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While recently tasting dozens of wines from the Minervois appellation of southern France, one particular label appeared intriguing. The wine named Le C–Le Rouge des Oublies, or the Red of the Forgotten, listed unfamiliar grape varieties, including Riveyranc Noir, Riveyranc Verdal, Morrastel Noir à Jus Blanc, and Œillade Noir. I contacted the winery, and hours later paced over 12 hectares (30 acres) of vineyards with Cécile Delucchi, who, with her mother Patricia Boyer-Domergue, operates Clos Centeilles.
Clos
The origin of the winery name is uncertain. Clos is an enclosure, verified by an extensive stone boundary wall that loops around the land. Centeilles is the name of a 13th century stone church on the property, likely named after a local dialect word meaning ‘shine.’ This describes how its roof often appears during sunrise and sunset. Today the property totals 20 hectares (50 acres) and includes vines as well as almond and oak trees, scrub and walking trails.
Of 23 grape varieties grown, 16 can be considered ‘rare and forgotten.’ Most were grown during previous centuries but are rarely planted today. These include four types of Riveyrenc (named after four colors), Araignan Blanc, Clairette Rose, Picpoul Gris and Noir, Aramon Gris, Œillade Noire and Morrastel Noir à Jus Blanc.
Curiosity
Patricia grew up in both Cannes and Paris and eventually moved to the Languedoc region of southern France, within the Minervois La Livinière wine appellation near the town of Siran. In 1990 she acquired the Centeilles vineyard property, which then grew grapes including Cinsault.
Cécile described how her father had been shocked when he read historical literature about the region.
“He was reading a book about Languedoc in the 17th and 18th centuries which described local wine as elegant and fine. He thought—’It used to be like that? That’s nothing like what I am drinking now.’ He started research and learning names of grapes in local languages. He became part of a team recovering old vines from the southern Languedoc region, and searched for grapes that had become ‘lost’ over time. The team took the grapes they discovered to Domaine de Vassal, part of the National Institute of Agronomic Research in Montpellier. This tends conserved vine varieties that have been collected throughout the world during the past 150 years (these vines are now in the process of being transferred to Pech Rouge, near the city of Gruisson).
Patricia shared this mutual interest in ‘rare and forgotten’ grapes. While her then husband taught viticulture, she established the vineyard and winery.
“Cécile’s father read a lot of old literature and looked at grape varieties,” Patricia explained. “Which was difficult because in the 18th century ampelography didn’t exist. We researched and selected the grape varieties we have.” [Ampelography is the identification and classification of grape varieties.]
Context
Patricia is methodical, forthright and soft spoken. She explained her interest in rare grape varieties.
“I’m from Languedoc. It’s truly my homeland. What I really wanted was to rediscover the heritage of our region from a time when it was glorious. I’m interested in the grape varieties we had here.”
During past centuries, many grapes disappeared from common use due to disease and profit.
In the mid 19th century, the phylloxera louse decimated vineyards throughout the world. When methods were established to overcome this problem, disease resistant vine stocks were prioritized, and disease prone vines were abandoned. The result was that the biodiversity of planted grapevines plummeted.
Vine growers began favoring grape varieties that produced dark wines with higher alcohol levels. This was because wine merchants (négociants) paid low prices for juice, which incentivized growers to add water to wine to increase volume and profits. Grapes that produced pale juice or low alcohol yields were sidelined and ‘forgotten.’ For example, juice from Riveyrenc grapes were no longer favored, because, as Cécile described, “If you put a bucket of water in a tank of Riveyrenc, you will notice if right away.”
Diluting commercial wine with water is illegal in France and has been since 1907. But in the 18th, 19th and part of the 20th centuries the practice was common.
Patricia described the scenario. After phylloxera, “No one replaced those lost grapes because they had low degrees of alcohol. Sixty years ago, people were still mixing water and wine, and the only region capable of doing that was in the south of France,” she explained, implying that hot conditions could produce higher alcohol wines—ripe for dilution.
“It wasn’t just the Languedoc. There was also Provence and the whole of the south. They started making mass produced wine so they could mix it with water. I spent a year in Bordeaux, and when I saw their climate and terroir I told myself that in Languedoc we could surely make very great wines. I’m a wine lover and like fine and elegant wines. That’s what turned me towards this choice to want to replant these old grape varieties.”
Carbonneau
I asked Patricia whether different grape varieties provided unique growing challenges.
“For growing, these vines are much the same. But for making wine there is a difference. For example we planted Morrastel Noir à Jus Blanc and for ten years, it was disgusting and undrinkable. Now? It’s beautiful.
“My favorite among the old varieties we’ve planted is Riveyrenc Blanc,” Patricia added. “I think it’s a great grape variety. We blend it with others because we don’t have much. Alain Carbonneau was a professor at the Montpellier school [National Institute of Agronomic Research], at the highest level in agriculture. He said that for him, Riveyrenc Blanc was truly the greatest Languedoc grape variety.”
Content
Have consumers shown interest in wines made from rare grape varieties?
“No,” Patricia admitted. “When you read the literature, these grapes produce fine, elegant wines without too much alcohol. That wasn’t the fashion at the time we began. It was oak and Syrah then.”
I asked whether other winemakers from throughout the world visited Clos Centeilles to learn more about their unique grapes.
“No, I don’t think anyone was interested,” Patricia said. “But now things are going to change. For example, in Châteauneuf-du-Pape [in the Rhone Valley], it’s becoming complicated to drink wines with more alcohol. People might now be interested in wines that have lower alcohol content.”
In recent years the world market for red wine has decreased, whereas consumers’ overall preference for purchasing lower alcohol wines has notched up. Seven of the eleven wines that Clos Centeilles produces usually include less than 14% in alcohol, and Cécile plans to make their claret 10.5% in alcohol in the future.
Considering current market trends, these rare grapes producing lower alcohol wines should make them attractive to producers. However, there is a catch regarding perception: some are regarded as more susceptible to disease.
“It’s true these old grape varieties are very susceptible to disease such as powdery mildew,” Patricia explained. “But Carignan is also susceptible.”
That observation led to another related topic—regarding the choice of how, and why, the owners of Clos Centeilles replace vines.
“People are still interested in disease-resistant grape varieties, which I am not,” Patricia declared.
That lack of interest specifically relates to the choice of how vines are replaced. “We don’t have any clones here. It’s all massal selection.”
Clones
The difference between clones and massal selection is simple but critical. To replace vines you can drive to a nursery and buy them. These are clones of individual grape varieties that have been bred to ensure certain characteristics, such as resistance to specific diseases. However, all vines from a specific variety are genetically identical. Alternatively, you can collect cuttings from the vines on your property or from other vineyards, bury them and let their roots sprout into replacement vines. This massal method ensures higher genetic diversity. (Nurseries such as Bérillon in the Rhone Valley do produce massal selected vines; however, the practice is rare, although highly regarded.)
Cécile expanded on why Clos Centeilles does not use clonal selection. “That’s genetic homogenization, and we like diversification.”
(An exception was when they planted Syrah; they tried both massal and two different clones to see the difference; none was apparent.)
Challenges
Working with multiple grape varieties can be challenging.
“They all have their own particularities” Cécile explained. “These aren’t grape varieties of great interest either because they have high production costs.”
Patricia explained how other growers are wary of what is different.
“These old grape varieties? It’s scary. People want to wait until there’s been some experimentation. Maybe in 20 years they’ll plant these varieties.”
These rare grape varieties are generally harvested late in the season. This provides the advantage of improving tannin equilibrium by exposure to cooler nights, but also enhances the risk of exposure to rainfall, which can bloat grapes and encourage mold and mildew.
“In early or mid-September, it’s still very hot where we live. Tannins are blocked. So we harvest on October 15th,” Patricia explained. “Everyone wants to harvest early; everyone’s afraid of a disaster.”
Although harvesting later can be risky (“a poker game every year,” Cécile emphasized), Patricia recalls losing grapes only once during the past three decades, and that was only a half plot of Carignan.
Choice
Clos Centeilles produces 11 wines, including sparkling, white, rosé and red. Their 11% alcohol rosé—Le C–Les Rosé des Oublies—is a blend of seven ‘gray and pink’ grapes. and their claret (La Part des Anges) is a blend of two rare grapes, Riveyrenc Noir and Picpoul Noir, as well as more widely grown and familiar Carignan.
Their white—Le C–Le Blanc des Oublies—includes Riveyrenc Blanc, Riveyrenc Gris and Araignan Blanc. Their red Le C–Le Rouge des Oublies includes five rare grapes, including Morrastel Noir à Jus Blanc, which is a grape variety Cécile describes as an “…ancient variety that is both strong but very smooth and has amazing acidity.”
Cécile described a vegetal rainbow.
“Riveyrenc has four colors—gray, white, black and pale green: verdal, which is weird because you have all these colors on the same bunch, from white to purple.
“There is maybe maximum of 20 hectares of Riveyrenc in the world. We have something that is unique.”
When ampelographer Pierre Galet surveyed their property in 2011, he surmised it was the only location in the world where Riveyrenc Gris and Riveyrenc Verdal grew commercially.
The owners also admire more prevalent regional varieties. They produce a classic Grenache/Syrah/Mourvèdre blend, typical for the region. Both women also praise Cinsault.
“Cinsault isn’t a rare grape variety, but we think it can be great,” Patricia added. “It was planted in the 18th century and has finesse. I often call it the Pinot Noir of the south. It has this gentle attack and elegance.”
“We are Cinsault lovers,” Cécile said.
Centeilles
Climate trends vary with time. Does the current trend favor their grapes?
“When I was a child we would go looking for little rivers between here and Caunes Minervois and tadpoles and baby frogs,” Cécile said. “There were always little pools of water everywhere in winter. Now the streams are dry in winter. So that shows there’s a lack of water reserves.
“For vines to survive, we need at least 400 mm (15 inches) a year. We had that last year. The year before we had only 280 mm (11 inches),” she added.
“We also have desertification,” she added. “Life needs water. Extreme heat waves harm tannins. For grape varieties with a lot of structure and tannins such as Syrah, Grenache and Mourvèdre, heat waves can be difficult. However, Riveyrenc—Gris, Blanc, Noir, Verdal—has soft tannins and is generally not impacted by high heat. The Morrastel and Picpoul (Noir and Gris) are also less impacted by high heat and are reasonable during periods of water stress.”
After decades of tending vines, Patricia one day offered Cécile the chance to take over the business. Cécile took a walk for hours with her dog, and returned to declare that she was too in love with their land to ever leave.
Decision made.
For thirty years Patricia has diligently worked to showcase the history and heritage of this portion of southern France, irrespective of trends or demand. Her daughter Cécile carries on—an energetic, charming and focused ray of determination. Her own child adores the outdoors, which hints at the makings of a third generation producer.
In an era where consumers are interested in sampling lower alcohol wines from unique indigenous grapes, I suspect that Clos Centeille’s finest hour is—like their 13th century chapel at dawn—poised to shine.