2009 Mas des Chimeres Coteaux du Languedoc Terrasses du Larzac Caminarèm

Mas des Chimeres is in the village of Octon, in the Herault department of Southwestern France. The estate is owned and operated by Guilhem Darde, who works with his wife and daughter. Darde grew up in Octon and worked in family vineyards growing grapes with his father and uncle until 1974, when Darde began cultivating grapes on his own. He named his enterprise “farm of dreams, or farm of fantasy.” For nearly 20 years he sold his grapes to the village cooperative, but in 1993 he built a cellar and started bottling wine under his own label. The 58-acre estate is certified as organic and Darde grows Cinsault, Carignan, Syrah, Grenache and Mourvedre, as well as Muscat, Vigonier, Grenache Blanc, Clairette and Roussanne. Les Terraces du Larzac Nuit Grave is one of the estate’s premier wines, and it is a blend of Syrah, Mourvedre and Grenache. Mas des Chimeres wines have earned compliments in Gault Millau, one of France’s leading wine journals.

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.