Uncorked: France’s Languedoc region focused on good rosé

It was a slow ascent for rosé.

Olivier Coste has been witness to the rosé evolution, or perhaps revolution, as it recently passed white wine as the second-most-consumed wine in France. His family has made wine at Domaine Montrose since 1701. First, it was visiting Parisians who would return from a weekend in the south of France with a bottle of rosé.

Gradually, American tourists caught on to the crisp, fruity flavors and subtly light charms of a chilled rosé, and the spread commenced. It still took time for winemakers to make intentional rosé. To prune the vineyards accordingly, to harvest at the right time, and to properly monitor it in the cellar.

Noting it’s one of the hardest wines to make, Coste admitted rosé is “very technical and can be screwed up in a second.”

But, rosé has become a calling card for winemakers in southern France, who also turn out red, white and sparkling wines. In Languedoc, France’s largest and greenest wine-growing region, it’s experience that counts.

“We have a certain ‘savoir faire’ – the know-how,” Coste said. “It’s something we’ve been enjoying for a long time. We’ve worked on it for so long, and we’ve achieved higher qualities than our neighbors.”

With Illinois as its largest American wine market, Coste has welcomed the rosé boom. Finally, consumer interest has caught up to Coste’s passion.

“When we first launched in the U.S., people were like, ‘Oh, rosé is kind of nice, I think I like it,’” Coste said. “That was 15 years ago. Year after year, the change I’ve seen in rosé is that it has become something special and big. That was great for us.”

Coste’s family has made wine at Château Montrose for 320 years. It is planted on an old volcano, and he’s grown to know the soils well, where the black volcanic rock can still be seen. There’s also clay limestone and Villafranchian terrasses, similar but smaller than the galets – round stones – found in Châteauneuf-du-Pape.

With vineyards planted to three different soil types, Coste has a large palette of potential flavors and textures from which to draw, and the ability to turn out consistently balanced wines.

“We are looking for balance, that’s the key,” Coste said. “It seems easy, but you want refreshing, you want fruit, and something without too much heaviness, and a finish that’s a little bit salty that makes you want to enjoy another glass. That’s what makes it special but hard to make a good rosé. We don’t want more power structure or flavors.”

Because Grenache – what Coste called “the king of grapes for good rosé” – is widely planted in Languedoc, winemakers can turn out rosé that features the varietal’s crisp fruit qualities without any weightiness.

The Domaine Montrose, IGP Côtes de Thongue, Rosé, 2019 ($15.99) was very light pink in the glass, had melon on the nose, with striking cantaloupe, red apple and strawberry flavors and a refreshing blast of acidity on the finish.

Perhaps most intriguing was the Faugères “Cuvée Tradition,” Clos Fantine, AOC Faugères, Rouge, 2017 ($24) and its funky, wet hay, green pepper and licorice flavors.

For a lesser-known white, Hugues Beaulieu Picpoul de Pinet, AOC Picpoul de Pinet, Blanc, 2019 ($12.99) had tropical fruit and a zesty acidity.

While Languedoc’s countrymen in Champagne may command more attention and a heftier price tag for their wines, the origins of sparkling wines are in the south of France.

The oldest recorded sparkling wines hailed from Languedoc, and the Michèle Capdepon Blanquette de Limoux Brut, AOC Blanquette de Limoux ($19.99) had apple and pear flavors with a yeasty note as well.

“We’ve been reinventing ourselves for years now,” Coste said. “In the 1970s and ′80s, the Languedoc was seen as a big production region with wines that were of poor quality. Thankfully, less and less people are doing that. It’s kind of easy to grow wine grapes here because of our climate. But, the winds allow us to use organic practices, we’ve replanted many of the traditional grapes, improved our quality, and remain focused on making good rosé.”

TASTING NOTES

Foxen, Sta. Rita Hills, John Sebastiano Vineyard 2018 ($56): Started tight, but really opened up with time. A dense core of baking spices ranges from anise to cinnamon. A lush mid-palate with black cherry flavors.

Foxen, Nielsen Vineyard, Pinot Noir 2018 ($54): More red fruit than I expected: cherry, cranberry, cherry cola, driven by a crisp acidity. The 2018 pinots from Foxen are outstanding.

Greywacke, “Wild Sauvignon,” Sauvignon Blanc ($16): A round texture with lime zest, papaya, pineapple, tennis ball and an iron-like stream of minerality racing down the mid-palate.

Italics, Coombsville, Cabernet Sauvignon 2015 ($99): Currant, espresso dust and cooking herbs. An Old World style wine with great balance.

Willamette Valley Vineyards, Whole Cluster Pinot Noir ($21): Made via carbonic maceration, where carbon dioxide is pumped into a sealed tank to create an oxygen-free environment that induces fermentation; this is incredibly light in texture with cherry and loamy earth flavors. Chill it just a little before drinking.

• James Nokes has been tasting, touring and collecting in the wine world for several years. Email him at jamesnokes25@yahoo.com.