I headed to La Sauvageonne in the Terrasses du Larzac and tasted some mighty fresh wines coming from the exceptional schist setting of the high Terrasses.
The schist at La Sauvageonne
We talk about diversity of the Languedoc-Roussillon a lot, and this estate visit helps that conversation quite a bit. Even though it is our third visit to the Terrasses du Larzac area, we’ve got a totaly different style of wine. Furthermore, the climb from the village up to the owner’s house at the peak of La Sauvageonne offers a peak at how much terroir can change in just a short climb in altitude. From the rust-colored Ruffes slate to the nearly lunar rock landscapes of the higher vines, La Sauvageonne makes you realize how wonderfully fast the terrain can change in the Languedoc.
Another interesting feature of this episode is that John is a person who came to work at La Sauvageonne because he loved the wines. And after a few short years working there, he’s been put in charge. That kind of passion turned into profession is pretty fun and makes for a good conversation.
The wines: Les Ruffes 2008, La Sauvageonne, AOC Terrasses du Larzac Pica Broca 2008, La Sauvageonne, AOC Terrasses du Larzac Puech de Glen 2005, La Sauvageonne, AOC Terrasses du Larzac
I got to visit the cult hit La Pèira in the Terrasses du Larzac and taste a lot of delicious wines. Unfortunately for you anglophones, the reds were tasted in La Pèira’s French tasting. Luckily though, I’m not the only one who talks about them. You can check out Gary Vaynerchuk’s take on these delicious red wines or read what the Wine Advocate says.
In the meantime, this English language episode is packed full of goodies including a blow-your-mind white wine (viognier roussane blend) and a tasting of the 2009 Syrah from La Pèira pure in the holding tank. NICE. This gives you a sneak peak of the Syrah that will make its way into their extremely limited run wines.
In retrospect, I really didn’t freak out enough about this white wine which we finished off at lunch. If you like big reds but never really got passionate about white wine (or you know somebody like that), Deuslys is a hardcore white that is explosive. We tasted it AFTER tasting three HUGE red wines and it still felt fresh, big and delicious. The only problem is that they make sooo little of it for now. It’s super rare…for now.
Terroir des Terrasses du Larzac
Lastly, one of the great things about this vineyard is that you can follow them online. It seems like Rob Dougan has signed up for every social media site I’ve ever heard of. La Peira on Twitter on Facebook on Flickr
The wines:
La Pèira 2007, La Pèira, AOC Terrasses du Larzac
Las Flors 2007, La Pèira, AOC Terrasses du Larzac
Les Obriers, La Pèira, AOC Terrasses du Larzac
See also: Malolactic Fermentation – A second fermentation (completely separate from alcoholic fermentation) in which malic acids are converted to lactic acids. Softens the tannins and decreases certain types of spoilage. The wine we taste in the tank is probably going through it’s malo as we are tasting it. It’s hard/impossible to tell by taste, but I suspect (and hope) that the malo is underway.
La Pèira nous a ouvert ses portes. Enfin, nous les avons vite refermérs derrière nous car ce vent du nord soufflait très fort! Dans la cave bien protégée du vent, nous avons dégusté trois merveilles du Languedoc. Ce sont des vins cultes produits en petite quantité, et Jérémie a une passion qui nous rappelle que le vin est une forme d’art.
Les vins:
La Pèira 2007, La Pèira, AOC Terrasses du Larzac
Las Flors 2007, La Pèira, AOC Terrasses du Larzac
Les Obriers, La Pèira, AOC Terrasses du Larzac
English | Ryan O'Connell February 5, 2010 | 
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