Closerie des Lys Pinot Noir 2013
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Makes an excellent aperitif and goes well with charcuterie and red meat - try grilled lamb and roasted duck.
The domaine is roughly fifty miles west of Carcassonne in a lovely, isolated mountain valley hidden in the Pyrenean foothills, anchored by the old village of Antugnac (whose church was built as a kind of bastide, or fortified building, to protect the villagers from marauding bands in the middle ages). The vineyard parcels start at the village, but the majority climb the heights of the south-facing flanks, growing between 280 and 530 wind-swept meters above sea level in meager limestone soils.
The partners quickly understood that this location offered Languedoc's sunshine tempered strongly by mountain coolness. Limoux is Languedoc's only cru for white wine because it is the coolest region in Languedoc, and Limoux's Haute Vallée is the coolest of the cool (the temperature influence is such that the old vine Chardonnay here follows the same vegetative cycle as the partners' Chardonnay in Macon).
The partners figured that wine from these mountain vines could achieve sunny ripeness coupled with distinct freshness, and what they tasted confirmed the possibility. What they have come to subsequently make certainly confirms this, and it's aided in no small part by their attention to detail. Harvest typically begins in the wee hours before dawn and finishes by 11 in the morning, before the hot weather commences. Extractions lean toward the light and short scale. They look for fruit, not power.
Beginning in 2002, the partners began planting new, high-density parcels on Antugnac’s hillsides. Today, the domaine farms 96 hectares, or nearly 240 acres. The majority is planted in Chardonnay, but thirteen varieties are cultivated. Two primary ranges of wine are made: a base range of remarkably well-priced and lively wines labeled Closerie des Lys (based on grapes from the domaine and augmented by grapes purchased on the négociant market); and the Domaine Antugnac appellation wines.
Thin-skinned, finicky and temperamental, Pinot Noir is also one of the most rewarding grapes to grow and remains a labor of love for some of the greatest vignerons in Burgundy. Fairly adaptable but highly reflective of the environment in which it is grown, Pinot Noir prefers a cool climate and requires low yields to achieve high quality. Outside of France, outstanding examples come from in Oregon, California and throughout specific locations in wine-producing world. Somm Secret—André Tchelistcheff, California’s most influential post-Prohibition winemaker decidedly stayed away from the grape, claiming “God made Cabernet. The Devil made Pinot Noir.”
An extensive appellation producing a diverse selection of good quality and great values, Languedoc spans the Mediterranean coast from the Pyrenees mountains of Roussillon all the way to the Rhône Valley. Languedoc’s terrain is generally flat coastal plains, with a warm Mediterranean climate and frequent risk of drought.
Virtually every style of wine is made in this expansive region. Most dry wines are blends with varietal choice strongly influenced by the neighboring Rhône Valley. For reds and rosés, the primary grapes include Grenache, Syrah, Carignan, Cinsault and Mourvèdre. White varieties include Grenache Blanc, Muscat, Ugni Blanc, Vermentino, Macabéo, Clairette, Piquepoul and Bourbelenc.
International varieties are also planted in large numbers here, in particular Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc and Cabernet Sauvignon.
The key region for sparkling wines here is Limoux, where Blanquette de Limoux is believed to have been the first sparkling wine made in France, even before Champagne. Crémant de Limoux is produced in a more modern style.