Saint Félis [Terrasses du Larzac]

Domaine de Mortiès [in the New York Times]

“I’m not sure how we found Domaine de Mortiès, an organic winery at the foothills of Pic St. Loup, but it was the kind of unplanned, delightful discovery our previous trips to Montpellier never allowed.”

Last year,  I had the opportunity to visit and sample (!) from Domaine de Mortiès, an organic Pic Saint-Loup vineyard and winemaker. I have not yet opened the bottle of Jamais Content I bought then. Today I spotted in The New York Times a travel article on A visit to the in-laws in Montpellier that takes the author to Domaine de Mortiès, Pic Saint-Loup, Saint-Guilhem-du-Désert and other nice places, away from the overcrowded centre of town and the rather bland beach-town of Carnon, where she usually stays when visiting. And where we almost finished our Bayesian Essentials with R! To quote from the article, “Montpellier, France’s eighth-largest city, is blessed with a Mediterranean sun and a beautiful, walkable historic centre, a tourist destination in its own right, but because it is my husband’s home city, a trip there never felt like a vacation to me.” And when the author mentions the owner of Domaine de Mortiès, she states that “Mme. Moustiés looked about as enthused as a teenager working the checkout at Rite Aid”, which is not how I remember her from last year. Anyway, it is fun to see that visitors from New York City can unexpectedly come upon this excellent vineyard!

Domaine Ollier Taillefer [Faugères]

Domaine Gauby, Les Calcinaires

Pic Saint Loup

Domaine de Mortiès

Thanks to an invitation for a dinner near Pic Saint-Loup, and to Jean-Michel Marin’s availability and [wine] savvyness, I had the rare opportunity to visit and sample from Domaine Mortiès, an organic Côtes du Languedoc – Pic Saint-Loup vineyard and winemaker. Here is a comment on their best wine, the Jamais Content – Pic Saint-Loup from a wine blog:

Un nez très complexe nous est proposé : de l’olive noire, des épices (réglisse) et du fruit (cassis) s’échappent du verre. A l’aération, l’élevage boisé fait son apparition, il lui faudra encore un peu de temps pour être digéré. L’entrée en bouche est volumineuse, les tanins d’une belle facture envahissent le palais. C’est très bien fait et sa potentiel optimal sera atteint dans deux ou trois ans. La réglisse persiste ainsi qu’une note vanillée apportée par l’élevage. Un Pic Saint-Loup aux accents marqués.

The wine is a mixture of  Syrah and Grenache. With indeed a very round early taste, a tanic structure and a lasting after-taste. Forecasting a great wine within a few years.

Domaine Gauby, grands crus du Roussillon