No matter the season, even during summer, wine enthusiasts enjoy fine bottles from Languedoc. Talented winemakers can be found throughout this historical winegrowing region, and they produce bottles that are full of finesse with incredible ageing capacity. Let’s take a look at the lots which seduced enthusiasts in iDealwine’s August auctions.
La Grange des Pères – Simply unbeatable
The estate created in 1992 by Laurent Vaillé continues to produce the wines of people’s dreams. Even if the unique blend Syrah, Mourvèdre, Cabernet Sauvignon and a little bit of Counoise forced the estate to give up its AOC status, La Grange des Pères’ wine features on the list of bottles that wine lovers dream of tasting once in their lifetime. While the price of the bottles adorned with the famous yellow label fell during the first part of 2024, a number of vintages – and not only mature ones – were once again being auctioned at higher prices over the summer. The 1996 has a stable price but surpassed the €400 mark in August, selling for €407 to be precise. The 2007 experienced an increase of 11%, rising to €300, and the 2010’s price grew by 4% to €271. The 2012 and the 2014 both went under the hammer for €250 and experienced gains of 6% and 11%, respectively. Even more recent vintages saw growth; a 2020 sold for €275 (+10%). The estate’s white wine – a rarity – stabilised at a higher level with a 2005 being auctioned for €401. It seems that La Grange des Pères’ aura is intact.
Wines from La Grange des Pères ®iDealwine.com
The influence of Laurent Vaillé, who tragically left us in 2021, is still very much present in the Terrasses du Larzac whose exceptional terroir delivers fresh, subtle wines. Among the estates which each contribute to the prestige of this terroir, many references have retained their attractive prices; Domaine Montcalmès, expertly run by Frédéric Pourtalié, is one such property. Its 2008 sold for €63. La Pèira, an estate located near La Grange des Pères and considered to be “one of the most exciting in Languedoc” by the Wine Advocate saw its 2013 be auctioned for €65.
It’d be wrong to think that all the winemakers around Aniane and the surrounding villages are looking to reproduce the wines of La Grange des Pères. On the contrary, they are delivering a unique interpretation of the terroir, through the choice of their blends. This is exactly what Maxime Renaudin is doing. He has been based in Jonquières since 2018 after spending time with Laurent Vaillé as an intern. His estate only covers five hectares, and all his wines are flying at auction, including recent vintages. The 2021, for example, a blend of Carignan (40%), Grenache (30%) and Syrah (30%) obtained €163 in August (+18%).
Another property that is all the rage is Bergerie de l’Arcade. The Soulas brothers started to produce wine in 2016 on a vast and varied agricultural estate. The 2018, produced from Syrah and Grenache grapes, reached €150 for a bottle and €351 for a magnum.
When looking at other Terrasses du Larzac wines that stole the limelight in August, we can also cite Mas Daumas Gassac, a longstanding estate in the region, whose 1998 vintage (in a magnum format) was auctioned for €150 last month. Many other Languedoc estates also witnessed great success in recent auctions. There’s Peyre Rose (2008 Les Cistes auctioned for €94), Aurelles (2015 Aurel, €88), Les Creisses (2013 Les Brunes, €69), and Nicolas Senlanne, who has seen plenty of chatter around his wine, especially for Arsis: the promising 2022 vintage was sold for €65. As you can see, Languedoc’s wines continue to excite wine lovers!
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