Mas Combarèla "Les Vieux Mazets" (carignan) red 2020

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Mas Combarèla "Les Vieux Mazets" (carignan) red 2020:

Jancis Robinson, the renowned English critic (she is a Master of Wine, the most difficult diploma to obtain in the world), visited Olivier Faucon during the summer of 2023. She then published a very kind article about Mas Combarèla, of which here are some excerpts, along with the comment on this cuvée.

Olivier Faucon of Mas Combarèla is just one of the many "overachievers" in the largest wine region in France. The Languedoc may not be the easiest region to understand, but can we afford to ignore it? Intrigued by Tam's enthusiastic tasting notes on the wines of Mas Combarèla, I set off at the end of July 2023 to visit the domaine in the heights of the Terrasses du Larzac appellation.

He may not be from Languedoc, but judging by his wines, he seems to have a perfect understanding of the local conditions. A total of 12 hectares, between 150 and 350 meters in altitude. 75-year-old Carignan vines surround the property. Through a small oak grove, in a band surrounded by trees and fragrant garrigue, lies what he calls his Clos Secret, actually a hidden valley, planted with 50-year-old vines, old Cinsault vines that produce a particularly distinctive wine. The soils of the vines are crossed by a limestone vein that runs diagonally across the property. To the southeast of this band is a soil rich in iron oxide, to the northwest a sandy soil. Faucon has grafted a massal selection of Chenin Blanc from the Loire and has also grafted some old vines of Carignan Blanc and Vermentino, a grape that must now be called Rolle in France, thanks to Italian lobbying. He informed me that a Terrasses du Larzac white appellation was in preparation and that quite a few winemakers were planting Chenin. He certainly has an original range of wine names, but when I asked this former marketing executive how to better sell Languedoc wines to the public, he replied: "I don't know." If they had all the quality and sophistication of the Mas Combarèla range, it might be a bit easier.

The "Tam" mentioned by Jancis Robinson above is her collaborator Tamlyn Currin, who tasted the wines of Mas Combarèla in early 2023 and published the following comment: Les Vieux Mazets 2020 94/100 (=17/20) “Certified organic. 100% Carignan, 75-year-old goblet-trained vines. Beautiful structure of fine tannins, very pure expression of fruit. Creamy spices with a hint of orange peel and sumac. Lavender aroma. The natural acidity gives incredible length. (2023-2028)”

Technical sheet written by the domaine:

Very aromatic wine with notes of candied blackberry and balsamic laurel. The 70-year-old Carignan vines at their peak produce a wine of elegant purity.

Appellation: Saint-Guilhem-le-Désert

Grapes: 100% Carignan

Parcels: Combarels in Saint-Jean-de-Fos (34)

Terroirs: Old goblet-trained vines of 70 years on clay-limestone soils, exposed to northern winds. Located on an ancient lake plain from the Tertiary era (Lutetian, 40 million years ago), the soils are varied with a predominance of white lacustrine limestone. The landscape is dotted with old mazets.

Yields: 25 hl / ha

Vinification: Manual harvesting at phenolic maturity, complete destemming, temperature control, gentle vinification in temperature-regulated stainless steel tanks. A minority portion is vinified using carbonic maceration.

Aging: Aging in large wooden casks from several wines.

Serving Temperature: 16-17° C. Open in advance to aerate the wine. Decanting is recommended.

Suggestions: Roast lamb rack, game, as well as tagines and oriental dishes.