WINERIES! Pic Saint Loup

Pic Saint Loup
I met my wine tour guide, Bértrand Bosc of Instant Terroir in front of the Montpellier Tourist Office at 10:00 on a Monday morning. Joining me was Simon, a fellow solo traveler from the United Kingdom. Bértrand is a 37-year old father of three who has been doing wine tours of Pic Saint Loup for 8 years. He runs a bed and breakfast with his mother, whom we got to meet near the end of the tour.


 We hopped into the back of Bértrand's van and left Montpellier for
the hills. During the drive, Bértrand explained that Pic Saint Loup is one of 300 Appellation d'origine Protégée ("A.O.P."), which is the European Union's equivalent of the old French classification, Appellation d'origine Controlée. There are 59 chateaux in the Pic Saint Loup A.O.P., which is defined by both their location in that part of the country and their unique book (cahier) of rules.
Bértrand (left) explaining winemaking
One rule is any red wine produced with "Pic Saint Loup" on the label must have 90% of one, two, or three of the following grape varietals: Syrah, Grenache, and Mouvedre. There are other grapes that may be used to fill the remaining 10%, but the two wineries we visited didn't grow them. In addition to a red wine, Pic Saint Loup also has a rose that can be labeled with the Pic Saint Loup A.O.P. name.

 The wineries are allowed to make wines that don't follow the rules, but those aren't called Pic Saint Loup wines. Instead, they're labeled as Languedoc wines. The white, non-A.O.P. wines I tasted were quite good.

 Bértrand told us that the Languedoc region was traditionally known for mass-produced wines that fed the French Army. The grapes
grown in the past were known for their massive juice production, "pissing wine from the vines." For centuries, day laborers drank wine instead of water to hydrate, because the water wasn't clean. Some people drank two liters of wine a day, although the alcohol level was lower than the wines we drink today. Doctors used to prescribe Languedoc wine for medicinal purposes. That tradition ended 20 years ago when 15 wineries in the Pic Saint Loup area decided to change course and make better quality wine.

 Château La Roque is the oldest winery in the A.O.P. and it's one of the largest. Their oak barrel
storage room was small compared to wineries I've visited in Sonoma and Napa. A couple bought La Roque two years ago and made it a biodynamic winery, which means it is one step more organic than organic. According to their web site, "Biodynamic agriculture is the earliest of the so-called “organic” methods. It’s not about natural farming in the sense of a return to nature but of actually understanding the laws of nature and observing them as best as possible in farming practice."

 The second winery we visited was Mas Gourdou. "Mas" means
"house" in Occitan. Like Château La Roque, Mas Gourdou is run by a young couple. In the latter winery's case, it's the daughter and son-in-law of the owners. The son-in-law met us and told us his boss is the weather. He does whatever it says.

 Pic Saint Loup reds are very inky, big-mouthed wines, although not overly fruity or sweet. The rosé wines at La Roque were my favorite, although Mas Gourdou's 2015 oak barrel aged red was a winner as well.

 It was past noon by the time we left Mas Gourdou, and Bétrand drove us to his family's bed and breakfast. We arrived to find his
Outdoor lunch at Bértrand's family B&B
mother had prepared a three-course meal outdoors on the back patio. For starters, we enjoyed a salad with lentils, beet purée, a phyllo dough "envelope" filed with goat cheese and olive tapenade. That was followed by a grantinée with beef and eggplant, similar to moussaka, with cinnamon and cumin, and a side of couscous. Dessert was a mind-blowing sorbet made from fresh thyme along with a slice of chestnut cake.

 Wow.

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