After Loire and Rhône rankings, let’s discover how the South of France is doing, with these wonderful wines full of sunshine!  A brief summary of the most expensive wines sold at auction during the first half of 2017 with the top 20 of Languedoc wines and of Roussillon, the top 15 of Provence, and the top 5 of Corsican wines.

Languedoc

As the region’s leader, Domaine de la Grange des Pères now benefits from a worldwide catchment. Its owner, Laurent Vaillé, works according to biodynamic principles, without being certified. If the red cuvée is always sought after in auctions, it is the rare white wine (Roussanne, Marsanne and Viognier blend) which ranks first with 2013 vintage auctioned €216. Another famous name is Mas Daumas Gassac, created by Aimé Guibert, an iconoclastic winemaker, who chose to plant Bordeaux grape varieties in a terroir of which he had identified the high potential. Although, he died in 2016 at the age of 91, he left an irreplaceable stain on the terroir and its wines. His 2001 vintage sold for €108, ranking 3^rd. Moreover, Marlène Soria figures among the strong personalities from Languedoc. She first created a cuvée, to be shared with her relatives, until Robert Parker fell for it. Her cuvée Clos des Cistes, a great success in the superb 1998 vintage – reference year for Languedoc wines – reached €104 at the iDealwine auction in April (#4). Finally, Château de la Négly ranks 2^nd, with one of its treasures: “La Porte du Ciel” cuvée – a wonderful Syrah wine, complemented by 30% Grenache-produced only in a few thousands of bottles. This rarity was auctioned €120 in 2002 vintage.

Roussillon

Unsurprisingly, the flagship cuvée from Clos des Fées hits the headlines: La Petite Sibérie auctioned at €318 in 2003 vintage, last April. This cuvée made from black Grenache, with a very, very long ageing potential, comes from a tiny terroir of 1.16 hectares marked by extreme weather conditions due to 200 days of freezing wind per year, hence its name (in English, the small Siberia). Another renowned domain of ​​the region is Mas Amiel, with its almost immortal fortified wines. The cuvée Réserve Spéciale 1970 went under the hammer for €156 during the first half of 2017. You’ll find also several other renowned names like Domaine Gauby with its cuvée La Muntada 2007 auctioned at €90 (#3), Olivier Pithon (#5), Mas Blanc (#6), Bila-Haut (#7) and Rectorie (#14). Finally, Jérôme Malet who recently threw in the towel has now made the wines from Domaine Sarda-Mallet (#9) a collector’s item.

Provence

Let’s see the top 15 wines from Provence. The first cuvée is a UFO: Domaine de Trévallon. A relatively new domain (first vintage being 1976) with a vineyard equally planted in Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah. Not certified AOC Baux-de-Provence, this wine labeled as simple “Vin de pays” (country wine) from the Bouches-du-Rhône region is popular in mature vintages. That’s why the 2000 vintage was auctioned €145 last January. Two other mature wines reached €100 at auction: Domaine Tempier Cabassaou 2001 – historic property from Bandol appellation – a powerfully aromatic wine, 95% Mourvèdre, and Château de Pibarnon 1985, from the same appellation auctioned €102. Bandol claims the lion’s share with 9 out of 15 cuvées in this ranking. Only two white wines are on the list and they are absolutely delicious: Château Simone, one of the best French white wines, ranking 4^th with its 2007 vintage sold for €61 and Château de Bellet Baron G (#14), a more confidential domain, threatened by the real estate speculation.

Corsica

The five most expensive cuvées from this region come from the greatest Corsican vineyards: the patrimonio from Antoine Arena – charismatic figure of Corsican viticulture – leading the ranking, with his biodynamic red cuvée in 2001 vintage auctioned €60. The only white wine of this TOP 5 is Biancu Gentile from Yves Leccia (#4), undoubtable blue chip for this region.

Top 20 of Languedoc wines

Top 20 of Roussillon wines

Top 15 of Provence wines

Top 5 of Corsican wines

See Languedoc wines currently on sale

See Roussillon wines currently on sale

See Provence wines currently on sale

See Corsican wines currently on sale

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Read further on iDealwine Le Blog:

• Top 20 of Loire wines
• Top 20 of Rhône wines
• Top 20 of Jura-Savoie and Alsace wines
• The 50 most expensive lots and wines sold at auction – 1st half-year 2017