Cafe Maxx Wine Tasting Languedoc South of France

“Of all things known to mortals wine is the most powerful and effectual for exciting and inflaming the passions of mankind, being common fuel to them all.”

Francis Bacon
Philosopher, father of empiricism

We started out the year with 15 tastings in the month of January our first event was not until January 9th!!  That’s my kind of month!! 

We have a variety of different events and a variety of venues now but the tastings at the Cafe Maxx for $35 are the best value of any event that we do. You get to try 8 different wines at the same time, pre-poured so they have a chance to open up and so you can go back through the line-up to get a second and third look at everything. This is how you learn about wine and with master chef Oliver Saucy sending out a few small courses to accompany the wines.  You get a taste of Cafe Maxx and an education in wine all at the same time. A great way to spend happy hour!

Tonight we will feature wines from the South of France with some of the world's greatest old vine wines with unique varietals like Syrah, Grenache but they are also making excellent rose and white varietals, this is one of the most exciting regions of France right now as they offer some of the best values that the world of wine has to offer.   This is a pre-poured sit down tasting and is limited to 25 tasters, the fee for this tasting is $35 + Gratuity + tax for reservations call 954-523-9463.

Cafe Maxx Wine Tasting Languedoc South of France
Wednesday, February 11, 2015
6:30 PM

LAFAGE COTE D EST VDP BLANC 2013                     
Price: $13.25       Sale $11.66          Case $136

Made from an eccentric blend of 50% Grenache Blanc (from 100+-year-old vines), 30% Chardonnay and 20% Marsanne aged on its lees in stainless steel, the Cote d’Est exhibits a stunning perfume of dried apricots, honeyed citrus and white flowers. The lovely aromatics are followed by a crisp, elegant, slightly more textured, medium-bodied white with wonderful purity, freshness and length.

L'HORTUS GRANDE CUVEE BLANC 2009                
Price: $25.00       Sale $22.00          Case $255

The Hortus Blanc Grande Cuvée is a Vin de Pays, the countryside in question being the Val de Montferrand, located just to the south of the famous enclave of Pic Saint-Loup. The grapes are cultivated on brown soils on coarse alluvium which dates from the Quarternary period, the parent rock being predominantly calcerous, intermittently visible depending, quite literally, on the lie of the land.

The wine is made from 50% barrel-fermented Chardonnay, the balance shared between Roussanne and Viognier. The Grande Cuvée is aged on fine lees, with a weekly stirring in barrel over a period of eight months.

FONTSAINTE CORBIERES GRIS DE GRIS ROSE 2013                            
Price: $16.25       Sale $14.30          Case $166

A Rhone-style blend with 70% Grenache Gris and Grenache Noir, and the balance equal parts of Mourvèdre, Carignan, and Cinsault, this fruity and delicious rose offers up aromas and flavors of fresh-picked strawberries and cherries, with tropical fruit accents. It makes a lovely aperitif with olive tapenade on toast, but is balanced and versatile enough to pair with a variety of dishes, from stir fry veggies and grilled fish to slow-cooked lamb with Morroccan spices or roast chicken seasoned with Provençal herbs. 12.5% abv.

LAFAGE TESSELLAE 2012                               
Price: $14.25       Sale $12.54          Case $146

(90 Points)  "The 2012 Tessellae Old Vines Cotes du Roussillon is a blend of 40% Grenache from 60-year-old vines, 40% Syrah and 20% Mourvedre (both from 20-year-old vines). The fruit was all aged 12 months in 1-year-old concrete tanks. A big, barbecue/smoky brisket-like nose intermixed with kirsch liqueur, lavender and pepper scents jumps from the glass of this complex, mid-weight, savory, mouthfilling red with soft, velvety tannins. This bistro-styled red wine should be enjoyed over the next several years."  The Wine Advocate

GROS TOLLOT MINERVOIS LES FONTANILLES 2010                           
Price: $27.00       Sale $23.76          Case $276

Gros-Tollot is a joint venture between the husband and wife super-team of Anne Gros (she of the eponymous Vosne-Romanee domaine) and Jean-Paul Tollot (of Domaine Tollot-Boeut).

They have transported their Burgundian sensibilities to the South of France, where they create vibrant combinations of the Carignan, Cinsault, Grenache and Syrah varieties. They are responding avidly to the challenges of a climate so different to what they are accustomed to on their home turf. A supposed glimpse of the diverse soils and significant parcels within the southern appellation of Minervois was enough to convince the two that an excursion south was in order.

The pair have embraced their 14 hectares of ancient vines and their terroir with both hands, and are turning out wines unlike any others in the appellation and, indeed, beyond it.

Made from Grenache, Syrah, Carignan, Cinsault, each cepage is complete, and brings to the cuvee its own characteristics. One fruitiness and freshness, another sweetness, another depth and length, the other distinction and energy.

Chateau Puech-Haut Coteaux du Languedoc Prestige 2011                         
Price: $22.00       Sale $19.36          Case $225

(91 Points)  "A sensational offering from proprietor Gerard Bru, the 2011 Prestige is the estate’s least expensive wine. Readers may remember the fabulous review the 2010 Prestige received, and the 2011 is just as special. With Bru’s top Reserve wine selling for nearly $100 a bottle, the Prestige cuvee is an outstanding value. Interestingly, Bru has had three of the greatest winemaking consultants on Planet Earth working for him, first Michel Rolland, followed by Claude Gros and now Philippe Cambie. A blend of 60-75-year-old vine Grenache (55%) and 40-year old Syrah (45%), all grown on limestone soils dominated by the famous large rocks (galets roules) also found in parts of Chateauneuf du Pape. The wine is aged in concrete tanks prior to being bottled unfiltered. Some of the vineyards are farmed organically and others biodynamically. The wine exhibits a tremendous perfume of sweet raspberries, spring flowers, forest floor, truffles and lavender as well as a beautiful texture, a full-bodied mouthfeel, stunning velvety tannins and purity, and a long finish. This is the “real deal.” Drink it over the next 4-6 years. "  The Wine Advocate

2009 Chateau Puech-Haut "Recantou" Coteaux du Languedoc Saint Drezery      
Price: $48.00       Sale $42.24          Case $490

(95 Points)  Almost as good, and certainly in a similar vein, the 2009 Coteaux du Languedoc Saint Drezery Recantou thrills with its over-the-top decadence and richness. Licorice, chocolate, toasted spice, graphite and a similar minerality all show here, and it is full-bodied, gorgeously textured and decadent on the palate. Not for those craving delicacy or lightweight aromas or flavors, it's a superb, character-filled beauty to enjoy over the coming decade or so.  Robert Parker's Wine Advocate (JD) (4/ 2014)

NV Byrrh Grand Quinquina Aperitif                       
Price: $21.00       Sale $18.48          Case $215

 First produced in 1873, Byrrh was created by two brothers in the small French town of Thuir. This Grenache-based, quinine-laced aperitif wine is packed with luscious fruit and lifted by exotic spices and botanicals.

This tasting is $35 per person + tax +gratuity, for reservations call 954-782-0606.

A bit about the Languedoc from our good friends at Wikipedia:

The traditional provinces of the kingdom of France were not formally defined. A province was simply a territory of common traditions and customs, but it had no political organization. Today, when people refer to the old provinces of France, they actually refer to the gouvernements as they existed in 1789. Governements were military regions established in the middle of the 16th century and whose territories closely matched those of the traditional provinces. However, in some cases, small provinces had been merged with a large one into a single gouvernement, so gouvernements are not exactly the same as the traditional provinces.

Historically, the region was called the county of Toulouse, a county independent from the kings of France. The county of Toulouse was made up of what would later be called Languedoc, but it also included the province of Quercy (now département of Lot and northern half of the département of Tarn-et-Garonne) and the province of Rouergue (now département of Aveyron), both to the northwest of Languedoc. At some times it even included the province of Agenais (now eastern half of the département of Lot-et-Garonne) to the west of Languedoc, the province of Gévaudan (now département of Lozère), the province of Velay (now the central and eastern part of the département of Haute-Loire), the southern part of the province of Vivarais (now the southern part of the département of Ardèche), and even all the northern half of Provence. After the French conquest the entire county was dismantled, the central part of it being now called Languedoc.

The gouvernement of Languedoc was created in the middle of the 16th century. In addition to Languedoc proper, it also included the three small provinces of Gévaudan, Velay, and Vivarais (in its entirety), these three provinces being to the northeast of Languedoc. Some people also consider that the region around Albi was a traditional province, called Albigeois (now département of Tarn), although it is most often considered as being part of Languedoc proper. The provinces of Quercy and Rouergue, despite their old ties with Toulouse, were not incorporated into the gouvernement of Languedoc, instead being attached to the gouvernement of Guienne and its far-away capital Bordeaux. This decision was probably intentional, to avoid reviving the independently spirited county of Toulouse. In the rest of the article, Languedoc refers to the territory of this gouvernement of Languedoc.