The Circle of Wine Writers had a webinar with an official of the Terrasses du Larzac wine region with which I was involved. This area is an AOC within the Côteaux du Languedoc, with some of its highest vineyards, which are situated on the slopes of the Cévannes. A week or so after the webinar, a case of 6 wines arrived; the AOC officials had decided to send us samples of the wines to taste. One of these was Le Clos du Serres, Sainte-Pauline (it’s a lieu-dit or named vineyard) 2009 at 14% alcohol. The soil is sandstone with large rocks or galets, and the climate is quite fresh. The colour is dark ruby, with a deep, dark, non-assertive fruity nose. This fruit comes through at first on the palate, but the wine then moderates into more minerality. It’s a dry wine with balanced tannins and acidity, full-bodied with substance. I should add that a bit of acidity remained in my throat at the end of the finish. My husband is very good at estimating the cost of any wine we taste, sometimes to the pound, and his estimation was £40 a bottle. In reality, it was £16, tremendous value for money.

Kathleen Burk, Director.