de Bila-Haut Côtes du Roussillon-Villages 2016

March is Languedoc-Roussillon Month on TheWineStalker.net!

This month I'm taking a tour of the Languedoc-Roussillon in southern France from the comfort of my own home! I've got ten wines from the region; six from Roussillon and four from Languedoc. As you probably know, it's been rather difficult to keep this blog going lately so these reviews will be short and sweet.

Today's wine is from the Côtes du Roussillon-Villages AOC. So... there's the sans-Villages "Côtes du Roussillon AOC" that covers the whole region of Roussillon. This means it's AOC level wine, with stricter rules and generally better quality than Vin de Pays / IGT, and it can be from anywhere in the Roussillon. It can be blended from several subregions, or it can be from one specific subregion but follow the rules of the Côtes du Roussillon AOC and not the more specific region it comes from. The "Côtes du Roussillon-Villages AOC" is a subregion of the Côtes du Roussillon AOC, and it's in the northern half of the Roussillon. These villages are in the valley of the Agly River, with the Côtes du Roussillon-Villages AOC vineyards planted on the best slopes.

You have to use three varieties of grapes at the very least to make a red Côtes du Roussillon-Villages AOC, and you only have five to chose from. You can use a maximum of 60% with Carignon, a minimum of 30% with Mourvèdre and/or Syrah combined, and then the rest can be either Grenache or Lladoner. M. Chapoutier Les Vignes de Bila-Haut 2016 is 50% Grenache, 40% Syrah, and 10% Carignon. It has a 14.5% ABV.

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Wine Review: Domaine La Tour Vieille Collioure La Pinède 2015

March is Languedoc-Roussillon Month on TheWineStalker.net!

This month I'm taking a tour of the Languedoc-Roussillon in southern France from the comfort of my own home! I've got ten wines from the region; six from Roussillon and four from Languedoc. As you probably know, it's been rather difficult to keep this blog going lately so these reviews will be short and sweet. As the month progresses I hope to find a format that allows me to write entertaining reviews that's unique from other writers while also not taking up entire nights. So bear with me.

Tonight my taste buds are taking a trip to the Collioure AOC of Roussillon, right on the Mediterranean coast. This is as far southeast as you can get in Roussillon, and is actually within the Banyuls AOC (Gérard Bertrand Banyuls 2013 is my pick of the month). The days are hot and dry in Coullioure, and the wind from the mountains cool the grapes at night. The red wines are allowed to use Grenache noir, Mourvèdre, Syrah, Carignan and Cinsaut, while the whites can use Grenache blanc and Grenache gris.

Domaine La Tour Vieille Collioure La Pinède 2015 is 75% Grenache noir and 25% Carignan. I cannot find any information on the viticulture or winemaking involved, but it does have a 14.5% ABV.

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March Wine Pick: Gérard Bertrand Banyuls 2013

March is Languedoc-Roussillon Month on TheWineStalker.net!

Gerard Bertrand founded his company in 1992 with the purchase of Domaine Cigalus and Château LavilleBertrou. He now owns a heck of a lot of land throughout the different regions of the Languedoc, producing a ton of different wines specifically designed to represent the traditional wines of those places. The Languedoc is in southern France, along the Mediterranean.

This offering from Bertrand is a Banyuls; a Port-like dessert wine mainly made from the Grenache grape variety. The wine is partially fermented, and then cut off by the addition of grape brandy. This makes a sweet, raisiny, high-alcohol wine that I find to be just gorgeous.

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Flashback February Returns!

Every day for the entire month I'll be taking a look back at the (almost) 4 years of this blog's existence. I'll feature one flashback meme and one flashback article a day, so it really will be like a trip through the timeline with the speedforce.

On the blog all day you'll see that day's featured article at the top of the page. It will also be put out there on social media at night around 8pm. I'll also be posting an old original meme every day in the morning (or in the afternoon, it depends on how the day is going) on social media.

I hope all you old readers give these oldies a re-read. And all of you newer readers give them a first read. Think of them as back issues. They're quite fun, geeky, and informative.

Man, looking back at all of this old material makes me realize just how much I love doing this and how much work I've put into it. My current situation makes it very hard for me to give this blog attention that I used to, and it could very well force me to stop all together after April. But I'm going to do my damndest to not let that happen, I tell ya what.

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February Wine Pick: Cesari Mara Valpolicella Ripasso Superiore 2015

Amarone della Valpolicella, more known as just Amarone, is a pretty well-known wine. It’s usually being sought out by the older customers who remember it from years ago at the height of its modern day popularity. Of course once I show them some Amarone their jaw drops at the sight of the price. Amarone is not cheap and for a good reason: It takes a lot of work to produce. The grapes are dried on mats in the sun or, using the more modern method, stacked in open crates being blown with hot air until they’re basically raisins. Then they’re squeezed for the juice, which isn’t a lot as you can imagine. So prepare to spend some dough on an Amarone.

But never fear, Amarone lover! There are other options. Namely a Valpolicella Ripasso Superiore. A quality fine wine is made using the same grape varietals as Amarone (Corvina, Molinara, and Rondinella) in the same region of Veneto, Italy. “Ripasso” means “re-passed”, and this is because it then gets to sit and macerate with the pumice from recently made Amarone. This gives it a darker color, fuller body, more structure, that beautiful raisinated Amarone flavor, and it starts a second fermentation to give it more alcohol. Also, it’s much friendlier on the wallet.

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Wine Review: Left Coast Cellars Latitude 45° Estate Pinot Noir 2015

Left Coast Cellars of Willamette Valley, Oregon was founded in 2003. With 350 acres of land and 130 acres of vineyards, they use sustainable viticulture to produce only estate-grown wine. They're LIVE Certified Sustainable, Salmon Safe Certified, and are one of fourteen wineries to complete the Oregon Environmental Council's Carbon Reduction Challenge. All of the power for the guest cottages, the front gate, and the vineyard irrigation is run by solar power, and use a big chunk of their land for their Oak Savanna Restoration Project. They are very environmentally conscious.

This is also the fifth wine that I've reviewed by them. You can check them all out by clicking here.

You'll see that the 45th parallel is often brought up on wine labels from both Oregon and France. That's because many of the great vineyards in France are along or near this latitude, given just the right coolness and daylight for great wines of specific varieties, and the vineyards in Oregon around this latitude are turning out to be great as well.

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Wine Review: Falesco Vitiano Rosso 2015

Over the course of this week I've reviewed three wine's by Falesco's Vitiano label. I started off with their 2016 Bianco, then their 2016 Rosato, and now finally I'm tasting their 2015 Rosso. Falesco is located in Italy's Umbria and was founded in 1979 by two legendary winemakers, Riccardo and Renzo Cotarella. In 1995 they introduced the Vitiano label, seeking to find a balance between tradition of native grapes and the versatility of international varieties. Basically, Vitiano is their affordable, easily-approachable label for the average consumer.

The 2015 Rosso is 34% Sangiovese, 33% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 33% Merlot. The vineyard was planted in 1992 and is 1,000 about sea level, and the vines are trained as spur-pruned cordon. The wine sees twelve days of fermentation in stainless steel tanks and fifteen days of maceration. Then it goes into French oak barrels for three months before it's bottled, and then three months of bottle aging before release. The final ABV is 13.5%.

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Wine Review: Falesco Vitiano Rosato 2016

Over the course of this week I'm be reviewing three wine's by Falesco's Vitiano label. I started off with their 2016 Bianco, now I'm on their 2016 Rosato, and then finally I'll taste their 2015 Rosso. Falesco is located in Italy's Umbria and was founded in 1979 by two legendary winemakers, Riccardo and Renzo Cotarella. In 1995 they introduced the Vitiano label, seeking to find a balance between tradition of native grapes and the versatility of international varieties. Basically, Vitiano is their affordable, easily-approachable label for the average consumer.

The 2016 Rosato is 30% Sangiovese, 30% Merlot, 30% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 10% Aleatico. The vineyard was planted in 1985 at 990 feet above sea level on sedimentary clay with calcareous deposits. It has a brief maceration of two days to extract color and flavor, and then it's fermented in stainless steel tanks for ten days. 40,000 bottles were produced and it has an ABV of 12%.

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Wine Review: Falesco Vitiano Bianco 2016

Over the next week I'll be reviewing three wine's by Falesco's Vitiano label. I'm starting off here with their 2016 Bianco, then their 2016 Rosato, and finally their 2015 Rosso. Falesco is located in Italy's Umbria and was founded in 1979 by two legendary winemakers, Riccardo and Renzo Cotarella. In 1995 they introduced the Vitiano label, seeking to find a balance between tradition of native grapes and the versatility of international varieties. Basically, Vitiano is their affordable, easily-approachable label for the average consumer.

The 2016 Bianco is 50% Vermentino and 50% Verdicchio, all from experimental vineyards planted by Falesco and the University of Viterbo. The sedimentary clay around the estate is just what those vine varieties want to make their best representation of their wine. The wine sees cold soaked maceration, fermentation in stainless steel tanks, and then three months of aging in stainless steel tanks before it sees another month of bottle aging.

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