Coming Soon - Online Organic Languedoc Wine Tasting by O'Briens Wine.

Coming Soon Online - Organic Languedoc Wine Tasting by O'Briens 

Featuring the wines of Château de Caraguilhes.

I spotted this tasting a few weeks back and put in my order for the four bottle set. I'm ready now for the online tasting on Thursday March 30th. Our hosts will be Étienne Besancenot, Winemaker, Château de Caraguilhes and Lynne Coyle Master of Wine, O'Briens Wine Director.

Étienne Besancenot studied winemaking in Montpellier after which he made a documentary film called "Les Voix du Terroir" to explain the French notion of Terroir. Filming for this documentary took Étienne to wine regions in Australia, New Zealand, Brazil, Argentina, Chile and France. He also worked grape harvests in Alsace, Spain, and France, and in 2007 Étienne arrived in Caraguilhes with owner Pierre Gabison. Their goal was to renovate Château de Caraguilhes’ vineyards and cellar and pursue their dream of turning the property first organic and then biodynamic.

Lynne Coyle Master of Winesources and selects their wine and Champagne range. One of only 415 Masters of Wine worldwide, she has dedicated her career to the food and drinks industry. Lynne also writes, judges at international wine competitions, is a Wine & Spirit Education Trust Certified Educator and makes her own wines in Spain.

Not too sure if you can still order the wines for the tasting, check here, but they are also part of the company's ongoing French Wine Sale. Details here. I have already sampled two of the wines. The others are the Solus Corbieres Boutinac (AOP) 2020 and Prestige Corbieres (AOP) 2020.

Château de Caraguilhes La Font Blanche Corbières (AOP) 2021, 13.5% ABV.

O’Briens Wine RRP: €18.45 (reduced to 14.76, 10th Mar - 10th Apr)

A dry refreshing white, this Corbieres is a blend of Grenache Blanc and Roussanne. Pair with scallops and citrus, also grilled goats cheese with fennel.

This blend is a light straw colour, clean and bright. Floral notes and white fruit (peaches, apricots) and citrus plus a drift of almonds feature in the aromatics. And you meet the same crew (with citrus now prominent) on the palate, silky and rounded and subtle. Some herbal notes also, after all we are in garrigue country. Beautifully smooth though and this dry refreshing white finishes very well indeed. 

Pairings recommended are with scallops (and citrus), also grilled goats cheese with fennel.

Very Highly Recommended.

Château de Caraguilhes Les Jardins Corbières (AOP) 2021, 14% ABV.

O’Briens RRP €18.95 (reduced to €14.21, 10th Mar - 10th Apr).

Carignan, Grenache, Syrah, have been blended to make Les Jardins, a smooth supple red. Match, it is suggested, with duck breast and Comte Cheese (or why not the local Hegarty’s Templegeal), serving between 16 to 18 degrees.

Exclusive to O'Briens, Les Jardins sends out aromas of ripe blackberry and blackcurrant. The complex palate is silky and fresh with fleshy fruity notes, the smoothness is enhanced by ripe tannins. Very well balanced. Quite a dark coloured wine. Lightweight also but with a 14% ABV.

The term tannin comes from the an ancient word for tanner, and refers to the use of tree bark to tan hides. You’ll also find them in grapes (of course!), tea leaves, pomegranates, spices like Cinnamon and Clove and nuts such as Almonds and Walnuts, Barley, even Rhubarb. It is an naturally occurring polyphenol and is more likely good for you. More on tannins from the University of Kansas study here . 

Highly Recommended.