Mas Cal Demoura
Encyclopedia
Mas Cal Demoura is a wine domaine situated near the village of Jonquières
in the Terrasses du Larzac
appellation in the north of the Hérault
region, Southern France
.
Working with the regional red varieties of Syrah, Grenache
, Mourvèdre
, Cinsaut
and Carignan, (once described by its founder as the 'Five woman of the Languedoc'), and the white varieties Chenin blanc
Grenache Blanc
, Roussanne
, Viognier
, Muscat
and Gros Manseng
, the domaine has been described by La Revue du vin de France
as, 'One of the most classic ambassadors of its appellation.'
Lawrence Osborne
writing his book, The Accidental Connoisseur recounts the same tale and goes on to touch on some of the unique qualities of Cal Demoura.
In 2004, Jean-Pierre retired, and the responsibility of the domaine was taking up by Isabelle and Vincent Goumard in his place. Impressed by the estate's winemaking philosophy and the potential of its terroir, the couple worked side by side with Jean-Pierre in the vineyard and in the cellar, before continuing its legacy. As an example, the vintage 2003 was handled by both Jean-Pierre and Vincent. Vincent Goumard also found support in Jean-Pierre's son, Olivier Jullien.
The Gourmard's have handled the delicate task of guiding Mas Cal Demoura forward while retaining its unique qualities well, with Decanter Magazine reporting in 2005, ‘Talented young winemaker, Vincent Gourmard looks set to carry the domaine's reputation for excellence in the future.’ and La Revue du vin de France
in 2008, "Isabelle and Vincent Goumard have succeeded in their conversion of Cal Demoura. The future is bright for these meticulous young winemakers, able to benefit from past experience." The style of the wines have slowly evolved to gain more complexity and more delicate structure. The 2007 and the 2008 vintage are clearly among the best produced by Mas Cal Demoura.
area extends to 11 ha. with vines planted on stony limestone
and calcareous clay
(red and white) soils. Vines average around 25 years of age. The vineyards benefit from cooling northern winds from the Causse du Larzac over the ripening period during summer nights contributing greater freshness to the wines, as well as sea influence brought by southern winds, said to limit the effects of drought.
Two white wines are nowadays available:
and three red wines:
Jonquières, Hérault
Jonquières is a commune in the Hérault département in Languedoc-Roussillon in southern France.-See also:*Communes of the Hérault department...
in the Terrasses du Larzac
Terrasses du Larzac
Terrasses du Larzac is an Appellation d’origine contrôlée within the Côteaux du Languedoc in Southern France created in 2005 for red wines made from Syrah, Grenache and Mourvèdre grapes, with the acceptable additions of Cinsaut and Carignan, and grown in some of the highest vineyards of the...
appellation in the north of the Hérault
Hérault
Hérault is a department in the south of France named after the Hérault river.-History:Hérault is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on 4 March 1790...
region, Southern France
Southern France
Southern France , colloquially known as le Midi is defined geographical area consisting of the regions of France that border the Atlantic Ocean south of the Gironde, Spain, the Mediterranean, and Italy...
.
Working with the regional red varieties of Syrah, Grenache
Grenache
Grenache is one of the most widely planted red wine grape varieties in the world. It ripens late, so it needs hot, dry conditions such as those found in Spain, the south of France, and California's San Joaquin Valley. It is generally spicy, berry-flavored and soft on the palate with a relatively...
, Mourvèdre
Mourvèdre
Mourvèdre , Mataró or Monastrell is wine grape variety used to make both strong, dark red wines and rosés. It is an international variety grown in many regions around the world....
, Cinsaut
Cinsaut
Cinsaut or Cinsault is a red wine grape, whose heat tolerance and productivity make it important in Languedoc-Roussillon and the former French colonies of Algeria and Morocco...
and Carignan, (once described by its founder as the 'Five woman of the Languedoc'), and the white varieties Chenin blanc
Chenin Blanc
Chenin blanc , is a white wine grape variety from the Loire valley of France. Its high acidity means it can be used to make everything from sparkling wines to well-balanced dessert wines, although it can produce very bland, neutral wines if the vine's natural vigor is not controlled...
Grenache Blanc
Grenache Blanc
Grenache blanc is a variety of white wine grape that is related to the red grape Grenache. It is mostly found in Rhône wine blends and in northeast Spain. Its wines are characterized by high alcohol and low acidity, with citrus and or herbaceous notes. Its vigor can lead to overproduction and...
, Roussanne
Roussanne
Roussanne is a white wine grape grown originally in the Rhône wine region in France, where it is often blended with Marsanne. It is the only other white variety, besides Marsanne, allowed in the northern Rhône appellations of Crozes-Hermitage AOC, Hermitage AOC and Saint-Joseph AOC...
, Viognier
Viognier
Viognier is a white wine grape. It is the only permitted grape for the French wine Condrieu in the Rhone valley.-History:The origin of the Viognier grape is unknown. Viognier is presumed to be an ancient grape, possibly originating in Dalmatia and then brought to Rhône by the Romans. One legend...
, Muscat
Muscat (grape and wine)
The Muscat variety of grapes of the species Vitis vinifera is widely grown for wine, raisins and table grapes. Their color ranges from white to near black. Muscat almost always has a pronounced sweet floral aroma. Muscat grapes are grown around the world...
and Gros Manseng
Gros Manseng
Gros Manseng is a white wine grape variety that is grown primarily in South West France, and is part of the Manseng family. It produces dry wines in the Jurançon and Béarn regions of Southwest France...
, the domaine has been described by La Revue du vin de France
La Revue du vin de France
La Revue du vin de France is a French magazine on wine published monthly. The publication has been described by Jancis Robinson as "France's only serious wine magazine"....
as, 'One of the most classic ambassadors of its appellation.'
History
The history of the Domaine is perhaps one of the most richly resonant of the Hérault, its story so closely interwoven with that of the region in general. This story has been perhaps best set down by Neal Rosenthal, renowned American importer of wines and author of Reflections of a Wine Merchant :
'In 1970, when there was a great exodus from the Languedoc due to a loss of faith in its vineyards to provide a sufficient living, Jean-Pierre Jullien named his domaine "Cal Demoura", which in Occitan means "one must remain". He came from a long line of vignerons and, at that time, he followed most of his colleagues as they closed their caves and attempted to survive by participating in the local cooperative. Jean-Pierre's son, Olivier, refused to follow the path of the cooperative and established his own domaine, the "Mas Jullien", in 1985. Jean-Pierre, in a reversal of the usual process, took the example of his son, resigned from the cooperative and recreated his own estate in 1993.'
Lawrence Osborne
Lawrence Osborne
Lawrence Osborne is a British novelist, traveler and memoirist, currently residing in New York City. He is known for unusual travelogues that explore single subjects or places, such as Paris, global wine culture or the little-known neighborhoods of Bangkok....
writing his book, The Accidental Connoisseur recounts the same tale and goes on to touch on some of the unique qualities of Cal Demoura.
'Mas Cal Demoura is one of the intriguing success stories of modern Languedoc wine. The Julliens have been farming wine for generations around the sleepy villages of Jonquieres and Saint-Felix-de-Lodes. It was his son Olivier Jullien who decided in 1985 to start a new winery called Mas Jullien based on completely different principles: it would make a terroir wine, not cooperative wine. In 1993 Jean-Pierre started a winery of his own, Cal Demoura.'
'We drank one of Jean-Pierre's softly earthly wines, a Coteaux du Languedoc L'Infidèle 2001, and then a pure Cinsault, one of the five Southern varietal with which the Julliens work, blending their wines from all five. Terroir, again? It was rustic and gay, I decided, and here (unlike Daumas) I could taste something of the earth. GarrigueGarrigueGarrigue or phrygana is a type of low, soft-leaved scrubland ecoregion and plant community in the Mediterranean forests, woodlands, and scrub biome. It is found on limestone soils around the Mediterranean Basin, generally near the seacoast, where the climate is ameliorated, but where annual summer...
, perhaps, though
to find garrique in a Languedoc wine is the smoothest of cliches. More to the point there was something of Jean-Pierre in Jean-Pierre's L'Infidèle. Something booming, warm, square-shouldered. but how could I not think of this since he was gesticulating right in front of me?...It struck me that Aimé Guibert and Jean-Pierre Jullien both expounded the truths of terroir. They spoke a similar language on the surface. And they worked the same land. But how different their mental universes were. How different too, was their conception of place.'
In 2004, Jean-Pierre retired, and the responsibility of the domaine was taking up by Isabelle and Vincent Goumard in his place. Impressed by the estate's winemaking philosophy and the potential of its terroir, the couple worked side by side with Jean-Pierre in the vineyard and in the cellar, before continuing its legacy. As an example, the vintage 2003 was handled by both Jean-Pierre and Vincent. Vincent Goumard also found support in Jean-Pierre's son, Olivier Jullien.
The Gourmard's have handled the delicate task of guiding Mas Cal Demoura forward while retaining its unique qualities well, with Decanter Magazine reporting in 2005, ‘Talented young winemaker, Vincent Gourmard looks set to carry the domaine's reputation for excellence in the future.’ and La Revue du vin de France
La Revue du vin de France
La Revue du vin de France is a French magazine on wine published monthly. The publication has been described by Jancis Robinson as "France's only serious wine magazine"....
in 2008, "Isabelle and Vincent Goumard have succeeded in their conversion of Cal Demoura. The future is bright for these meticulous young winemakers, able to benefit from past experience." The style of the wines have slowly evolved to gain more complexity and more delicate structure. The 2007 and the 2008 vintage are clearly among the best produced by Mas Cal Demoura.
Vineyard
The vineyardVineyard
A vineyard is a plantation of grape-bearing vines, grown mainly for winemaking, but also raisins, table grapes and non-alcoholic grape juice...
area extends to 11 ha. with vines planted on stony limestone
Limestone
Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....
and calcareous clay
Clay
Clay is a general term including many combinations of one or more clay minerals with traces of metal oxides and organic matter. Geologic clay deposits are mostly composed of phyllosilicate minerals containing variable amounts of water trapped in the mineral structure.- Formation :Clay minerals...
(red and white) soils. Vines average around 25 years of age. The vineyards benefit from cooling northern winds from the Causse du Larzac over the ripening period during summer nights contributing greater freshness to the wines, as well as sea influence brought by southern winds, said to limit the effects of drought.
Production
The domaine produces 40 000 bottles a year.Two white wines are nowadays available:
- L'Etincelle (first release in 2004)
- Paroles de Pierres (first release in 2008)
and three red wines:
- L'Infidèle (the historical cuvée)
- Les Combarioles (a parcellar selection, since 2004)
- Feu Sacré (a cuvée of very old GrenacheGrenacheGrenache is one of the most widely planted red wine grape varieties in the world. It ripens late, so it needs hot, dry conditions such as those found in Spain, the south of France, and California's San Joaquin Valley. It is generally spicy, berry-flavored and soft on the palate with a relatively...
vines, only produced in the best years. Starting 2006)