You know, it just doesn’t get much better than this … three absolutely delicious wines from one of the finest properties in the Minervois area of the Languedoc-Roussillon, from outstanding vintages and at very attractive prices. You are going to love these wines.

Franck, Hélène, your dedicated  taster and Oncle André

Even though he grew up in a winemaking family, Franck chose a career in academia, becoming a teacher in Bordeaux. But the call of the Minervois and the allure of creating something very special proved irresistible. So, a few years ago Franck returned to the family estate near the village of Siran (and only a few kilometres from Minerve, the capital of the Cathars) in the best part of the Minervois called Minervois-la-Livinière to rejoin his mother Marie Alice and uncles André and Antoine. Oncle André is an expert stonemason whose handiwork can be seen throughout the estate. Among Oncle Antoine’s many talents is his ability to speak the ancient language of Oc. 

Their vineyard is situated on a hillside of clay and chalky soil that enjoys more than three hundred days of sunshine each year. The old vines are bathed in the glorious scents of the surrounding garrigue (wild asparagus, thyme, rosemary, maritime pines and evergreen oaks). The grape varieties are typical of great Languedoc wines - Syrah, Grenache, Carignan and Cinsault. The Léonors do everything the old fashioned way when it comes to tending the vines and making the wines and are in the process of converting to organic farming. Yields are kept low through disbudding and summer thinning (vendange en vert). Harvesting is done completely by hand, the grapes are destemmed, traditional vinification methods are followed and the premium wines are partly aged in French oak for twelve to fifteen months. Incidentally, “Firmament” means the arch or vault of the skies – alluding to the over-reaching, mystical character of these fine wines.

Three Celestial Reds from Les Cuvées du Firmament

We have selected three smashing wines for you – the 2009 Cuvée Horizon, the 2009 Cuvée Sky and the amazing 2007 Cuvée Star. All come in six-bottle cases. We will be trotting over to the LCBO with your orders on Friday, January 21^st.

Please don’t be shy about wines from the Minervois. Numerous superb wines are now being made there (including these of course) and it is widely recognized as a source of many great values. The grape varieties are the same as in other better known viticultural areas of southern France and new investors are rejuvenating the old, well-situated properties.

2009 Cuvée Horizon – 13.5% Alc./Vol.                   $14/$84 per six-bottle case This wonderful little sipper is made from 100% Grenache that was hand-picked from relatively young vines. The bunches were destemmed and the grapes hand-sorted before being gently crushed and beginning the fermentation process. It rested a year in cement tanks and saw no oak. This Vin de Pays de l’Hérault is a medium ruby colour and offers up tantalizing aromas of ripe red berries, rosemary and new leather. It is surprisingly smooth in the mouth, possessing excellent, pure, fresh fruit and structure with very nice, soft tannins. Best of all, it is drinking beautifully now – by itself or with traditional bistro fare. And, for those so inclined to enjoy a wee sip with the odd breakfast or, like we do, have ‘breakfast for dinner’, it will go wonderfully with a ham omelette. This is a wine that should be kept within easy reaching distance whenever the urge for a glass of satisfying red presents itself. Order some of this little treasure for those thirsty moments.

2009 Cuvée Sky – 14.0% Alc./Vol.                          $16/$96 per six-bottle case This absolutely delicious AOC Minervois red is made from 55% Syrah and 45% Cinsault, all hand-picked and meticulously processed in the usual Léonore manner. The yield is modest 45 to 50 hectolitres per hectare. This is a real ‘terroir’ wine that beautifully expresses the purity and freshness of the fruit. It is a brilliant deep red with an intense nose of black and red fruit, southern France spices and saddle leather. Flavours of black currants, raspberries, strawberries and plums persist in the mouth. It is full, round, complex and amazingly long for a wine of this price. It will go wonderfully with grilled meats and ripe cheese. I would decant it for a half hour or so before drinking to fully open it up. And, it will keep happily in the cellar for at least three years. Order some of this lovely Minervois rouge now.

2007 Cuvée Star – 15.0% Alc./Vol.                         $30/$180 per six-bottle case At only thirty dollars a bottle, I think the 2007 Cuvée Star is an absolute steal! This AOC Minervois Cru La Livinière is crafted from 75% Syrah and 25% Grenache (selected during two hand harvests to ensure the grapes had reached optimum maturity) from old vines with a yield of less than thirty hectolitres per hectare. And, it is from the stellar 2007 vintage. The juice was held in fermentation tanks for three to five weeks and the wines were aged in French oak barrels (60% new and 40% used  once) for a year. This dark purple elixir has a pronounced nose of cassis, raspberry preserve, old leather, dark chocolate, minerals and spice. It is massive, round and very smooth in the mouth with a beautiful tannic structure. The taste of black currants is joined by mocha and pepper which continue right through the very long finish. Serve a little chilled (about 15°C and decant two or three hours before bestowing it upon your guess. It will go splendidly with wild game, particularly roast duck, but it is also an extreme pleasure sipped alone from the glass. This is a wine for passionate wine-lovers to drink now or hold for many years. Order a real hedonistic treat now.

Franck Léonore’s Sampler                                      $23/$138 per six-bottle case Franck would like you to try both his 2009 Cuvée Sky and 2007 Cuvée Star, so he has packaged three bottles of each in his ‘Frank Léonore Sampler’. This is indeed a great way to try them … but, I caution you that you will wish you had acquired more of each! Order your six-pack of Minervois pleasure now.

Note: the above prices include our one dollar a bottle handling fee.

Champagne Forget-Brimont 1er Cru Brut Receives 90 Rating from Parker I just opened the December 23rd edition of the ‘Wine Advocate’ to find the following about the lovely 1er Cru Brut from Champagne Forget-Brimont as described by Antonio Galloni: “The NV Brut Premier Cru is a beautifully complete, balanced wine with tons of harmony in its aromatics and fruits. The predominance of red grapes in the blend yields an expansive, creamy texture that makes this an absolute joy to drink. The NV Brut Premier Cru is 40% Pinot Noir, 40% Pinot Meunier and 20% Chardonnay from vintages 2007, 2006 and 2005, with full malolactic fermentation and 13.8 grams of dosage. Disgorged May 19, 2010. Anticipated maturity: 2010-2014. $46.00     90” Our latest shipment from Champagne Forget-Brimont was delivered a month ago, so some of you will be quaffing this lovely fizz over the holidays. If you would like us to order more soon, please drop me a line.

We would be most grateful if you would pass this note on to anyone you think might enjoy some classic wines from the Minervois or would be interested in our wine club.

Coming Next – Michelin Three Star Châteauneuf du Pape!

When we visited with Christian Esparza at his InterCave wine emporium in Saint-Rémy de Provence this past October we asked if he had anything special for us to try. “How about a brilliant 2007 Châteauneuf de Pape that has been specially selected by two of our local Michelin three star restaurants?” he responded. “Nobody knows about this extraordinary Châteauneuf du Pape because they just started making it. In the past, they sent all their grapes to the co-op.” He opened it for us and what can I say but, “Wow!” We immediately contacted the winery and after much discussion we have been able to secure 240 bottles for our Members … at well under $40 the bottle. Read all about it in our next spell-binding Arthur’s Cellar Wine Club Bulletin!

May 2011 be a most happy and amazing year for all.

Many thanks and cheers,

Jim and Hélène
Arthur's Cellar Wine Club
jaswalke@arthursellers.com  
www.arthursellers.com
www.ofrance.ca