2009 Domaine Anne Gros Et Jean-Paul Tollot Minervois Les Fontanilles

Domaine Anne Gros et Jean-Paul Tollot is a 35-acre estate in Cazelles, just north of the famous walled town of Carcassonne in the Languedoc-Roussillon appellation of southwestern France. The estate’s debut wines were 2008 Minervois bottlings. Anne Gros is from a much-admired Burgundy winemaking family whose roots in Vosne-Romanee go back many generations. Her husband Jean-Paul Tollot also comes from a Burgundy winemaking family and each is involved in family estates in Burgundy. In Cazelles the couple grows Cinsault, Grenache, Carignan and Syrah.

Languedoc-Roussillon is very large wine-producing region in south and southwestern France extending along the Mediterranean coast from northern Spain to the Rhone Valley. It includes more than 800,000 vineyard acres and numerous appellations, nearly all created since the mid-20th century. Languedoc-Roussillon produces one-third of all the wine made in France and it long had a reputation for quantity over quality. In the last few decades, however, outside investors and some long-time local producers have greatly improved vineyard practices and winemaking. The result is that Languedoc-Roussillon is now home to many entrepreneurially-minded producers highly focused on quality, and it enjoys a buzz among wine buyers looking for well-crafted, robust wines offered at excellent values. The most successfully grown red grapes are the traditional Rhone varietals of Grenache, Mourvedre and Syrah, though Carignan and Cinsault are also planted. The intense sun and dry weather makes it tougher to grow white grapes, though Chardonnay and some other white grapes are often successful. Chardonnay is used for the popular sparkling wine Crémant de Limoux, a Languedoc-Roussillon appellation created in 1990.