Brett happens

A friend and I spent yesterday afternoon at the Salon des vins d’importation privée, the private import expo run by RASPIPAV. Over the next few days, I’ll be posting sketchy notes on some of the highlights. Our first stop was at the oenopole booth, specifically to taste the four newly arrived wines from the wryly named Domaine du Possible, which can be rendered in English several ways, including the realm of possibility.

Forty-something Loïc Roure, the owner-winemaker, set up shop in the Côtes du Roussillon in 2003 and has since assembled 10.5 hectares of parcels in Latour-de-France, Lansac and Caudiès-de-Fenouillèdes. The wines are made in Lansac’s old winegrowers’ cooperative, which facilities Roure shares with Édouard Laffitte of Domaine Le Bout du Monde.

Roure farms organically and is a non-interventionist in the cellar. The grapes are picked by hand, brought to the winery and cooled, usually overnight. The reds are typically made using semi or full carbonic maceration. All fermentations are spontaneous, using only indigenous yeasts. Punch-downs are rare and pump-overs non-existent while racking is occasional. That plus reasonable extraction and low alcohol levels, little or no sulphur, no filtering or fining, a prizing of acidity and an avoidance of strong tannins equal fresh and juicy wines that are remarkably drinkable.

Roure was supposed to visit the city for the salon but went AWOL. Fortunately, four of his seven wines didn’t.

Côtes du Roussillon 2012, Cours Toujours, Domaine du Possible ($32.00, private import, 6 bottles/case)
Mostly Macabeu with a little Grenache Gris. 12.5% ABV. Quebec agent: oenopole.
Wafting nose of star fruit, quince, quartz, straw and ash. More appley in the mouth. Ripe-sweet on the attack but drying with a long, sourish, saline finish. A lovely mix of crystalline minerality and fruit. (Buy again? Def.)

Côtes du Roussillon 2013, Charivari, Domaine du Possible ($30.50/750 ml, private import, 6 bottles/case)
Côtes du Roussillon 2013, Charivari, Domaine du Possible ($63.75/1500 ml, private import, 3 bottles/case)
100% Carignan from vines between 35 and 110 years old. Undergoes carbonic maceration. 12.5% ABV. Quebec agent: oenopole.
The nose is a basket of red fruit along with some reductive aromas (the bottle had just been opened). A smooth and juicy mouthful of sweet and sour fruit, supple tannins and tangy acidity. So easy to drink. (Buy again? Yes.)

Côtes du Roussillon 2013, Tout bu or not tout bu, Domaine du Possible ($28.70, private import, 6 bottles/case)
About three-quarters Grenache and one-quarter Mourvèdre. Made from purchased organically farmed grapes. Some of the grapes are placed in vats and trod by foot. Whole bunches are then added and the vats are closed, resulting in a kind of semi-carbonic maceration. 12.5% ABV. Quebec agent: oenopole.
Deeper, darker nose of plum and slate. Less exuberantly fruity in the mouth. Mild tannins, glowing acidity, underpinning dark minerals. (Buy again? Yes.)

Côtes du Roussillon 2013, C’est pas la mer à boire, Domaine du Possible ($37.50, private import, 6 bottles/case)
Grenache (c. 75%), Carignan (c. 20%) and Syrah (c. 5%). Some of the grapes are placed in vats and trod by foot. Whole bunches are then added and the vats are closed, resulting in a kind of semi-carbonic maceration. 12.5% ABV. Quebec agent: oenopole.
Faintly bretty nose that segued into roasted cherries and plum and graphite. A fluent, smile-inducing blend of pure, bright fruit and crunchy minerals. Irresistible. (Buy again? The price is steep for a vin plaisir – damn you, high euro – but yes.)