Day 3 - Commanderie de la Bargemone and Chateau de Lancyre

This morning we drove a few hours to Commanderie de la Bargemone in the town of Saint-Cannat in Provence. The building is over 1,000 years old. Previous owner, Jean-Pierre Rozan was a young teenager living in Natzi-occupied France with his two Socialist parents, both very vocal about being anti-Natzi. One afternoon while having lunch, a group of Natzi soldiers stormed into the Rozan's house with machine guns, as Jean-Pierre sat watching his parents be murdered before his eyes. During the firing, a back window was blown out, which Jean-Pierre escaped to the back woods through. From there he joined the French Resistance, soon making his way to Lieutenant status in one of the platoons which took back Berlin. Jean-Pierre ended up in Provence through business, buying the Commanderie for a place to live. Unfortunately he passed away in 2006, and the winery is now under the ownership of Christian and Marina Garin. However, it should not go unsaid that during his lifetime, Jean-Pierre went from escaping into the woods with just the shirt on his back to being named one of the wealthiest men of the world.

We enjoyed a nice lunch of spinach and olive pizza, egg and anchovy sandwiches, salmon and cheese sandwiches to name a few. We of course sipped on more rosé with our lunch, perfect for the spring season. Provence is rosé country, accounting for 2/3 of production.

**Bargemone (Provence): (New York Times, 6/09) '08 included in Top Rosés of 2009 feature **Featured in The World's Best Values under $25 (Robert Parker, 11/09) "This has long been one of France's most delicious rosés..."
**89 pts (Wine Advocate, 6/09) '08 "Bargemone consistently makes fine rosés...delicious effort...exhibits delicate framboise and strawberry notes as well as fresh, primary flavors."

From the Commanderie we drove about another hour to Chateau de Lancyre in Valflaunes. What makes the Lancyre wines so unique is the extraordinarily elevated vineyard. It rises to about 1,500 feet and is surrounded by an enclave of mountains. According to Kravitz, when considering the overall quality, price, and consistency of the wines, Lancyre "may be the best in the region."
With three reds, one rosé, and one white, they produce about 2,500 cases a year. They're situated in Pic Saint Loup, one of the top three districts in Languedoc, and the best known internationally. What makes Pic Saint Loup the best district in Languedoc lies in the terroir, meaning everything that affects the vineyard:

• soil
• subsoil
• climate
• slope
• exposure

Although all of the wines tasted were exceptional, two stood out: The 2008 Vieilles Vignes had a cherry and berry nose, with a lush fruit palate and was very well-balanced. The 2007 Vieilles Vignes was another of our favorites, with a more intense nose, pleasant fruit palate, and mild tannins and acid.

**The Lancyre (Pic Saint-Loup) was featured in The World's Best Value under $25. Robert Parker, 11/09 referred to it as "one of the finest pinks on the planet..."
**"Very Good, Distinctive" (Food & Wine 2010 Wine Guide) '08 "displays an enticing mix of lavender, rosemary, thyme and raspberry flavors and a lively, refreshing finish."

From there we headed back to the hotel for a tasting of Chateaux Haut Beyzac and des Tourtes wines with Pennsylvania native, Darren Miller. Their winery is located in the small village of Saint-Caprais, about 35 miles northeast of Bordeaux. Darren is married to Emanuelle, who's parents' Philippe and Lise Raguenot bought the winery in 1963.

Their major varietals are Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon, but Darren says they are now looking to make more complex wines by bringing in new grapes like Malbec and Petit Verdot, and trying different varieties.

Darren says the average age of a vineyard is between 20 and 25 years, younger than in previous years because of the outlaw on chemicals to protect the vines. Speaking in the future, Darren says the only possible way to solve this problem would be to use genetically modified plants - a highly debated topic and one which Darren thinks France especially, will have a hard time ever accepting. Darren, back center, pictured with distributors and retailers from MA

**Keep your eye out for Darren in the June issue of Wine Spectator and also for his prospective visit to MA in September for an opportunity to purchase his wines.

Dinner after the tasting was again, outstanding. We started with a black rice cooked like risotto with crispy scallops. Our main course was a filet of monk fish served with mashed sweet potatoes, broccoli and corn. For dessert we had a rich tiramisu, all presented as true works of art.