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The Catalan regions of Emporda in north-east and Roussillon in south-west France are divided by the Pyrenees, but winemakers share a common heritage and language, That doesn't mean their wines are the same though, says Adam Lechmere

IT WAS ONLY after a few days in Emporda, Spa in's Right: looking over vines in Roussillon to the slopes of the most northeasterly appellation, that I began to Pyrenees. Below: vineyards In Capmany. close to Emporda's understand the effect the wind has on people. Th e main town of and just 12 km from the French northerly 1ramuntana blows more or less the year border. Despite the proximity - and shared Catalan heritage round, at certain seasons reaching ga le force 8 and - of the two regions, their winemaking approach Is at odds speeds nearing lOOkm per hour, whipping the sea into a furious white froth. At other times it's a mild Road to Roussillo n breeze. The locals seem very proud of it. It is when you come to discuss grape va ri eties, and Emporcta is separated from Roussillon in the politics of what is traditional a nd what is a south-west France by the Pyrenees (see map, p54) usurper, that you begin to see how different the - the border between the two countries runs along regions are - and how their wi ne styles di ffer. the ridge of the great mountain range - but many In Roussillon there is a real sense of custodianship. see that as no barrier at all. 'There is no "other Th ere are five permitted red grapes for AC-level side" of the Pyrenees: Diego ('Didier') Soto Olivares, wines - Grenache, Mourvedre, Cinsauit, Carignan proprietor of the remote Mas Estela in Emporda told and Syrah-ofwhich at least three must be used. Of me. 'It's just an admin istrative barrier. We share the all the wi neries I visi ted , on ly a few would advocate same country - - and the same language anythi ng other than these traditional varieties. - Catalan. We eat the same, dance the same, make At Chateau Planeres, in St-Jean-Lasseille, central wine in the same way. . .' Rou ssi llon, Gilles Jaubert told me: 'We try to express Well, to a point. Emporda and Rou ssillon may and channel ou r land's characteristics. When you have politics and regional pride in common. but open a Planeres wine you have to discover the they are very different indeed when it comes to country, the limestone and clay of the soi I: wealth. Roussillon is one of the poorest regions of All winemakers, of course. talk like that, but there France, while Emporda has the highest per-capita is indeed an earthi ness to his wi nes; a saltiness that income in Spain -and mo re Michelin-starred seems to root them in the ground we're sta nding on. restaurants per head (including Ferran Adria's elBulli) than anywhere in Europe. As for winemaking styles, and attitudes, they a re intri gu i ngly dissi mi la r. Vignerons either side of the Pyrenees are faced with some of Europe's most unforgiving vineland - ~ mainly granite and schist, with areas of clay and ~ limestone, quartz and marble, changing to silt. sand ~ and clay in the coastal areas. The wealth of minera ls v ~ in the soi l, together with more than 320 days of ~ sunshine a year, cool, almost cold , nights, and, on o i the south side of the mou ntains, the wonderful • g cleansi ng wind, makes for wines that are celebrated ~- for their freshness, bracing acidity, and, in many o fi. reds, alcohol a nd tannins that ensure longevity.

50 I March 2 011 • DECANTER o, 5, 10, miles N

• I Mediterranean Sea

BANYU IS F R ANCE AND There's Jaubert's La Romanie, for example (see box. Cer•et ". • CQLLlOURE

fsr right) a classic Mourvedre-Grenache-Syrah blend • that, after a maceration of 40 days. produces intense meaty flavours, mixed with spice and rose petals, S ALT white pepper and precise tannins. Above all, EMPORDA Jaubert's wines are fresh - the minerality of the soil 0, SO, 100, ensures that, and the acids that develop overnight • miles when average summer temperatures can dip to Goe. F RA NCE lyon . RH ONE At Oomaine Pouderoux in Maury, Robert • RORDEJ"UX * •• Pouderoux, a winemakerwith faith in the primacyof Bay of • Bordeaux ::{ 'place before process', will use only traditional Biscay grapes. He shows us the effect on his vines of height. A I wind and garrigue shrubs - that scent of crushed rosemary, thyme, sage and jun iper so redolent of the south of France. Hi s hunched and wiry Grenache, Mourvedre and Syrah vines struggle for sustenance NAVARM in the schisty soil at between 300m and 400m of BAIX altitude, constantly exposed to wind. EMPORDA Towards the coast, there's another producer that. S PA I N Mediterranean Sea in many ways, is just as typical of modern Roussi llon. • Pal am6s At his eponymous fam ily domaine, Jean-Marc La fage farms three properties in t hree very d istinctterroirs: Agly, the Perpignan plain and Aspres. Lafage (who - has joined with UK importer Bibendum on a cross­ expecti ng a visi l from UN weapons inspectors. Its Above: the Catalan regions Pyrenean wine, Eis pyreneus) is no sentimentalist. owner, the charming Marc Bournazeau, assures me of Roussillon in France and 'Why plantehardonnayT he asks. 'Because wherever he's goi ng La grow greenery to soften some of the Emporda in Spain may you go, you get a good result. If you want ci trus harsher angles of his mu Itimillion-euro winery. share the Pyrenees as a character, plant Chardonnay.' But is it suited to the Bournazeau runs an ultra-modern ship. He has border but the wine styles region? 'What is the character of Roussi IlonT Lafage 23ha - 6ha each of Grenache (Garnacha), Syrah and can be quite diverse replies. 'Do you want fresh wines or 14.5% Cabernet Sauvignon plus a few fields of Tempra nillo. Vermentino? In my opinion you want freshness.' Then there 's 1ha of Chardonnay, some white Below right: Diego ('Oidie"") Freshness is the holy grail of winemakers the Garnacha and Chenin Blanc. Vines are biodynamic Soto Olivares, proprietor of world over, and in Roussi llon the best reds -even and irrigated, and the winery is enti rely gravity- fed. the remote Mas Estela in with 15% alcohol a nd strong tannins - have a superb So why does he pi a nt Ca ber net? Because it's the Emporda (top left), checks racy character. I found the whites less successful. most resistant to water stress. Bournazeau's not the fermentation of one of Lafage recognises the drawbacks of non-local from a family of winemakers, he says, so he's not his wines in barrel varieties. He is cutting back on his Chardonnay and beholden to traditional varieties. 'What matters is has also stopped production of Cabernet Sauvignon. what's in the glass: if Cabernet Sauvignon gives the 'It doesn't give the right expression here. It's d iffi cult best result, why should n't I plant it?' to handle - it's too vigorous in the heat, and the At the opposite end of the spectrum is Lavinyeta, grapes don't mature properly.' started by the Serra Pia fam ily in 2008. Rather than a huge. gung-ho project, this is winemaking run on Across to Emporda pure enthusiasm, from a single, modern barn-like Across the Pyrenees and into Spain and Emporda, structure. 'Loca I grapes are our pillar,' winemaker where at first sight you would think you were sti 1I in Josep Serm Pia says, 'though I bel ieve in looking for Roussillon. It's the same ochre-coloured landscape. new varieties to play with.' He has 17 d ifferent g the same beguiling, spice-laden sea-breezes. The same, grapes planted. Cabernet Sauvignon gives more • ~ onlydifferent.lnstead of pulling up in farmyards next concentration to Garnacha, he says. I constantly ~ to rusting tractors, we park on aprons of sun-blasted hear that Ca ber net has more concentration than • • ; concrete In front of steel and glass bunkers. Garnacha or Ca rignan, so willlasL longer. 'These • ~ Our first stop, Terra Remota, looks like it's wines will be in barrels for a very long time.

52 I March 20 11 • DE CAN TER , ROUSSILLON & EMPORDA

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Garnacha is great for elega nce but it doesn't have the concentration for a long life,' Best from both sides of the Pyrenees As in Roussillon, Emporda has its shareof hard·core purists. In Cadaques, Celler Ma.rti n Faixo's owner RaCa Martin's intense local chauvinism drives ROUSSILLON EMPORDA him to seek the pu rest expression of his land: he's Area under vine 38,OOOha Area under vine 2.000ha giving up on all international varieties and Ma in ACs (Dry); Collioure. Cotes de Mai n DO VInS de l'Emporda achieving more concentration by closer planting of Roussilion, Cotes de Rousslllon Les Recommended varieties (White): vines. He's also convinced the land is rejecting the Aspres, Cotes de Roussillon Villages, Grenache blanc, Macabeu or Vlura, non-native vines: 'Look at vines. The Cabernet and CRV Caramay, CRV Latour de France, Muscat of Alexandria. (Red): Grenache Merlot isn't taking wel l. The Garnacha is vigorous.' CRV LesQuerde, CRV Tau tavel. (Sweet): gnse, Ca rlg nan, Grenache nOlr A Wide 8anyuls, Maury, Mu scat de Rlvesaltes, variet y of International varieties Sense of place RlVesaltes Including Chardonnay, Gewurztrammer. Vigorous it may be, but for every Rafa Martin -or Perm itted variet ies (Reds): Cangnan, Cabernet Sauvlgnon, Merlot and Didier SolO. the charismatic owner of Mas ESlela, who Grenache NOIr. Clnsault. Syrah, Cabernet Franc IS also permlttted forges magnificent wines out of his mountain ret reat Mourvedre. (Dry Whites): Macabeu, Specific regulations Nothing on grape - there is a Castillo Perelada, Emporda's multinational, Grenache Blanc. Malvolsle, Marsanne, varieties, though Yields are restncted with a €37m turnover in wine, Perelada exports Roussanne. Rolle or Vermentlno. (Sweet): energetically, and has a highly motivated research Grenache, Macabeu, Malvolsle, Muscat a Mas Estela, Vlnya Selva de Mar, department which publishes, along with the EU, a Petits Grains. Muscat of Alexandria Emporda, Spain 2006 ***** 19.5 best-practice manual covering everything from how Specific regulations Reds must Include £12 .50 la Ca ve a Fromage to plant in mountains to the effects of wi nd on vines, at least three Varieties, whites at least two Blackberry, black pepper and graphite It is a formidable operation and it makes some laden With spice and garngue. With formidable wines with equally daunting price tags. Domalne Pouderoux, La Mourlane, dense and tight tannlns. 15% alcohol but Finca Garbet. for exa mple. retails at £100. It's a - Cotes de Rousslllon-Vlllages, still refreshing thanks to aCidity and fabu lous wine with a nose of garrigue herbs a nd a France 2005 ***** 19pts/20 mlnerallty. Delicious. Drink: 2011-2015 metallic t ang of blood. Extraordinary - but local? No £33 Harrogate Wines more so than the winery's f lagship 3 Fincas and 5 100-year-old Grenache.lncredible nose Espelt, ComaBruna. Emporda, Finca s. They are excel lent wines: full and fresh, 'very of garrigue and SPICY. tarry notes. The Spain 2007 **** 17.5 attractive and approachable', l wrote in my notes. palate is much JUicier and fresher - very £16 Moreno But 'att ractive and approachable' is not the same bnght With lifted red frUit. Excellent Very attractive nose WIth minerals, frUit as 'charismatic', and selling millions of bot ties aCidity, fresh and Vibrant. a superb wine. and iodine notes. Palate IS big and worldwide is. of course. not the same as making Drink: 2011-2025 round. very Juicy. Sweet and spicy red interest ing wine. There is nothing meretricious frUit. some balsamlC flavours, With about Perelada, The winemaker Delfi Sanahuja is Cave de L'Abbe Rous. Cyrcee. mature. very soft tannlns. Good length. highly respected and Lhe company's dedication to Collloure, Rousslllon, France 2008 A meaty wine. Drink: 2011-2013 research is laudable. But somewhere along t he way **** 18 their wines have lost thei r sense of place. E23 (2002) Haslemere Cellar Castlllo Perelada, I don't know if it's due to the grapes they use, or Wonderful nose of sweet almonds. Finca la Garrlga, Emporda, Spain 2006 the simple fact that if you invest millions in your Great mouthfeel. opulent. very spicy **** 17 business. then you'll need a return: from Norway to and nch With blackberry, raspberry and £22.50 Everywine Nashville. these wines must offend no one. And flpe figs. Long. saline finish. A DWWA Sweet. bnght frUit nose. Incredibly eagerness to please doesn't sit well with the Catalan 2010 Silver medal. Drink: 2011-2020 complex with underlYing meaty notes. character. Nor does it ma ke fasci nating wines. Mm eral. metalliC palate, With sal ty, wet In the end. the thing that lends a wine real Chateau Planeres, La Romanle, stone notes, then flpe red frUit and interest is its se nse of place. These are two distinct Cotes du Rousslllon-Vlllages, gnppy, persistent tannlns. Unusual. regions whose winemakers share so much in terms France 2006 **** 18 rustic and delicious. Drink: 2011-2018 of history and politics. But their wines are very £13 Mixed Case different. The only thing the best of them share is a Beautiful Burgundlan nose, meaty With Vlnyes dels Aspres. Orlol, Emporda, dedicat ion to the tiny squares of land they farm to spIce and pot pourn. Very fresh, very Spain 2009 **** 17 produce some of the most compell ing. idiosyncratic gnppy but JUIcy tannlns and Integrated £10 .50 AlblonWlnes wines in Europe. m oak. Pepper on the palate. With Creamy nose. Seem SImple at fIrst but blackcurrant and blackberry frUit. Full the palate opens up to exotic stone frUIt. and meaty. Drink: 2011-2015 blackcurrant and herbal notes. Bnght. refreshing tannlns. Drink: 2011-2015 Mas Amlel, Notre Terre, Cotes de Rousslllon-Vlllages, France 2007 Terra Remota, Clos Adrlen, Emporda, **** 17.5 Spain 2007 **** 17 £14.25 Vln Neuf N/ A UK www.terraremota .com Very meaty, black frUit aromas. Lovely 90% Syrah. Fennel, balsamc, pepper black frUit on the palate With deep, and lavender. Ni cely knit oak. Big, creamy sweet spicy QUite dry tannlnS, getting palate, cassls fruit offset by fine tannlns. much stronger on the finish. Strong, AtYPical but good Drink: 2012-2018 meaty, macho wine to dnnk With powerful red meats. Drink: 2011-2020 For full details of UK stockists, see pl06

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