coteaux du languedoc

[chef koo]

i bought a bottle today. i've never tried it and was curious about, but what's that smell i'm getting. it smells almost pungent. what would you call that?

[carswell]

Coteaux du Languedoc is a big appellation and the AOC rules allow a number of grape varieties to be used in its wines (mouvèdre, grenache, syrah, carignan are cinsault are common red varieties; white varieities include roussane, grenache blanc, viognier, marsanne, carignan blanc, clairette and macabeu). So, without knowing which estate produced your wine and which of the estate's wines it is, we'll be hard pressed to guess what your "pungency" is. Tell us what you're drinking and maybe a little more about the smell (smoky? sour? animal?) and we'll be happy to make a WAG or two.

[J_Ozzy]

As carswell said, this is a pretty big region.

I'm partial to the pic St-Loups , myself

[chef koo]

ahh i see. well i'm looking at the bottle and it says la chapelle de bebian

[carswell]

La Chapelle de Bébian is the second wine of Prieuré de Saint-Jean de Bébian, one of the first Languedoc wines to make waves back in the '80s. The estate's website says the Chapelle is a blend of 35% cinsault and carignan and 65% young grenache and syrah, though the exact proportion would vary from vintage to vintage. The pungency you refer to is just the smell of the grapes involved, pretty typical of a well-made Languedoc involving those varieties. If it's kind of earthy and dried herby (the famous garrigue), it's probably the cinsault, carignan and grenache talking. If you're getting game, smoke or bacon, it's the syrah. If it's just fruit, it's all of them together.

Edited April 9, 2005 by carswell (log)

[chef koo]

thanks. that's perfect