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This site is meant to present the estate, through its history, its terroir and its wines.
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Domaine la Croix Chaptal, Les Terrasses Rouge, 2007 is now available on the US West Coast for the first time in our history thanks to Grapex - .
Grape Expectations, Inc
1091 Essex Avenue
Richmond, CA 94801
510/412-5969 fax 510/412-5966

WineBizNews  - 2011 - August,  5th
Content created by Barbara Keck, Harvard MBA, former USDA extension specialist, and experienced business-to-business marketing consultant. Contact: barbara (at)winebizpr.com

Vins du Languedoc: Great Tastes, Fabulous Values

One of the best wine tasting events I’ve been to all year was the one featuring Languedoc AOC wines, where I tasted wines made from grapes that were unfamiliar to me and learned about the fascinating history of this wine region.
Below is a look at just a few of the 31 wines that were poured.  I was impressed with the aroma, taste and food-friendliness of all that I tasted.

Domaine la Croix Chaptal, Les Terrasses Rouge, 2007 is produced on an estate that formerly belonged to Gellone Abbey, founded in 804. Winemaker Charles Pacaud’s red wine combines Grenace and Carignan with a touch of Syrah. The taste is of dark fruits that follow the aroma of cherry and perhaps coffee. It is spicy and fresh, and representative of the Terrasses du Larzac area wines. This growing area is in the western part of the rural district of Saint Andre de Sangonis, about 20 miles northwest of Montpellier, a popular tourist destination due to old abbeys and natural caves. Alcohol is low: 13 percent “because we have an especial terroir which expresses the grapes and so we have flavor at lower alcohol,” according to Pacaud. Price around $20 a bottle. Distributed by www.usawinewest.com or call (415) 331-4906 to find out where to buy it; it’s worth the hunt.

© 2011 Barbara Keck

Meet us at Vinexpo Hall 2, Alley KL, Stand 34-2. See you soon !

For the first time of my vine-grower 'slife, you will be able to find my wines on the US west coast thanks to Grape Expextations. If you are interested in retailing my Terrasses du Larzac Grand Cru and my Coteaux du Languedoc Grand vin, please contact them :
Grape Expectations - 1091 Essex avenue - Richmond - CA 94801 - Ph : 510 412 5969
Thank you.

Two new good reviews about my wines : one from England thanks to Sally Easton MW & one from Wine-Compass.com - USA (more details in "News "

2011 AMBASSADORS TOUR
a tasting of exemplary Languedoc AOC wines among which you’ll find my two Terrasses du Larzac “Les Terrasses 2007” & “Cuvée Charles 2007”

I will be present for these events :

Washington DC – April 5
The Whittemore House
1526 New Hampshire Ave., NW
11:00pm – 3:00pm

Chicago – April 6
Bistro Campagne
4518 North Lincoln Avenue
11:00pm – 3:00pm

San Francisco – April 7
Hotel Monaco
501 Geary Street
11:00pm – 3:00pm

RSVP: Thea Schlendorf – languedocwines@gmail.com 

Press and Trade only

Languedoc Grands Crus Wine Tasting
  
Is Languedoc, South of France on your wine radar? It should be; offering exceptional value, tradition and innovation, these wines are now even easier than ever to appreciate and identify thanks to new segmentation into three categories: AOC Languedoc, Grands Vins du Languedoc and Grands Crus du Languedoc.

I will be present at this event with my AOC Terrasses du Larzac – Languedoc Grand Cru “Cuvée Charles 2007”

 New York City– April 4
Maison de la Région Languedoc-Roussillon
10 E. 53rd Street
(between Madison and Fifth Avenues)
10am to 4pm

RSVP
Press: languedocwines@gmail.com
Trade: contactny@suddefrance-export.com

 Press and Trade only
 

The latest News : (January 21st 2011)

For the second year in a row, Domaine La Croix Chaptal is selected as one of the top 30 Languedoc Wines on the USA market thanks to its cuvée "Les Terrasses 2007" - AOC Terrasses du Larzac - Languedoc !!!
For further information on this reward, please check the News section

28 winegrowers together

 To Welcome You in Hall 9 - VINISUD - Montpellier, February 22nd, 23rd & 24th

Rediscover withinTerrasses du Larzac

The generosity of the Languedoc and the freshness of the Larzac

 Domaine Alexandrin. Domaine d’Archimbaud. Mas des Brousses. Mas Brunet. Mas Cal Demoura. Domaine du Causse d’Arboras. Château de Jonquières. Château de Valloubière. MAS DES CHIMÈRES . CLOS DU SERRES. Domaine des Conquêtes. Mas Conscience. Domaine des Crès Ricards. Domaine La Croix Chaptal. Mas Fabregous. DOMAINE DE FAMILONGUE. Domaine Malavieille. Domaine Montcalmès. Mas Nicot - Mas des Agrunelles. Plan de l’Om. MAS DU POUNTIL. La Réserve d’O. Domaine la Sauvageonne. Mas de la Séranne. Terrasses d’Elise. Domaine des Trémières. DOMAINE VAÏSSE. VIGNOBLE DES 2 TERRES.

 « ... To create great terroir driven wines which capture the identity of the Languedoc, to work with integrity to preserve our countryside and to invite you to share our adventure through our wines... »

Great Languedoc Wines : www.terrasses-du-larzac.com

Enjoy the Languedoc - it won't be here forever, from Andrew Jefford : Decanter January 2009 (pg 21)
"...Geologically, the Languedoc hills are a synopsis of everything which makes France so propitious for winegrowing... Surely in any other country, those Languedoc hills would have been a star region; their misfortune was to find themselves sharing a nation with Champagne, Bordeaux, Burgundy, the Loire and the Rhône. And too far from Paris.
But where is the best spot in the Languedoc ? My theory is that Terrasses du Larzac is the greatest spot in the Languedoc... Stone and slopes alone don't make for great wine - as much of Provence proves - but when skilled winegrowers grapple intelligently and sensitively with nature here, the results seem to me to have the same aromatic, textural potential as the best of the Rhône..."
 

Wine Spectator of January 2009 : SAVVY SHOPPER
Strategies to help you choose the best wines in 2009 -  TOP VALUES  :
Domaine La Croix Chaptal "Cuvée Charles" 2005 = 90/100 : $20
Domaine La Croix Chaptal "Les Terrasses" 2005 = 88/100 : $15

Three stars in the September issue of  DECANTER

Two acknowledgements for our two most representative wines :

The Savvy Shopper : Languedoc

By Bruce Sanderson
From Wine Spectator magazine, July 31, 2008 issue

The Coteaux du Languedoc Cuvée Charles 2005 (90, $20) from Domaine La Croix Chaptal is firm and powerful, oozing with dark cherry and dried herb notes flanked by mocha and spice.
 

La Revue du Vin de France : Millésime 2007 (Vintage) - pg 180
Domaine La Croix Chaptal Clairette du Languedoc - Clairette Blanche : 17,5/20
"Rare cuvée made from 100% Clairette : full-bodied and elegant structure, handsome, straightforward and ripe texture, full of freshness, lengthy in the mouth with a spicy final touch, caraway and fennel"

Terre de vins mars-avril-mai 2008 n°38

« LA CROIX CHAPTAL , CHAPEAU BAS ! "  =   “LA CROIX CHAPTAL , WELL DONE !

"Charles-Walter Pacaud, who was born in Cognac, discovered the Languedoc area during his course of study at the Engineer School of Agronomics in Montpellier. He then roved about the world of wine from England to Listel, worked in Napa Valley and Provence before settling in the hamlet of Cambous in 1999. He little by little decided he could completely place his confidence in this superb terroir by working on the soil, falling in love with carignan and interfering in vinifications in the slightest possible way. That explains why the two cuvees that were presented to our jury , are inevitably anchored in the terroir. They both won our unanimous support and place this 18-hectare estate among the best in the appellation.

The cuvee Les Terrasses 2005 (17 out of 20; 7.70€), made of grenache and carignan with a touch of syrah is a full-bodied, rich and noble wine. That is true for the nose which is intense, complex, ripe, blending aromas of candied fruit (cherry, raspberry), “garrigue”, dried fig and nutmeg. The mouth is in keeping with the above: mellow, well-defined, fresh with mineral touches at the end.

We also find the same terroir character in the cuvée Les Origines – Seigneurie de Cambous, AOC Terrasses du Larzac 2005 (18 out of 20 ;18€), all in praise of the carignan variety , with its bewitching nose blending aromas of earth, redcurrant, tobacco, undergrowth and soft spices. The full-bodied, tasty, silky texture in the mouth is outstandingly harmonious and lends itself to many different gourmet combinations”.

The Dusssert-Gerber 2008 wine guide:

 confirms our status as “ 1 ^er grand cru classé”

 A 25- hectare vineyard where you find this côteaux du Languedoc Cuvée Charles Terrases du Larzac 2004( 36% Grenache, 32% Syrah and 32 % Carignan on soils made of rounded stones, gravels and some red clay) the grapes are hand-picked then allowed to ferment and rest in tanks for 30 to 40 days for each variety before ageing for 23 months ( half this time in barrels), the wine is unfiltered...

The Gilbert and Gaillard 2008 wine guide:

 The second best mark in Côteaux du Languedoc  (vintages and terroirs combined)

 Red cherry colour. A superb nose with very ripe fruit (cherry, morello cherry). The mouth is crunchy,  fruity, fresh, framed by well-integrated tannins. Nose and mouth combine in a long, harmonious and somewhat mineral final touch.

The Domaine is also praised in Michel Smith’s book page 171, in the column ”evolving Grands Crus: the promising ones and the forgotten ones…”

“Here is an actually soaring Domaine from which we are expecting significant progress before we can speak of great wines. In 2000, the Cuvée Charles is impressive through its tannins, length in the mouth and its tinges of “garrigue”. As for a white wine, there is also the Clairettte du Languedoc, one of the oldest varieties and one of the earliest appellations in the area.”

The Seigneurie de Cambous 2004 is also mentioned in the Républicain Lorrain :

“In the nose, this wine sends out its aromas of candied small  red fruit with a few tinges of spices and garrigue. The mouth is well-structured, smooth and full with fine tannins. A wine that should still be kept.” 

A harvest of articles on our Rosé Coteaux du Languedoc 2006 and 2005 in this month of July! 

- in the July issue of La Revue du Vin de France  it is awarded a mark of 16 out of 20 and named “great wine”: “a fine Rosé, brightly-coloured, fresh and sprightly! Strong character.” 

- a very praising article in “ la Revue Nationale de la Chasse ( the National magazine for hunting) :

Charles Pacaud merely chooses to let his Rosé age a little longer than that of his colleagues. Thus it is this extra time which gives his wines the brightly-coloured robe which reminds us of claret.
Its nose is leaning towards wood and spices on a background of red fruit. It is full-bodied and fleshy as well as very smooth and fresh. Goes well with a game couscous.”
 

le Chasseur Français ( the French Hunter) - the Rosé Coteaux du Languedoc 2005 is again praised in the July issue

 “Its elegant and rich fruit recalls that of a red wine but its freshness in the mouth is indeed that of a rosé. It is really delicious along with a ratatouille, with or without meat.”

·     Out Déodat de Séverat 2004 is praised in Terre De Vin n°30, p 18:

“Charles Pacaud’s estate goes a step further with “Les Origines”, a new ambitious range of three “cuvées”, each one with one of the three following varieties : Carignan, Grenache or Syrah as its main basis. This Coteaux du Languedoc 2004 (17,50 €) pays tribute to Déodat de Séverat, a monk from Gellone Abbey who created the vineyard of the estate of Cambous in the early X^th century. In this wine, the Syrah variety prevails supported by a touch of Grenache and Carignan. Its nose is toasted and full of ripe wild black berries and elderberry. In the mouth, touches of blackberry jam, of prune, of thyme and ash prevail. This is a powerful, fleshy, concentrated wine but it remains fresh and full-bodied with a long-lasting mint-flavoured final touch.”

Charles-Walter PACAUD
Artisan-Vigneron