This magnificent La Croix reveals an aromatic nose of red fruit and blackcurrent and a supple, fruity mouth with a touch of mineral at the finish.
A delight!
Wine characteristics
- Vintage : La Croix de Bébian
- Year : 2015
- Appellation : Coteaux du Languedoc
- Colour : Red
- Grape types : 70 % Grenache, 30 % Cinsault
- Soil : different subsoils
- Harvest : manual
- Type of viticulture : traditional
- Contenance : 75cl
Tasting - Cellaring
- Appearance : deep ruby
- Nose : red fruit, blackcurrant, black olives
- Mouth : supple and fruity
- Serving temperature : 16°C
- Cellaring : 3 to 5 years
- Drink from : 2016
- Winemaking process : maceration in vats
- Maturation : in tank
Food-matching
- Food-matching : roast chicken or turkey with herbs
Domain :
Already known in Roman times, the estate has risen in quality again under the managmenet of Benoît Pontenier and the oenologist Karen Turner. On 32 hectares and 40 plots, it produces flavoursome and sprightly wines with great personality.
Appellation :
See the latest sales in this region
This is the wine-growing area that has made the greatest progress in terms of quality over the past 30 to 40 years, morphing from coarse reds into a multitude of quality wines with very distinctive characteristics. For some time now, the whites have also kept pace with the reds.
There are 245,000 hectares of vineyards, producing 1,245,000 hl of wine, mainly reds.
The region is situated between the Massif Central, the Corbières and the Mediterranean, covering a wide range of ‘terroirs’ and appellations. There’s shale, sandstone, pebbles, limestone and alluvial deposits.
The climate is very much mediterranean, with hot summers and irregular and poorly distributed rainfall.
The grape types currently planted, apart from carignan, often date from after the Second World War, in line with the subsoil. This makes for complex, exciting wines.
Reflecting this dynamism, many of the vignerons produce wines that are non-AOC (vins de pays, table wines, etc.) as they keep on searching for quality and originality.
The Languedoc has 11 AOCs, the main ones of which are Coteaux du Languedoc, Saint-Chinian, Faugères, Minervois, Minervois-la-Livinière, Fitou, Corbières, Limoux and so on.
Recent vintages
- 2011: good year for whites, which are well-balanced and fresh. The reds are more even.
- 2012: the reds are mature and fresh, with lower alcohol content. The whites are fresh and fragrant.
- 2013: the finest vintage since 1998. The reds display freshness, quality tannins and fragrant finesse. The whites blend good balance with maturity and acidity.
- 2014: fresh, tender reds to be drunk young. Tonic, aromatic and fresh whites.