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Chateau Rives-Blanques

Chateau Rives-Blanques lies atop a 350m plateau in Limoux, which is one of the Languedoc's few specifically white appellations and is also the leading appellation for sparkling wine in the region. It is home to Jan and Caryl Panman, who along with their manager Eric Vialade lead a dedicated team in the tending of their 30 hectares of vines. They are assisted in the cellar by none other than Georges Pauli; he is probably best known for his role as technical director at Gruaud-Larose, but Pauli also runs a wine consultancy, Rives-Blanques being just one of many clients scattered across the globe.

If we were to search for an example of the model modern wine estate, perhaps Rives-Blanques might satisfy our quest. The maxim that great wine starts in the vineyard is certainly adhered to here; these vineyards were some of the first in France to be awarded the Agriculture Raisonnée accreditation by the Ministry of Agriculture, a reflection of the environmental integrity observed at this estate. Viticulture along organic lines is not so difficult in the warm, breezy vineyards of the south as it might be in the Loire or Champagne, but there are still plenty of decrepit vineyards, swept barren by the use of poorly sustainable techniques in the quest for high yields regardless of quality. Not so at Rives-Blanques. The only fertiliser to enrich these vineyards is the marc of pips and skins which is ploughed back into the soil, although the vines are interplanted with clover as a further enrichment, thereby keeping the weeds down and avoiding the need for fertiliser.

The vineyards are situated on glacial moraine, pebbly clay soils, and are planted with Chardonnay (9 hectares), Chenin Blanc (2.4 ha), Mauzac (7 ha) and the most recent addition, planted in 2006, Sauvignon Blanc (2 ha); the older vines originate from plantings between 1972 and 1987. Planting density is about 4444 vines/ha, and yields are admirably restricted to 35-45 hl/ha. The harvested fruit is vinified in a modern cellar, having been extensively re-equipped with stainless steel in the 1990s before an extension and the addition of a sorting table and new press in 2002. The portfolio of wines revolves around the first three varieties, all of which are entitled to the Limoux appellation, as detailed below. The Sauvignon, which will not bear fruit until 2009, three years after planting, will be bottled as a vin de pays.

Chardonnay; there is a domaine vin de pays bottling vinified in stainless steel, and the Cuvée de l'Odyssée, a special cuvée made from old, uncloned vines and vinified in oak as per the appellation regulations for Limoux.
Chenin Blanc; there is a dry Limoux, Dédicace, vinified in oak, and a dessert wine Vendange d'Automne made from botrytised grapes.
Mauzac; rather a Limoux specialty, this high-acid grape is ideal for the region's sparkling wine. At Rives-Blanques, however, as well as producing the sparkling Blanquette de Limoux, the variety is also vinified dry, in oak, to produce the unique Cuvée Occitania.

The wines are clearly produced with quality rather than quantity in mind, and having tasted the rather esoteric Dédicace and the Occitania it seems to me that the efforts made in both vineyard and cellar shine through. This is indeed a fine example of a successful, modern wine estate; perusing the wealth of information presented on their website only serves to drive this point home. The vineyard diaries and harvest updates are hugely informative, and the behind-the-scenes detail on the tribulations of running such an estate are equally fascinating. (21/9/06)

Contact details:
Address: 11300 Cépie, Languedoc-Roussillon
Telephone: +33 (0) 4 68 31 43 20
Fax: +33 (0) 4 68 31 43 20
Internet: www.rives-blanques.com

Chateau Rives-Blanques - Tasting Notes

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2004

Chateau Rives-Blanques Limoux Cuvée Occitania Mauzac 2004: A fascinating cuvée made from 100% Mauzac, barrel-fermented in French oak followed by ten months in same, a treatment very much in evidence when tasting. A well-coloured almost shimmering golden hue in the clear bottle and in the glass. A nose of oiled oak barrel with an appealing, honeyed, oatmeal character; this sort of seasoning may very well be necessary with this fairly neutral high-acid variety, although as this is the only example of pure Mauzac in existence I naturally have no prior experience! Very fresh impact on the palate, despite the overlay of mealy oak, helped by the expected but very well defined acidity. Nicely filled out on the palate, underpinned by some fairly obvious grippy oak tannin. Slowly fading finish. Good quality is evident here. Likely to show some benefit from a year or two in the cellar, I think. 16.5/20 (September 2006)

Chateau Rives-Blanques Limoux Cuvée Dédicace Chenin Blanc 2004: Another barrel-fermented cuvée, but here this treatment is much less obvious. Full, honey and straw character on the nose, it is rich in aroma but without any great minerality or precision. Similar character on the palate, very full and textured, a warm and enveloping texture carrying a raft of straw and mineral characters, buoyed along by a very firm, grippy substance which probably indicates the presence of some barrel-derived tannins. Very well balanced acidity, rolling across the palate; this wine shows much of Chenin's character, although it lacks the huge depth or finish of a great and mature Chenin, such as from Savennières, at present. Nevertheless it is a full, fine example of the variety, and as well as drinking well now it should do very well in the cellar, and it would be interesting to see just what complexity developed; I suspect it may be considerable. Impressive, certainly the finest Chenin outside of the Loire I have encountered. 16.5+/20 (September 2006)