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I Love French Wine And Food - A Midi Merlot
I love French wine and food so much that I am doing a series on the typical and special wines and foods of France's eleven wine regions. This article explores the Languedoc-Roussillon region of south central France and reviews a Red Merlot wine. Was it a bargain? I'll make specific recommendations, and won't be silent if I'm unhappy with a wine.
If you feel like enjoying some fine French wine and food, why don’t you check out the Languedoc-Roussillon region of south central France. If you are lucky you may even stumble upone a bargain, and I hope that you’ll have fun on this fact-filled wine education tour in which we review a local red Merlot.
Languedoc-Roussillon is the largest of France’s eleven wine-growing regions and ranks number fourth in the vineyard acreage. This area, which includes the Midi, had been known for generating immense amounts of rather dubious table wine called vin ordinaire. Recently, thanks in part to flying Australian wine makers, the region has started to produce a lot of fine wine. Like Alsace, and unlike most other regions of France, many Languedoc-Roussillon wines, such as the one reviewed below, are identified by their constituent grape variety on the label.
This lovely region has a varied terrain. For example, Languedoc is mostly flat; in contrast Roussillon is hilly. Several areas take advantage of their unique combination of microclimate and soil (terroir) to produce one or more local AOC (Appellation d’Origine Controle) wines. You can expect to pay more for these wines than for their generic cousins. Sooner or later we will review at least one of these wines in our series. Languedoc-Roussillon has almost 50 AOC wine appellations; red, white, rosé, sparkling, and sweet. This diversity is not surprising given that the region grows over 30 grape varieties including Merlot, the single most important grape variety in Bordeaux.
Perpignan, settled first in Roman times, was founded over a millennium ago. It was the capital of Roussillon. Unlike most of the other cities and towns mentioned in this series, Perpignan rose up against French rule. Even though it lost the battle, France ceded it to Spain for several decades. You won’t have to look far to see Spanish influence. Salvador Dali, arguably one of Spain’s greatest modern artists, called its train station the center of the universe and said that he got his best ideas sitting in its waiting room. So it’s no surprise that a monument honoring Dali hangs above the station. Other sites to see include the historic downtown near the docks of the Basse River, the fortified Palais des Rois de Majorca (Palace of the Kings of Majorca), Le Castillet a former prison, and the Cathedrale St-Jean (Cathedral of St. John the Baptist). Sad to say you can no longer visit the city walls; they were demolished over a century ago to let a growing city expand.
The Mediterranean fishing village of Collioure is a major tourist attraction especially during the summer months. To a large extent it was made famous by Henri Matisse and other Fauve painters of times gone by. The good news is that the view hasn’t changed much. As you might well imagine, this village of less than three thousand remains popular with artists. Make sure to see the old port, the Seventeenth Century Notre-Dame-des-Anges (Our Lady of the Angels) Church and the Thirteenth Century Château Royal (Royal Castle) once the summer home of the kings of Majorca.
Before reviewing the Languedoc-Roussillon wine and imported cheeses that we were lucky enough to purchase at a local wine store and a local Italian food store, here are a few suggestions of what to eat with indigenous wines when touring this beautiful region. Start with Roque Anchois (Anchovies with Tomato, Spices, Vinegar, and Olive Oil). For your second course savor Tagine de Lotte (Monkfish Stew). And as dessert indulge yourself with Crème Catalan (Crème brûlée with Orange Flower and Aniseed).
OUR WINE REVIEW POLICY All wines that we taste and review are purchased at the full retail price.
Wine Reviewed Domaine des Aspes Merlot 2003 13% about $14
Let’s start by quoting the marketing materials. An attractive Merlot from the warm 2003 vintage. The aromas suggest ripe plum, blackberry and a hint of tar. It is dry, quite rich and supple with a long, balanced finish. Match barbecued steak.
My first meal was take out. It consisted of chicken breast with the skin on, potato salad, and a somewhat spicy tomato, red pepper, and garlic salad. No, I didn’t buy this last salad in the Midi. My first sip of this wine was excellent: It was quite round and rich with some tobacco and plenty of dark fruit. You know the old story about never getting a second chance to make a first impression. No need. I think that the Merlot’s length and level of complexity kept it from competing in a totally different price range. I wasted some wine by pairing it with a quite unorthodox partner, fresh pineapple. No surprise, the two didn’t mesh.
The next meal consisted of a stove-top home cooked chicken breast with a somewhat spicy tomato sauce, accompanied by white rice and green beans. As previously this wine was quite powerful tasting of tobacco and dark fruit.
Of course I did want to try this wine with red meat. I went for hamburgers and the fixings. Once again it was a success. The Merlot was long and round and clearly presented the taste of tobacco. Let me remind you that I am not now and have never really been a smoker. I don’t go looking for a tobacco taste but I do like it in a wine, if not overdone. In all cases I was pleased with its tobacco taste. The wine seemed a bit chewy and very pleasant. The last sips were quite enjoyable after the meal was over.
My first cheese pairing was with a goat’s milk cheese, a Palet de Chevre from the Poitou Charentes region of central-western France. This cheese seemed more like a Camembert than a goat’s milk cheese. The wine was less forward than with the meals, but I’d say subtle instead of flat. I got the taste of plums. The second cheese was a Swiss Gruyere. The wine was intense; a nice match between its fruit and the Gruyere’s nuttiness. I usually restrict these tastings to imported cheese but I found a real favorite of mine, a local Asiago that I prefer to its Italian cousin and, frankly, to almost any cheese that I have eaten in quite a while. The wine remained powerful and fruity with a good level of acidity. Black plums are good, but I don’t think that they were ever this good. Final verdict. Can you guess? Will the next bottle be as good? I’ll follow my instincts and the marketing notes and try it with barbecued steak.