Domaine
de la Marfée, Languedoc, France
Editor's note: for a more recent (March 2005) review of
this domaine click here
Thierry Hasard is the accountant for Grange des Pères,
probably the most high-profile estate in the Languedoc at present. But
he’s evidently been bitten by the wine bug fairly badly, and now
makes some fairly serious wines of his own from 6 ha of low-yielding
old vines (cropped at 20 hl/ha), plus a few small new plantations
(yielding a paltry 10 hl/ha). His dozen or so parcels of vines are
located near the village of Murviel-lès-Montpellier, and each is
vinified separately, aged in barrique and then blended. Thierry’s
dedication to the cause is without question: in order to improve the
drainage in one of his vineyard plots that he was about to plant with
Mourvèdre, he dug 25 lorry loads of small stones into the soil.
There’s no winery -- he makes his wines in his central Montpellier
home, so these are truly garage wines.
I completely applaud the philosophy of passionate wine
producers such as Thierry. But I couldn’t give top ratings to some
of these wines because they are a little awkward at the moment;
without a track record I can’t predict how they will age and score
them accordingly. I suspect they are true vins de garde and will
blossom with five or more years in bottle, but let’s see.
The wines are available from La
Vigneronne, where the tasting took place (prices in brackets after
each note).
Les Gamines de la Marfée 2000, Vin de Pays de l’Herault
A young vine blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Mourvèdre, aged in
barrique and cuve. Lovely leafy edge to the forward nose, which
displays notes of blackcurrant and raspberry liqueur. Very fruity. The
delicious fruity, forward palate has great concentration and shows
spicy tannins. Very rich but well balanced: a joyful wine. Very
good/excellent (£10)
Les Vignes qu’on Abat 1999, AOC Coteaux du Languedoc
Mainly old vine Carignan, with varying proportions of Syrah, Mourvèdre,
Grenache and Cabernet depending on the vintage. Pronounced toasty,
roast coffee character to the nose, which is spicy and rich. Rich,
chunky palate with firm tannins, more roasted character and an
intensely spicy finish. Tight and oaky nose; it will be interesting to
see how this evolves. Very good+ (£20)
Les Vignes qu’on Abat 2000, Vin de Pays de L’Herault
Forward, spicy nose with a slightly roasted edge and some
chocolatey richness. The palate is quite modern and fruity with great
concentration and just a touch of rusticity, together with some more
roasted character. Some spicy tannins provide structure. Very good+ (£18)
Les Champs Murmurés 1999, AOC Coteaux du Landuedoc
A blend of Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, Mourvèdre and Grenache.
Strongly roasted character on the nose: quite forward and spicy.
Concentrated spicy palate with grippy, austere tannins. Very dense but
a little bit charmless at the moment. May evolve nicely though. Very
good+ (£18.50)
Les Champs Murmurés 2000, Vin de Pays de L’Herault
Opaque red/purple. Again, a striking rich roast coffee character
on the nose. Rich liquorice-edged fruit on the palate with great
concentration. Spicy tannins make it quite structured. A huge wine
that needs time to develop. Very good+ (£18)
wines
tasted April 2002
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