Roujan 2026
Like Keats with his ‘purple-stained mouth’, I was in search of ‘a draught of vintage’. I found many beakers in the Languedoc earlier this year.
Languedoc produces more wine than any region in France, even Bordeaux.
Encompassing many appellations, it’s a useful one to look out for in the UK; the wines usually offer good value, especially compared with fashionable Provence.
Vines are in evidence everywhere, going about their useful work; the climate is too hot to support significant farming of livestock.
We were invited to stay by our friend Rosemary George MW, a wine writer who divides her time between London and the South of France. At the time of our visit, she was in the process of updating her book ‘The Wines of Faugères’ for its second edition.
https://www.rosemary-george-mw.com/
We tailed along for her research. It was, as they say a tough job…..
Actually, tasting wines from the barrel is quite challenging, as is making intelligent comments at the same time. Fortunately Rosemary’s extensive knowledge and fluent French covered any gaps.
We visited three producers in three days, all family owned estates.
First stop, Mas Gabriel in Pézenas.
Peter Core and his wife Deborah met in London in the 1990s, and in 2002 decided to pursue their dream to make wine in France. They started by going to New Zealand, learning viticulture and winemaking. In Languedoc, they fell in love with a small vineyard, found a vigneron’s house, and created their first vintage in 2006.
Their white wines are dry, rich and textured, with lovely fruit; they’re made from Vermentino (known locally as Rolle), a favourite of mine, blended with Grenache Blanc.
Of the reds we tried, Peter described Clos des Lièvres 2022 as ‘a toddler’. Named for the hares that run in the vineyard, it’s a blend of 75-80% Syrah with Grenache, aged in French 500 litre barrels for a year. At the time of writing the 2021 vintage is on offer from The Wine Society in the UK, reduced from £21 to £16.50 per bottle (see below).
As we entered the tasting room, I couldn’t help noticing a saxophone in the corner.
Among the black-and-white photos of jazz musicians, there were three of Peter himself on sax.
This striking image, supposedly signed by Billie Holiday, is actually Lorraine Glover, wife of the trumpeter Donald Byrd, photographed in New York.
Peter showed us his prized possession, a copy of the greatest jazz photo ever.
‘A Great Day in Harlem’ was taken in 1958 by Art Kane. Fifty-seven of the great names of the golden age of jazz answered the call to appear.
Some of them even turned up on time.
Sonny Rollins, the last musician in the photo still standing, died this year.
There’s a documentary about the creation of this ‘family reunion’ of jazz stars:
Next day, Félines Jourdain,
where they make Picpoul (the grape) in Pinet (the location).
Our hostess Claude joined the family business in 1995 and now runs all aspects of the estate. Their labels follow a feline theme, ranging from a black kitten to a majestic panther.
We tasted five whites and a light red. The Picpoul Classique 2025 has concentrated fruit, citrus, crushed grapes; any hint of ripe sweetness is overtaken by salinity – hence its affinity with seafood. Mists off the nearby Thau Lagoon refresh the vines.
Like Mas Gabriel, Félines Jourdain wines have been available from The Wine Society since 1998; their rosé is a bargain at £8.50.
Picpoul de Pinet is a perfect match for oysters from the Thau basin.
We deserved a break for lunch.
Rosemary had booked a table upstairs at Le Grand Bleu.
We enjoyed an (almost) uninterrupted view of the oyster and mussel beds in the lagoon.
We ordered oysters, naturally, and prawns.
And two mussel dishes; these moules gratinées were outstanding.
On the third day, we rose again, this time to visit Cottebrune, A.O.C. Faugères.
Pierre-Antoine Gaillard explained that Cottebrune is ‘the family name of my mum’.
His father Pierre, a winemaker from Côte Rôtie in the northern Rhône, acquired the domaine in Faugères in 2007, then another in Banyuls on the Mediterranean coast.
‘It’s quiet here, and wild’ said Pierre-Antoine, whereas Banyuls is ‘paradise’.
We tasted half a dozen vintages in bottle, from 2021 to 2024.
‘Would you like to try some from the casks?’ asked Pierre-Antoine.
I resisted a reply of ‘Hell Yeah!’ and politely followed our host down to the cellar; this was the first time I can remember trying wine from the barrel.
Pierre-Antoine skilfully drew out the samples with a glass pipette.
We tasted individual varietals from the 2025 vintage, which would be blended before bottling.
It was time for a quiet lie-down before dinner.
Asparagus was the biggest I’ve ever seen, and the artichoke was the size of a sturdy child’s head.
I was able to have souvenirs delivered to my door.
Flying on Ryanair, we were unable to purchase bottles to carry home, but both Mas Gabriel and Félines Jourdain are represented by The Wine Society, and Vinceremos in Leeds has a comprehensive selection from Mas Gabriel.
At the time of writing, Mas Gabriel Clos des Lièvres 2021 is on Sale from The Wine Society:
https://www.thewinesociety.com/search-results/?q=felines%20joudain
https://www.vinceremos.co.uk/?post_types=product&s=mas+gabriel
As far as I can ascertain, unfortunately Domaine Cottebrune’s wines are currently not available in the UK.
Thanks to Rosemary for arranging the visits, our hosts for their generosity, and Bob Koprowski for his photos.
