2007 Vin de Pays Le Merle Aux Alouettes

Smoky, nutty, as well as faintly acrid notes in the nose of Chabanon’s 2007 Le Petit Merle Aux Alouettes lead into a palate marked by juicy if not notably sweet red fruits, toasted nuts, leather, and a smoky, saline, chalky mineral melange. This finishes satisfyingly if low key, and when it is released (soon) I would plan on enjoying it within a couple of years. (For some reason, Chabanon did not offer me a taste of the current, 2006 vintage.) Montpellier-born, though raised deep in France’s Massif Central, Alain Chabanon farms well over 100 acres of vines on his eponymous estate, still widely – but since 2008 no longer officially – known as the Domaine Font Caude, which was founded in 1992 and moved into its current facilities between Lagamas and Montpeyroux in 1999. Chabanon – who cites Alain Brumont of Madiran and Comte Peraldi of Corsica as two profound influences – practices elevages of widely varying length but generally very late release. He never regulates the temperature of his ferments, even for whites. (“The course of fermentation is not for me to decide.”) He farms organically but rejects any use whatsoever of compost. “It’s worked for twenty years!” he says several times during our session with reference to one or another of these unusual practices. Chabanon’s planting of Merlot predates the classification of his parcels as Coteaux du Languedoc, but it is clear that his affection for this grape guarantees its continuance at this address. He was inspired to plant (and graft-over existing vines) to Mourvedre after tasting Laurent Vaille’s results with this grape in 1992. Chabanon’s time in Corsica explains his interest in Vermentino; but he also answered for me the mystery of so much Chenin Blanc around Saint- Saturnin. It seems that the local cooperative hit on this as a novelty thirty years ago. “You can harvest late and ripe, yet retain refreshing acidity and low pH,” says Chabanon of both of his chosen white cepages. A Thomas Calder Selection (various importers), Paris; fax 011-33-1-46-45-15-29