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On the ground & in the vines! Our team visits 5 Languedoc winemakers
The Princess & Bear team with Mélanie Estival (2nd from right) of Voûte de Verdus. White Grenache vines on the right. Cinsault vines on the left.
This month, our entire Princess and Bear team is "on the ground" exploring the Languedoc-Roussillon region, visiting our fabulous winemakers, and tasting the latest vintages so that we can bring you the best-of-the-best!
So far we've visited the appellations of Faugéres, Terrasses du Larzac, and La Livinière where we toured the vineyards and experienced the beautiful cuvées of five of our winemakers.
We walked the 100 year old vineyard of La Voûte du Verdu with Mélanie Estival, a fourth-generation winemaker (photo above). La Voûte's winemaking cave sits atop the Verdus River in the medieval town of St. Guilhem le Desert. Le Désert Blanc and Grand Saut are two of the wonderfully complexwines produced by La Voûte du Verdu.
In the video below, our team tours the reclaimed biodynamic Grenache vineyard of Simon and Monica Coulshaw of Domaine des Trinités in the Faugéres appellation.
You'll notice the "garrigue," the rich, often aromatic, vegetation that intermingles with the vines, and the schist soil which provides minerality and freshness.
The wines of Domaine des Trinités arrived in the most recent shipment and will be available for purchase soon!
Left to right: Steve Medwell (the Bear), Ioana Bucur (Princess & Bear's Tasting Room Manager), Monica Coulshaw of Domaine des Trinités, Carol Bailey (the Princess), Simon Coulshaw of Domaine des Trinités, & Rachael Beidler, Princess & Bear's Director of Operations.
We dropped in on another of our winemakers in the Faugères appellation—the delightful Pierre Urbain of Mas Nuy. Like the Bear, Pierre is a former surgeon turned Languedoc wine lover!
Beginning in 2014, Pierre started a range of PGI (IGP) wines, harvesting the grapes at night and making the wine in concrete vats to preserve the freshness and varietal identity of his wines. We carry three of these IGP wines, Robe Blanche, Quartz Rosé, and Athanor. We also offer La Catieda (Pierre’s top cuvée white) and Fou de Rec.
Our team with Pierre Urbain and the wines of Mas Nuy.
Pascal Riviere of La Jasse Castel is one of the women winemakers fueling the Languedoc wine renaissance. Our team caught up with her in the charming village of Montpeyroux where we shared an al fresco meal.
Pascal Riviere of La Jasse Castel (far right) and the Princess & Bear team
Pascal's vineyards include a century-old Cinsault, an ancient Carignan, a purebred Syrah on the edge of an oak forest, and a Grenache in the heart of the Seranne landscape. Her exquisite wines include Bleu Velours, El Abanico, Légrisee, and La Jasse.
Our final stop was in the Minervois-La Livinière appellation where our team (including Gigi!) shared a few laughs and tasted the incredible wines of winemaker, Michel Escande of Borie de Maurel.
Taste La Féline, Le Gypse, Belle de Nuit and Cuveé Sylla to see why Michel was dubbed “The Wizard of Feline,” by the international wine press!
Jul 25, 2019 at 3:19 PM
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A Laid-Back Summer Meal Meets A Lively White Wine [Recipe Inside]
July Wine and Food Pairing
We hope you're having a wonderful summer and finding time to relax and take in the simple pleasures. For us, this means delicious, fresh, easy-to-prepare meals paired with one of our extraordinary "undiscovered" wines from the Languedoc-Roussillon.
We invite you to try these easy, savory summer dishes: Quick Caprese with Garlic Crostini and Super-Easy Summer Salmon. Recipes below.
Compliment with 2018 Soif L'idéal—an "easy drinker" but with enough acidity to hold up to a great meal. Enjoy!
Featured Recipes
Featured Wine
Domaine Terrasses de Gabrielle
2018 SOIF L'IDÉAL
An "ideal" thirst quencher! The acidity of the Grenache Blanc and Vermentino blends with the honeyed pear and peach flowers of the Roussanne and Viognier to create a lively and engaging wine.
Winemaker Olivier Pascal of Domaine Terrasses de Gabrielle comes from generations of winemakers. He and his delightful, hardworking wife, Fabienne Los Huertos, tend the vineyards her family has owned for generations and work their creative magic in the cave where their small batch wines come to life.
Jul 21, 2019 at 3:20 PM
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How geology, history, climate, & culture find their way into your wine glass
The bell tower overlooking the vineyards of the Cru La Livinière
(photo courtesy of Syndicat du Cru Minervois-La Livinière)
La Livinière creates the kind of extraordinary and unique wines that inspired us to introduce Languedoc-Roussillon winemakers to the U.S.
La Livinière is a small "Cru," or "group of excellence," comprised of 41 winemakers within the Minervois-La-Livinière appellation. This Cru exemplifies the balance of creativity with tradition that is the hallmark of Languedoc wines. In fact, La Livinière was the first Cru to be recognized in the Languedoc!
Audrey Rouanet and Carol "the Princess" Bailey standing in Audrey's amazing high altitude terroir at Rouanet Montcelebre.
Winemaker, Franck Leonor of family-owned & operated La Rouviole. The wines of these La Livinière winemakers just arrived on July 10th!
The vineyards sit atop a vast limestone plateau (the causse), a vestige of a shallow sea that existed millions of years ago. Much of the landscape is too rugged for cultivation.
Limestone, sandstone, marl, and schist are part of the varied terroir. Syrah, Grenache, and Mourvèdre love ripening in the hot, dry climate and Mediterranean sun. By night, cool winds preserve the freshness and acidity of the fruit.
La Livinière winemakers each work their unique magic, altering aspects of maturity, maceration, fermentation, and container type to create wines with scents of ripe fruit, olives and even truffles! Fabulous!
Winemaker, Michel Escande, the “Wizard of Feline,” is pictured here. He and his Cru La Livinière domaine, Borie de Maurel, are part of the Princess and Bear family (check out his 2016 La Féline).
We invite you to experience the exceptional wines of La Livinière for yourself! The wines of La Rouviole and Rouanet Montcelebre just arrived and will be available for sale on our website soon!
Jul 12, 2019 at 2:07 PM
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Boost Your Summer BBQ with Chilled Red Wine [GIFT INSIDE]
Summer means BBQ season! Time to gather with friends and family to celebrate!
Spread the picnic blanket, fire up the grill, and share delicious wines while this beautiful season is in full swing!
We recommend red wine with many classic summer foods like barbecue, coleslaw, and potato salad (keep reading for the best potato salad recipe ever—really!)
If you're a Princess and Bear Wine Club member, the red wines you've received (La Diva 2015, La Pimpanela, and Grand Saut) are perfect with barbecued meats and chicken, especially when slightly chilled.
And now, our summer gift to you,
the best potato salad ever!
Jul 5, 2019 at 6:31 PM
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