Leon Stolarski Fine Wines Domaine de La Garance

The wines of Domaine de La Garance have been imported by trade agents Richards Walford for some time now, but despite the fact that we sell a handful of the wines on their list (though none from Languedoc - we prefer to import all of our own Languedoc wines) we never really noticed them. But we recently received an an offer from Richards Walford that piqued my interest. It read......

"For whatever reason, this amazing Domaine remains stubbornly undiscovered by the majority of our customers; sadly, we therefore find ourselves with a considerable amount of stock, ranged across several vintages. As we can no longer justify purchasing new vintages, we thought this was a good opportunity to offer out the stocks we currently hold in our UK bond........

For those of you who know Domaine de la Garance, this is a great last chance to snap up a range of vintages. For those who don’t, these are some of the most wonderful wines to have ever graced our list – unique, complex, and deeply delicious. A combination of diverse soils, including Villafranchien (a stoney, gravelly soil mixed with red clay), basalt, marl, gneiss, limestone, and granite add real character to the wines. The whites are based on Ugni Blanc (aka Trebbiano) – that normally quite unexciting grape variety often distilled in Cognac or used to make flabby Italian whites – but here, becomes something else entirely. Older vintages were blended with Grenache Gris and Clairette, more recent vintages with Chardonnay, which achieves a greater minerality on granite soils. Old demi-muids are used for vinification, not completely full, as the winemaker Pierre Quinonero seeks an oxidative, noisette style. The wines stay on their lees right up until the mise, giving a powerful impression of autolytic character each vintage. They must be tasted to be believed; they are a constantly changing, living thing, and how many wines can we say that about these days?

The reds seem very distinctly Spanish – no doubt stemming from Pierre’s Catalan roots. Based on old vine Carignan and Syrah (generally 90% and 10%) and spending a full 30 months in barrel before bottling, they are bursting with energy and age particularly well. Though not certified biodynamic, the Domaine practices biodynamic principles and the wines are about as hand-crafted and natural as they get – Pierre describes them as “l’antithèse de la technologie” - hand harvested with habitually low yields of 17hl/ha, only indigenous yeasts are used, the wines are not fined or filtered, and very little sulphur is used."

Although I don't particularly agree that the reds are distinctly Spanish (I think they speak loudly of Languedoc Carignan) I tend to otherwise agree, for these are truly wonderful, quirky wines.

Domaine de La Garance Les Claviers 2006 Vin de Pays de l'Hérault
Domaine de La Garance Les Claviers 2006

Vintage	2006
Region	Caux, a few km north-west of Pézenas
Colour/Style	Dry white, full bodied. Fermented and aged in oak barrels
Grapes	Ugni Blanc, Grenache Gris, Clairette
Alcohol (a.b.v)	14.0%
Food	Smoked salmon, shellfish, chicken, cheese
Next day	Still excellent
Drink	Can be drunk now, but will age for 5 to 10 years
This is a blend of - frankly rather unfashionable - Languedoc/SW France varieties. All of the grapes (from old vines of 50+ years) are fermented together and aged for 9 months in 400 litre Tronçais oak barrels with batonnage (stirring) once a week, prior to bottling, with no fining or filtration. The resulting wine is quite a deep gold in colour, yet very clear and bright. The nose is amazing - perhaps a touch of sulphur (or more likely reduction, given that not a lot of sulphur is used), but extremely mineral and flinty, with a touch of the struck match about it, but with potent citrus/zest aromas, redolent of lime oil, lemon zest and mandarin orange. Further notes of quicnce/crab apple, mixed herbs, spices and straw make for a wine of real complexity, both on the nose and the palate. Those herby, citrus, straw and mineral qualities come through in the mouth, along with baked apples and cloves, glorious acidity and even a touch of wood (or grape) tannin. Whatever it is, it is a wonderfully complex and lovely wine.

Price: £12.95 (Including: VAT at 20%)

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Domaine de La Garance Les Claviers 2007 Vin de Pays de l'Hérault
Domaine de La Garance Les Claviers 2007

Vintage	2007
Region	Caux, a few km north-west of Pézenas
Colour/Style	Dry white, full bodied. Fermented and aged in oak barrels
Grapes	Ugni Blanc, Grenache Gris, Clairette
Alcohol (a.b.v)	14.0%
Food	Smoked salmon, shellfish, chicken, cheese
Next day	Still excellent
Drink	Can be drunk now, but will age for 5 to 10 years
Another deep gold coloured wine, but this one is stikingly different (at least at this stage) to the 2006 - richer, oilier, denser and perhaps a touch more alcoholic. It has peach, apricot, orange and baked apple aromas and a strong whiff of honey. Quite nutty, too, with a suggestion of sweetness that does indeed come through in the mouth. And it does taste richer, more mouth-filling and perhaps a bit less elegant and zingy than the 2006, though there appears to be ample underlying acidity - it is just masked by the sheer richness and weight of what is an enormously textured wine. Nevertheless, it is again very complex and long in the mouth, with a long, spicy, warming finish, not unlike the white from Chateau d'Estoublon. And for that reason, it is very impressive.

Price: £15.50 (Including: VAT at 20%)

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Domaine de La Garance Les Claviers 2008 Vin de Pays de l'Hérault
Domaine de La Garance Les Claviers 2008

Vintage	2008
Region	Caux, a few km north-west of Pézenas
Colour/Style	Dry white, full bodied. Fermented and aged in oak barrels
Grapes	Ugni Blanc, Grenache Gris, Clairette
Alcohol (a.b.v)	14.0%
Food	Smoked salmon, shellfish, chicken, cheese
Next day	Still excellent
Drink	Can be drunk now, but will age for 5 to 10 years
If anything, this is an even deeper gold colour than the previous vintages, but still smells fresh, albeit in a honeyed, nutty, deliberately oxidative style. The aromas are more in the non-fruit category, with lots of minerally, herb and straw nuances and even a hint of wet wool, with subtle hints of peach, orange and apple lurking in the background. It is sort of a halfway house between the 2006 and 2007, with a touch more weight than the former, but higher acidity than the latter. Another brilliantly quirky wine.

Price: £16.99 (Including: VAT at 20%)

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Domaine de La Garance Les Armieres 2002 Vin de Pays de l'Hérault
Domaine de La Garance Les Armieres 2002 Vin de Pays de l'Herault

Vintage	2002
Region	Caux, a few km north-west of Pézenas
Colour/Style	Dry red - full bodied
Grapes	90% Carignan and 10% Syrah, aged for 2 years in barrel
Alcohol (a.b.v)	13.5%
Food	Roasted red meats, game, cheeses.
Next day	Still fresh, though at its best on day one
Drink	Now, or over the next 5+ years
What strikes me is how wonderfully "Languedoc" this smells and tastes. Of course, the fact that it is mostly (very old) Carignan helps. This oft-derided grape varety is now all the rage in a region where so many old vines have long since been ripped out in favour of more fashionable grape varieties (or in some cases, other crops altogether). The colour is a deep-ish blood red, leading to a slightly bricking rim. The nose offers a complex array of red and black berry fruits, dried orange peel and polished leather. Background notes of cedar, curry spices and tea suggest that the 2 years' oak-ageing was done with a sympathetic hand, for a more harmonious bouquet is hard to imagine. And whilst the cool (and often difficult) year means that the fruit will never be voluptuous, it has real charm, with plenty of spiced red cherry, redcurrant and raspberry flavours and juicy acidity. The tannins are grippy, perhaps even a touch stalky, but there is more than enough fruit to cope. A really lovely wine.

Price: £12.95 (Including: VAT at 20%)

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Domaine de La Garance Les Armieres 2005 Vin de Pays de l'Hérault
Domaine de La Garance Les Armieres 2005

Vintage	2005
Region	Caux, a few km north-west of Pézenas
Colour/Style	Dry red - full bodied
Grapes	90% Carignan and 10% Syrah, aged for 2 years in barrel
Alcohol (a.b.v)	14.0%
Food	Roasted red meats, game, cheeses.
Next day	Still fresh, though at its best on day one
Drink	Now, or over the next 10+ years
Again, mostly (very old) Carignan. The colour is a deep blood red, with a narrow ruby rim. The nose is very complex, with aromas of bramble and black cherry, leather, allspice and cedar. There's a strong savoury element too, hinting at char-grilled beef and garrigue herbs. Once again, the effect of 2 years' oak-ageing is harmonious and really quite subtle. The palate offers an array of sweet, spiced red and black cherry, redcurrant and bramble flavours, combined with rich, ripe, yet beautifully grippy tannins and ample acidity, making for a balanced and very classy wine, with a long, sweet and sour finish. I would suggest it will take at least another 5 years to approach its peak drinking window - but don't let that deter you, because it is certainly giving plenty of pleasure already!

Price: £15.50 (Including: VAT at 20%)

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Domaine de La Garance Les Armieres 2006 Vin de Pays de l'Hérault
Domaine de La Garance Les Armieres 2006

Vintage	2006
Region	Caux, a few km north-west of Pézenas
Colour/Style	Dry red - full bodied
Grapes	90% Carignan and 10% Syrah, aged for 2 years in barrel
Alcohol (a.b.v)	14.0%
Food	Roasted red meats, game, cheeses.
Next day	Still fresh, though at its best on day one
Drink	Now, or over the next 10+ years
Once again, mostly Carignan, with a little Syrah, and this one has quite a lot of sediment. But I don't let a little sediment worry me, for it is what the wine tastes and smells like that is important - and my word this one is good! The nose offers-up myriad aromas of red and black fruits, woodsmoke, pepper, exotic spices, leather and garrigue herbs. There is also a strong hint of grilled meat and - at the other end of the spectrum - even some delicate floral notes. Of course, there is always a worry that the palate might not live up to the promise of the nose, but there are no such worries here. A huge hit of bramble and redcurrant fruit washes over the palate, accompanied by the most wonderful citrus-tinged acidity and all kinds of other flavours and textures, which coat the mouth and linger for an age. This really is a wine which fills the senses and keeps you coming back for more. Of course it is still relatively young, and there is plenty of grip, but the sheer pleasure offered by the intense, concentrated, yet gloriously succulent sweet-and-sour fruit is such that you almost don't notice the tannin. Every mouthful leaves you salivating and simply craving for more. It is utterly delicious, and yet another example of why I think that Carignan - in the right winemaker's hands - is the finest jewel in the Languedoc's crown. A stunning wine.

Price: £16.99 (Including: VAT at 20%)

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Domaine de La Garance Bruixas Vin de Liqueur Solera Hors d'Age
La Garance Bruixas Hor's d'Age

Vintage	A "solera" consisting of 5 vintages from 2001 onwards
Region	Caux, a few km north-west of Pézenas
Colour/Style	Lightly fortified red - full bodied
Grapes	100% Grenache Noir
Alcohol (a.b.v)	15.0%
Food	Aperitif, after dinner, blue cheeses, rich fruit cakes.
Next day	Lasts for weeks
Drink	Now, or over the next 20 or more years
100% old-vine Grenache, blended from the fruit of no less than 5 different vintages (from 2001 onwards) and lightly fortified. It shows a fine sediment, courtesy of having spent several years in barrel (or at least some of it) followed by a good couple of years in bottle, without fining or filtering. The colour is pale tawny/mahogany, fading gently to an even paler rim. The nose is quite beguiling - coffee grounds, chocolate and a touch of toasty oak, with further notes of molasses, fig, burnt orange, polished wood and a wonderfully evocative hint of autumn forest floor. Not to mention an array of fresh and preserved red fruit aromas, notably raspberry, redcurrant and wild strawberry. There's a hint of fine eau de vie, but this is such a gently and skilfully fortified wine that neither the nose nor the palate shows too much in the way of alcoholic heat. The palate is a glorious symphony of flavours, combining rich fruitcake, orange peel, fig, molasses, lapsang tea and mocha, with a long, tangy, earthy finish. Beautifully resolved tannins and a refreshing streak of tangy sour cherry acidity complete the package, in an utterly more-ish wine of great depth and complexity. A wonderful wine.

Price: £23.95 (Including: VAT at 20%)

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Domaine de La Garance Six - Save £10
Domaine de La Garance

A specially priced sample case, covering our range of wines from Domaine de La Garance. The wines in this selection normally retail separately at £97.84. This 6-bottle case is offered at the special price of £87.84 (a saving of £10) and comprises the following wines;

Dry white:
1 x Les Claviers 2006 Vin de Pays de l'Hérault
1 x Les Claviers 2007 Vin de Pays de l'Hérault

Dry red:
1 x Les Armieres 2002 Vin de Pays de l'Hérault
1 x Les Armieres 2005 Vin de Pays de l'Hérault
1 x Les Armieres 2006 Vin de Pays de l'Hérault

Fortified red:
1 x Bruixas Vin de Liqueur Solera Hors d'Age

Price: £87.84 (Including: VAT at 20%)

Quantity:

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Minimum order value, delivery charges, times and restrictions

We deliver only to UK and Northern Ireland addresses. The minimum order value is £75 (plus the delivery charge). You may of course choose a mix of any wines in our range. Orders between £75 and £200: delivery charge is £7.50. Orders over £200: delivery is free! (If your order is over £200, please remember to change the delivery charge in checkout to £0.00). Please note: Delivery to non-mainland addresses (Scottish Highlands and Islands, Northern Ireland, Isle of Man, Isle of Wight, etc.) is usually possible, but may not be on a next-working-day basis. It is also more expensive than delivery to mainland addresses, so will be charged at cost (for orders under £200) but with a small discount for orders over £200 - please call us for a quote.

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It is an offence to purchase or attempt to purchase alcohol if you are under the age of 18. (Section 149 Licensing Act 2003).We reserve the right to seek proof of age. Leon Stolarski says "drink less, but drink better!" Please consume alcohol in moderation.