The latest instalment of our fine wine tasting program kicked off last thursday with a look at the ‘Legends of Southern France’. As you all know Burgundy is my first love in the world of wine, but once the Côte d’Or is taken out of the equation it is the sunny climes of Mediterranean France that are the object of my affection. I love the diversity of the wines of Provence, Languedoc and Roussillon, not to mention the artisanal nature of so many of the vignerons and the concerted push for quality that has taken place over the past 10 years.

At Chez Roberson it is the wines of Bordeaux and Burgundy get most of the attention, so it was a pleasure to shine our light somewhere else for a change.

We got started with a flight of two white wines: 1996 Mas de Daumas Gassac Blanc and 1998 Grange des Peres Blanc. Just from looking at the wines it was clear we were dealing with two very different beasts – the GdP was still a vibrant lemony yellow, while the Daumas was doing an excellent impersonation of Madeira.

With some trepidation we approached the Daumas, but low and behold it was still alive. Not only that, it was a fascinating wine that, although slightly madeirized, was full of red apple flavoured life. There was a honeyed sweetness to it that lingered on the finish. Needless to say, every bottle we had was sold to a couple of the tasters that were smitten with its unique flavours.

The GdP was more up my street and was still tasting remarkably young. Round, smooth and buttery, ’98 was a wonderful vintage and this very rare wine was a great example of how long lived the region’s best whites can be.

Flight two was all about Roussillon and pitted a rising star against the established king. The 2006 Clot de l’Oum ‘Numero Uno’ is the top wine from a domaine that burst on to the scene with their first vintage in 2001 and has since garnered critical acclaim from many of the top commentators. The group was impressed with the concentration and minerality on the palate, but felt that it finished a little short. The same could not be said about the 2003 Domaine Gauby ‘Muntada’, a wine with a fearsome reputation (95 points from Robert Parker) that had us all expecting a blockbuster. Spectacular it was, blockbuster it most certainly wasn’t – the elegance and balance on show in this wine was something to behold, especially considering the heat of the ’03 vintage and the concentration Gauby gets from his 125 year old Carignan vines. ’03 Muntada was a tour de force and the perfect riposte to those that will have you believe the Roussillon is only capable of yielding rustic country wines.

Next we moved on to Provence and the first stop was a tiny domaine that has attracted attention for making some of the most singular wines in France. Terre Inconnue (unknown land) is the play-thing of chemist Robert Creus, who turned his passion for wine into a collection of vines around St Series, between Montpellier and Nîmes. The 2003 Terre Inconnue ‘Los Abuelos’ had softened a little since its youth but was still almost port-like in its concentration and rich, sweet spiritiness. It was a wine that divided the group between those that loved it (and there was a few) and those, like me, that were left bemused by what they had just tasted. It was strangely Moorish and drew me back for another sip once or twice, but could I drink a whole glass? I doubt it.

Whereas Terre Inconnue is an unconventional newcomer, the second wine in this flight was from a domaine that has established itself as one of Southern France’s most respected producers. The 2000 Domaine de Trevallon is a wine that I have drunk on a couple of occasions and its performance at the tasting lived up to my expectations. It was full of Cabernet flavours (the blend is Cab/Syrah) and beautifully elegant yet generous on the palate. There were some murmurings about whether Trevallon is worth the near £50 retail price, but for me it is far better than many Clarets available at this price.

Flight four saw us move to the Languedoc and more specifically the area around Pezenas, a beautiful town that is certainly worth a visit if you are over that way. First up was 2001 Prieuré de St-Jean de Bébian, the top cuvée from one of the oldest wine making estates in the world (monks began making wine there back in the 1100s). This is a wine that Languedoc lovers rave about, but our tasting group were slightly less enthused about it. It certainly wasn’t a bad wine in anyway, just a little pedestrian. There was plenty of primary fruit, but it never really got going on the palate – not much in the way of complexity unfortunately.

If it was complexity we wanted, the next wine delivered in spades. 1998 Peyre Rose ‘Syrah Leone’ was a dense concoction of dark fruit and minerals on the nose, with a gentle medicinal note in the background. On the palate it was beautifully concentrated, with juicy forest fruits layered on top of leather and chocolate notes. This is not a cheap wine and will always be a difficult sell for any wine merchant, but my experience of their wines has made it one of my favourite producers and the ’98 only served to reinforce that. Delicious.

Moving slightly to the north-east, flight five featured two wines from the Terrases du Larzac. This is a region that has been getting a lot of press recently and is talked about as being the best terroir in the Languedoc.

First up was a wine from a producer that I had the pleasure of visiting recently – 2006 La Pèira en Damaisèla. This is a domaine that I am a big, big fan of and the commitment to quality is evident through their entire range of wines.

The La Pèira itself is their top cuvee and a wine that I expected to be met with universal approval by the group, but in reality it seemed to polarise opinion. Everybody agreed that it was beautifully made but some tasters felt that it was a little too polished, lacking some of the charming rusticity that many Languedoc wines have. It is certainly ‘international’ in style and perhaps that’s why Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate has lavished such praise it (95 points). The nose and palate were both dense and concentrated, full of dark fruit, minerals, vanilla, coffee and leather. The purity and freshness of this wine is amazing and even though it is oaky, it is not at all heavy. We sold all that we had at the end of the tasting and a number of tasters were as enthusiastic about it as I am (well, not quite as enthusiastic, but then who is?). Just not quite the chorus of ooohs and aaahs that I was hoping for.

Alongside La Pèira we tasted the 2001 Mas Jullien. Olivier Jullien is a legend in the Languedoc and is actually the person that coined the phrase Terrases du Larzac. He is seen as a bit of a father figure in the region – even to his own father, who started Mas Cal Demoura (another excellent producer) after being inspired by his son’s success. The wine was a complete departure from the sleek and smooth La Pèira, with a bit of meaty funk to go with the berry fruit and gentle garrigue notes. Sort of like a piece of herb-crusted lamb slathered in dark fruit compote. Paul was a big fan of this actually, declaring it to be his wine of the evening.

Finally we got to the final flight (after a half hour debate about the merits of La Pèira) and it was time to end where we had begun – with the two most famous of all southern French wine estates. The 1999 Grange des Peres Rouge had developed significantly in the glass since being opened a couple of hours before, with a Bovril-like meatiness to it that worked nicely with the currant and berry fruit. This winery is a class act and although not everyone at the tasting was convinced, the majority agreed with me that this was a delicious, complex wine.

The last wine of the evening was 1995 Mas de Daumas Gassac Rouge. This estate has done more than any other to elevate the public perception of Languedoc wine (and the vin de pays system for that matter) and the ’95 proved why the Guibert family are held in such high esteem by wine lovers all over the world. Although Cabernet is only part of the blend it always takes the lead on the palate and that was again the case here, with blackcurrant fruit and the cedar and leafy notes that are Cab’s signature. This wine was in fine fettle and would outperform many ’95 clarets in the same price bracket.

After we were done, I took the customary vote for wine of the night. The choices were spread across a number of wines, but in the end it was Domaine Gauby’s Muntada that won out (with four votes). The three-way tie for second place was between Grange des Peres Blanc, Domaine de Trevallon and La Pèira (with three votes each).

Just for the record, I voted for Muntada, but to be honest there were 4 or 5 wines that I could happily have voted for. Hopefully this great tasting demonstrated the quality that Southern France is capable of producing and the future for the best regions is very, very bright.

For more information on all the wines and to see what I spend the day of every tasting creating, why not download the Legends of Southern France tasting brochure.