Clos des Fees’s 2006 Cotes du Roussillon Villages La Petite Siberie smells of candied black currant, licorice, and vanilla, along with resinous, caramelized suggestions of maple syrup. On the palate, dried black fruits and cocoa powder add to this somewhat improbable cast, although for all of its suggestions of sweetness, there is less heat and more of a sense of flux and fluidity on the palate here than in the 2007. The trade-off for a slightly less remarkable amount of sheer richness is that one notices a considerable mass of tannin lurking beneath the surface. This variation on a consistently confectionary theme is more exotic even than that of the several other vintages I have tasted. I could well imagine that the tannin structure here and diminution in sheer density vis-a-vis the 2007 might make for less long term potential, but that is merely a guess.
Herve Bizeul practices a ruthlessly controlled viticultural regimen focused on some 130 parcels of selection massale vines in the dramatically rocky, yet clay-permeated limestone environment north of Vingrau, and his pursuit of concentration and purity continues with meticulous selectivity of plots and lots (much of the crop is sold off each year) as well as of clusters and berries. Add to this a fruit-pampering vinification, and the result is wines that have turned heads every bit as much as does the local scenery and brought Bizeul well-deserved recognition as a beacon of Roussillon quality. He is so convinced of the fit between traditional goblet training and the local climate, that he is even head-pruning his young vines of Cabernet Franc, whose profusely floral, chocolaty-rich, yet refined inaugural 2008 vintage will, rest assured, be unlike any other wine from this grape that you have ever tasted. Bizeul is another of those denizens of Roussillon and the Languedoc to have imagined and now perfected a uniquely delicious style of white wine.
Bizeul is currently seeking a new importer.
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