Today I drank L'Oustal Blanc K10. 100% Carignan from their younger vines. The names of the proprietors are Earl Claude and Isabel Fonquerle. They grow grapes in Creissan, a region of the Languedoc-Roussillon in South Western France. Cressian is near the city of Montpellier, and is quite close to the Mediterranean Sea. The Fonquerles have been farming grapes in Minervois since 2002, and focus on the traditional grape varieties of Southern France - namely, Grenache, Carignan, Cinsault, and Syrah. The K10 is 100% Carignan. From the winery's website:
"The carignan grapes entering in the "vintage K" come from all the lands of our domain; namely, on one hand from parcels located in the Minervois (soils based on marl, gravelly marl, some shales), and on the other hand from parcels located on the Saint Chinian (fersiallitic soil)." Fersiallitic soil appears (according to research) to be coarse sandy granite soil. Marl, on the other hand, is a muddy soil rich in calcium or lime.
Claude Fonquerle has a long history in the wine industry, having spent a decade working at Jean-Pierre Boisson's Domaine du Pere Caboche in Chateauneuf-du-Pape, as well as time at Chateau de Valcombe in the Costieres de Nimes.
The winery claims a philosophy of "develop[ing] with the indigenous vines [of Southern France:] (carignan, cinsault, grenache) a variety of wines which, without denying the characteristics proper to wines from the south, remains oriented towards the fruit, the finesse, the purity and the complexity." But what does that mean? To me, it sounds like a dedication to grape varieties, but nothing else. Indeed, the winery's website describes an extensive sorting process, after which the must is "completely free of green materials". Is this a good thing? Perhaps. It's certainly a style. But I don't know that they edify an entire winemaking philosophy in their online materials. I would expect a philosophy to include a dedication to certain ideals, be they modern winemaking techniques or traditional methods. L'Oustal Blanc seems to walk the line between these two schools of thought, adhering strictly to neither. For instance, though they describe meticulous sorting practices, which is certainly a modern winemaking technique, they also aged 80% of the K10 in cement vats, a practice that harkens back to centuries of winemaking in Southern France.
The K10, incidentally, is a non-vintage 'Vin Francais'. Most of the l'Oustal Blanc wines are labeled as such, because they eschew regional winemaking techniques and varietal requirements, and thus are not legally allowed to list vintage or region on the bottle. The '10' in the name of 'K10' designates this specific bottling as having been from the 2010 vintage.
So how is the wine? It's nice. It's concentrated and full-bodied, but not overwhelming. A bright red fruit character meshes well with a somewhat bitter, sappy element. This is a great everyday drinker for a Francophile who doesn't like the blown-up, extremely ripe elements common in most new world wines. It has a hint of spice, but is mostly just very drinkable. The tannins are present but not obtrusive. It would be lovely with a rich cassoulet, or just a charcuterie board. It's a fun, great, everyday quaffer. I was shocked to see the alcohol listed on the back label as 15%; it's certainly not obtrusive, and at that level I expect it to be a little bit more evident. Regardless, this is a nice wine.
The 'K' series is the introductory level of red wine for l'Oustal Blanc. They make other, higher-end cuvees, with fun fantasy names: Giocoso, Prima Donna, Maestoso. These are also made with Grenache, Carignan, Syrah, and Cinsault. As expected, they spend more time in barrel or tank, and supposedly have a more developed, more elegant style to them. I haven't had a chance to try them, but look forward to the possibility of doing so in the future. However, the K10 is nice now. Sometimes it's important to stop and enjoy the simple wines, and not compare them to the supposedly greater cuvees.
