“It’s hard not to be impressed by the quality and value these 10 Foncalieu wines represent,” writes Dean.
Regal setting for a tasting: Le Comptoir de la Cité in the heart of Carcassonne
There is something fundamentally French about a wine cooperative such as Les Vignobles Foncalieu, it’s almost as if the founding principles of the Republic – Liberty, Equality and Fraternity – are also the cornerstones of this group that has dominated the wine scene for over 50 years in the South of France, and whose strength has come through unity.
Foncalieu has strength in numbers – 801 wine growers producing 16 million bottles of wine each year from over 30 grape varieties, grown on a variety of terroir across 5172 hectares, that are part of three AOPs and four IGPs.
There is a range of wine styles too and, in order to show off some of the best of these, Foncalieu invited me to Le Comptoir de la Cité in Carcassonne to taste through its premium range and pick the wines I thought would best work in the UK.
So, from over 20 wines, these are the 10 that I think wine buyers should make a beeline for, that offer great quality, value and versatility and reflect the range that Foncalieu offers the consumer.
WHITE WINES
Sillages d’Albariño 2022
This easy-going white is a fascinating take on a Spanish Albariño, made in a warmer climate, with the grape’s natural acidity keeping everything in check. On the nose the wine is fruity and generous, with white flowers and fruit candy notes appearing. In the mouth the wine is apricot-charged with quince paste in there for good measure. It has an attractive, rounded mouthfeel, easy-going and surprisingly vinous for a wine of this price point. A nicely-made alternative to traditional Albariño from Rias Baixas. IGP Pays d’Oc, 13% abv
Vallée du Paradis, Domaine Haut Gléon 2020
This blend of Chardonnay and Rolle (Vermentino) comes from mixed gravel soils near the La Berre river which has a microclimate that is known for making fresh, lively white wines. It has a really expressive nose, in fact it almost leaps out of the glass and invites you in. You pick up a mix of white orchard fruit (comice pear) with a touch of peach and an attractive, lifted herbal note that reminds one of fennel flowers. In the mouth the wine is fresh, clean with quite a firm texture on the front palate that keeps the ripe fruit in balance. There’s also a lick of ripe lime on the finish which helps make the wine lip-smacking and demand that you take another sip. Don’t mind if I do! IGP Vallée du Paradis, 13% abv
Petit Paradis Blanc, Saint-Chinian 2022
This was my wine of the night on Bastille Day, watching the fireworks at Foncalieu’s art deco Comptoir de la Cité where today’s tasting is also taking place. It’s a serious, elegant white that works well with or without food and can be drunk in small or larger measures 😉 The aromas are all about pretty white flowers, almond blossom perhaps, with a flinty edge. In the mouth the wine is fresh, crisp, easygoing. You pick up white and yellow stone fruit, then the wine develops in the mouth with the barrel-aged Rolle and Marsanne making their presence felt, a touch of saline too. Lovely texture with a nice balance between the ripeness of the fruit and the dry-as-you-like finish. AOP Saint-Chinian, 13.5% abv
Château Haut Gléon, Blanc 2021
Classy, premium white and one of the very best from the upcoming Corbières region. The wine is made from a key, historical site at the domaine and it shows in a wine that is both serious and complex – if you had to place it on a wine list you would put it somewhere between Burgundy and the Rhône. The nose offers a good deal as it opens out in the glass – white orchard fruit dominates but you also pick up fresh nuts, a touch of vanilla, something perhaps from the patisserie. The wine is fresh, medium-bodied, rounded at first and then more structured, with the acidity helping the wine sit well on the palate. Lots going on and a lovely balance here – easy to drink but with a dry, fine-grained finish, with a nice lift of fruit on the tail. AOP Corbières, 13.5% abv
ROSÉS
Foncalieu has always had rosé at the core of its production with 49% of production now pink – with the 2022 vintage rosé represents 32% of the harvest and 49% of bottled wine sales in 2022 (bulk wine not included). The group aims to sell 10 million bottles of rosé by 2025 with one of its USPs being the 14 grape varieties it makes rosé from including rare varieties Piquepoul Noir and Sauvignon Gris.
Piquepoul rosé, Côteaux d’enserune, 2022
A rare but highly popular rosé made from 100% Piquepoul Noir that was planted in the gravelly soils of the Coteaux d’enserune at the same time as this producer’s Albariño – but in warmer Mediterranean plots. This is a light and fruity rosé that is a hugely popular cuvée for Foncalieu of which they make a staggering 100,000 bottles. The grapes are direct pressed at low pressure, followed by six-day contact with the lees which gives it great depth of flavour.
Pale pink, the wine is pretty, vivacious and expressive, with wild strawberries on the nose. In the mouth the grape’s natural acidity gives this a vibrancy that keeps it fresh and alive. It offers plenty of red fruit and a twist of lime on the considerable length – but it is never ‘blousy’ or overdone. The winemaker has done a terrific job of keeping the ripe fruit restrained. Great value. IGP Côteaux d’ Enserune, 13% abv
Le Versant Grenache Rosé 2022
Every year Foncalieu releases a limited-edition rosé at the Wine Paris wine fair with a different artist creating an unique wine label. This, the fourth in the series, has an ecosystem painted by French illustrator Marion Begue. 100% Grenache, the wine is made from the first and best grapes from a North-facing vineyard which produces cooler, fresher fruit. Winemaking wise, the fruit is direct pressed and stabilised for 10 days which helps to bring out more intense aromas.
Pale pink with salmon tints, this is a delicate wine that offers pretty aromas of red fruit and fresh mint that invites you into the glass; the mouthfeel is silky with a lovely balance and texture. There’s a touch of saline there and a twist of orange zest on the finish. Great with food and it can also age very well. 100,000 bottles produced. IGP Pays d’Oc, 13% abv
RED WINES
Le Versant Malbec 2022
What I really like about this wine is that it finds a new path for Malbec to go down. It’s not the chewy, dense Cot (as it’s called here) of the nearby Cahors wine region, neither is it the full on gaucho-saddle of the over-ripe classic Argentinian style. Interestingly, Foncalieu has used Argentinian clones (Gabriel the vineyard manager hails from there) but this is fresher and much less ‘in your face’.
To look at the wine is bright ruby red, on the nose the wine can only be a Malbec with wild red cherries, peony, smoky notes and just a touch of fresh leather; as soon as you drink it you get a wonderfully grainy, just-ripe red fruit, fresh mouthful of loveliness. Great texture and fine-boned tannins, some good heft but this is a wine for those looking for a fresher style of Malbec – very much in keeping with the New Wave Argentinian wines made from grapes grown at high altitude that cost per bottle what you could buy a case of here. A new wine with Foncalieu promising more plantings. Just as well as I suspect the demand will be on the increase. IGP Pays d’Oc, 14% abv
Via Nostrum Rouge Corbières 2019
This is a wine I keep coming back to… I have tasted it with a variety of friends and they all give it the thumbs up too. It’s part of a series called Via Nostrum, named after a Roman road that runs through the vineyards in the area. This particular wine is a 70/30 Syrah/ Grenache blend and is a no-messing classic Languedoc wine … but with wonderful freshness.
On the nose you pick up red and black fruit – leaning more towards the red side of the spectrum with mulberry and ripe red plums to the fore, there’s also a dash of spice in there. In the mouth the wine is rounded, warm and welcoming, with a good breadth of black fruit, toasted notes. The wine has a richness and depth but there’s a fine backbone of acidity, fine boned tannins and decent structure which all helps to keep the wine in balance and nice and fresh. AOP Corbières 19% abv
L’Apogée, Saint-Chinian 2019
One of four wines on the premium L’Atelier Prestige de Foncalieu label which are artisanal wines, using low-yielding single vineyard sites in classic Languedoc appellations, in this case Saint-Chinian. The wine is aged in 100% new French oak barrels for 12-18 months.
This is a full-bodied wine, high viscosity, the nose is really incredible with ripe, inky black fruit – cassis, wild blackberry – cherry kirsch note, really complex with spices like liquorice, herbal mint and coffee. In the mouth the wine is full, well balanced, with the wood totally absorbed and displaying juicy, ripe, inky black fruit. Although the fruit core is ripe, the acidity is well preserved, with a nice freshness to the wine. The barrel ageing lends a very soft, fine-boned texture to the wine and there is tannin but not in an obtrusive way. The finish is long, dry, with a citrus and blood orange peel note. With just 8,000 bottles produced, this classy wine just proves what heights a cooperative can achieve. The 2015 vintage of this wine, for example scored 95 Parker Points. AOP Saint-Chinian, 15% abv
Château Haut Gléon, Rouge 2018
Foncalieu’s top-end red just sums up everything good about the Languedoc –baskets of ripe, quality fruit, full-bodied yet balanced with a tart crunch of red fruit and well-preserved acidity. To use that old cliché, this is a clenched fist in a velvet glove.
A blend of Syrah, Grenache and Carignan (60%/30%/10%) from low-yielding vines which is then traditionally vinified with the wine aged in a variety of large format barrels. The aromas are bold and complex with inky black fruit, spices, black pepper and cocoa bean. You can also detect some sweet patisserie notes, a hint of cream perhaps. In the mouth the wine is generous, open, warm, with good intensity and structure, mellow tannins. There’s also a red fruit crunch with a just-ripe raspberry note helping to keep the wine balanced. The finish is long and fresh. AOP Corbières, 14% abv
Les Vignobles Foncalieu is a commercial partner of The Buyer. To discover more about them click here. In addition for UK and Ireland sales please contact UK and Ireland sales manager Anne Calas on calas@foncalieu.com
