La Clape: our new favorite Languedoc AOC
- christopherutyna
- Aug 6, 2024
- 3 min read
Updated: Nov 13, 2024
If you haven't heard the name of the AOC La Clape you're not the only one. Having spent more than 20 years in the South of France, we only discovered this region last year and to our great surprise, we tasted some of the best Languedoc wines we had in a long time. Luckily, the SAQ is bring a very small collection of La Clape wines on their shelves that we are discussing today.
La Clape is a very small appellation producing only 40k hl yearly (the Bordeaux region produces 6 millions hl in a full year for comparison) and it has the particularity to be positioned on a rocky portion of the Mediterraneen sea coast composed of hills and cliffs of white limestone capturing the strong sun of south of France while offering great freshness with the proximity to the sea.
The region is also very windy which adds to its character. We had the chance to visit it in October last year after the harvest season and almost got caught into a little storm during our trip, we can attest there is wind there!
This micro-climat for that region and particular environnement creates very elegant red wines with a good amount of freshness and white ones with a strong minerality and acidity. Interesting to note: the whites are mostly composed of their local grape: the bourboulenc to be part of the AOC.
La Clape caught more attention in the past years and is definitely one of the rising appellations of the South of France. You will find at the SAQ a few bottles from fancy well known domains such as Chateau de l'Hospitalité but we found a few months ago a red from Chateau Rouquette Sur Mer and decided to give it a try.
The bottle reminds us of the Bordeaux glass shape and differs from what we see in the South of the Rhone Valley. We've been told that these red wines can age easily up to 10y when we usually keep a Languedoc wine about 5y so it caught our attention as it's less common in the region. The grapes are Syrah, Mourvèdre, Grenache and Carignan so typical from South of France for a red.
The nose is subtle with nice black fruits aromas: blackberries and dark cherries, followed by red peppercorn and a good oak finishing. Very complex, it's elegant and also presents more animal scents such as leather. We've been impressed by the style and the number of aromas we could pick up and spent quite some time taking notes during our first tasting.
The palate is on the red fruit: red currant and griottes and stays very fresh as the acidity is present but well balanced. The mouth is velvety and smooth, good length and nice texture all in harmony. Very good overall and we definitely found that the style was closer to some Cabernet from Bordeaux region than a Syrah from Languedoc.
The wine maker recommends on their website pairing it with duck magret with rosemary and black olives...and we agree!
What's interesting is the price: at $21.30 at the SAQ you get a very elegant wine that can be opened now or kept for later and which carries a great complexity and elegance. Definitely worth it and a good way to add something new to your cave.
We also had the chance to try a delicious white from Chateau la Combe des Ducs - Pierres de Mer. Unfortunately we couldn't find it at the SAQ but it's a good one to keep note of.
We loved La Clape, this is an appellation with a lot of potential and produces quality bottles that compete with great Rhone Valley or Bordeaux wines, we recommend you add a few to your cave.
Cheers!
