French Regional Wrap Up: Corbières’ Clos de l’Anhel
This week we have focused on regions spanning the entirety of France and its hinterlands, from the Jura in the north east to Corsica in the Mediterannean Sea. Today, we finish in Languedoc, with one of the first producers I recruited after taking over the French Regional progam at K&L. Vigneron Sophie Guiraudon established Clos de l’Anhel in the appellation of Corbières just over two decades ago. She proudly states that she is a first-generation winemaker. Beginning her career at another winery in the region, she felt like she could do the same thing they were doing but better and organic—so why not strike out on her own?
She set out by acquiring old-vine parcels of Carignan and Grenache with small bits of Mourvèdre and Syrah and began working organically from the get-go. Her humble winery has never been filled with state-of-the-art equipment; she uses fiberglass tanks for fermenting and an old Champagne press (it produces gentler extraction) from many years back. She has added a few amphorae along the way, but the wines have always been made in a local garage in the village of Val-de-Dagne. There is no sexy tasting room with million-dollar art hanging from the walls, but what Sophie produces is the most soulful expression of Corbières I have found to date.
I first came to meet Sophie at a wine fair in Montpellier and was immediately smitten with her wines. She was making some of the most interesting and expressive Carignan-based wines that I had yet come across, and the prices were fanatastic. It turns out that we had a mutual friend from another winery, Maison Antech, and that they were part of the same association of winemakers known as the Vinifilles. This small group comprises female winemakers in regions across the Languedoc-Roussillon who work together to help promote their regions and each other’s wines. My friend Françoise Antech said great things about Sophie and that I had to work with her. All these years later, there have been no regrets.
Her 2021 Clos de l'Anhel "Lolo de l'Anhel" Corbières $14.99 has consistently been one of our staff’s favorite daily drinkers. Each vintage, its price point makes it accessible to anyone who enjoys good wine, while its classically southern-French flavors of ripe raspberry, garrigue, and lavender knock it out of the park. The Carignan in the wine adds lift and freshness, and the finish is long and delicious.
The 2021 Clos de l'Anhel "Les Terrassettes" Corbières $19.99 is a pure expression of Corbières terroir. It shows more richness and depth of fruit than the Lolo, and shines even more when it has time to open up in the glass. It has power and structure. This is a fuller-bodied wine with savory notes of licorice, roasted plum, and potpourri, but Sophie’s deft hand never makes it feel heavy or cumbersome. It is an aromatic gem.
Each wine has its place on the table, from the daily drinking of the Lolo to the weekend warrior of the Terrassettes.
I remember one visit to Sophie’s house, she served me braised wild boar (a local specialty) with some older vintages of her wines. What a magnificent feast! You need not have anything so special as boar, however; smoked pork shoulder, grilled hanger steak, or even your favorite barbecue rotisserie chicken would do just fine. Both wines would work great with such menus, and, while you sip them, think about how this one-woman show expresses something so much deeper than you might expect from such an off-the-radar-region. Sante!