Oh Marcillac, How I Miss Thee

Man, do I miss me my Marcillac.

When I say "my," I mean the Marcillacs of Philippe Teulier at Domaine du Cros. I sold them for many a year but that was, likewise, many years ago now. It's not that they're not still available out there somewhere; it's just that I liked having them immediately at hand. The regular bottling from Domaine du Cros, called "Lo Sang del Païs," used to sell for around $10, even less, and was hands-down one of my favorite everyday wines. Still would be if it were still more easily obtainable, as it's still priced well under $15. There are other Marcillacs, certainly. Jean-Luc Matha's is plumper, easier, more accessible. And I hear tell of a Marcillac from Domaine Causse-Marines, but I've yet to see it, much less try it. But when I think of Marcillac, it'll always be the wines from Domaine du Cros that first come to mind.

Marcillac "Cuvée Vieilles Vignes," Domaine du Cros (Philippe Teulier) 2002
$16 on release. 12.5% alcohol. Cork. Importer: Wine Traditions, Falls Church, VA.

The inspiration to open this bottle came easy. Stage 13 of the 2010 Tour de France began in Rodez, less than 25km from M. Teulier's estate, which is located just east of the village of Goutrens. Had I been covering that stage, this would have been my featured wine of the day, sans question; however, guest blogger Ben Wood was at the reins that day. Ben chose to focus on Gaillac, a perfectly appropriate choice given that the half-way point of the stage route passed quite close to Albi, center of the Gaillac region. Through happy coincidence, Ben wrote about Gaillacs from Domaine des Causse Marines, also a producer of Marcillac as mentioned above, and Domaine des Terrisses, whose wines happen to be brought into the US by the same importer — Wine Traditions — as Domaine du Cros.

Now, back to my Marcillac.... I had the pleasure of meeting Philippe Teulier, all too briefly, when he visited my workplace back in the early '00s. One of the questions I remember asking him about was his views on the age-worthiness of his wines. His simple answer: "Lo Sang del Païs" is best drunk young, in its first two-to-three years, though it might go five; the "Vieilles Vignes," on the other hand, comes into its own at five and has the capacity to last for ten years in good vintages.

Opening this bottle of '02 VV on the night of la trezième étape reminded me, in beautiful terms, of why I go to the trouble of cellaring wine. Still vibrant in color, its aromas have developed, since its more prickly, peppery youth, to something that is more closely evocative of an old school Médoc wine with some bottle age under its belt. There's something about this old Marcillac, though, that's much more enjoyable – and joyous – to drink than equally old Bordeaux. Maybe it's that component of blood and iron, expressions of both terroir and the aptly named Fer Servadou so inimitable to good Marcillac. While there's great bottle development here, there's also plenty of fruit – blackberry and cassis, in particular – and a vitality of structure that suggests the wine could easily go another couple of years without losing stride.

Alas, this was my last bottle of the 2002. Now I'm missing it even more....

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WBW #37: Drink Indigenous

Known as Pinenc in Madiran and Béarn, Braucol in Gaillac, and Fer or Fer Servadou in most wine texts, the vignerons in the Aveyron department call their local vine Mansois. By whatever name it’s known, Fer is decidedly obscure and certainly indigenous to the greater Southwest of France, most particularly and importantly to the tiny AOC of Marcillac. For it is only in Marcillac, along with the even more esoteric Vins d’Estaing and Vins d’Entraygues et du Fel, that Fer Servadou plays a solo role.

The linguists among you may recognize the etymon Fer as the Latin root of ferrous: of or relating to iron. In the case of Fer Servadou, this is a direct reference to the wood of the vine which is “hard as steel” and hence quite demanding for vineyard hands during picking and pruning seasons. Whether it is by nature of the iron rich soils, known as rougier, of the Aveyron or simply the imagination at work with words, the wines from this region often do possess an iron-like, sanguine aroma, along with a telltale whiff of rhubarb.

Marcillac, situated just to the northwest of the region’s principal town of Rodez, has been among the slowest appellations of Southwest France to recover from the devastation wreaked by phylloxera in the late 19th Century. Today, only 300 acres are farmed by a tiny handful of growers, most of who send their produce to the local coop for vinification and bottling. Only a few independent estates have clawed their way back to sustenance.

The largest – and arguably the finest – of these private estates is Domaine du Cros. For four generations, from grafting after the phylloxera epidemic to the early 1980’s, Domaine du Cros consisted of only one hectare, with an annual production of a mere 4,000 bottles. Since 1982, under the direction of current winemaker and family head Philippe Teulier, the estate has slowly grown to its present 25 hectares. 21 of those hectares are planted solely to Fer for the production of AOC Marcillac wines, of which they produce four: three red cuvées and a single rosé.

Domaine du Cros

Dr. Vino, the organizer of this month’s installment of Wine Blogging Wednesday, threw down a couple of bonus point challenge options: drink the wine of indigenous vine in its place of origin or try two different wines, one from the historical home of the vine and one from an area to which the vine has migrated in more recent times. Well, I wasn’t able to make it to Marcillac in the last few weeks. And Fer really hasn’t been planted outside of its historical homes in SW France. So, I adopted my own twist to the challenge: try two different Marcillacs. Luckily, I just happened to have a couple of M. Teulier’s wines hibernating in my little cellar.

Marcillac “Lo Sang del Païs,” Domaine du Cros 2004
In the Occitan dialect, “Lo Sang del Païs” means “the blood of the country.” There’s no better way to describe Philippe’s basic red – suitable for drinking over its first 3-4 years in bottle – which so perfectly captures the rustic charm of the region as well as the typicity of its wines. Medium bodied and distinctly aromatic of rhubarb, white pepper, cassis and raspberries, this cuvée has just enough grip to stand up to the traditionally hearty foods of the SW but is also versatile enough to have qualified as one of my regular go-to wines for the everyday table. The most obvious points of comparison might be the medium bodied reds of Chinon or Bourgueil, or perhaps a sturdy rendition of Dolcetto d’Alba. But it has a personality uniquely its own. This bottle threw a considerable amount of sediment (take a close look at the picture) but was still drinking with plenty of nerve and freshness after three years. I can’t think of a better wine to accompany grilled sausages. Even yummier would be beef or lamb burgers, particularly when topped off or stuffed with Bleu d’Auvergne.

The 2004 set me back US $11.50 at time of release. 12% alcohol. Imported by Wine Traditions, Falls Church, VA.


Marcillac “Cuvée Vieilles Vignes,” Domaine du Cros 2000
Teulier’s old vine bottling is sourced from vines between 50-90 years of age. After a 25 day vinification regime in temperature controlled steel, it spends about 18 months in 2500 liter foudres. Though most of these casks are of French oak, Philippe still utilizes a few chestnut barrels which are as old as, if not older than, his vieilles vignes. With a more intense structure, a result of both vine maturity and the approach in the cellar, this cuvée typically begins drinking well at around three years of age and can last up to ten.

When first poured, the aromas of this 2000 were not unlike those of a mid-life Médoc: red and black cassis with a hint of graphite and strong minerality. True to Marcillac, those traits were accompanied by a distinct pepperiness and iron-like earthiness. The wine was firm and more finely textured on the palate than its little brother. It gave me a distinct impression of winter plum pudding. It also struck me as drinking perfectly at its peak. Maturity had been reached but the inevitable downturn had yet to begin. After about 30 minutes in the glass, the "Cuvée Vieilles Vignes" took on a more Rhône-like aroma, showing some of the spice and rich raspberry, black cherry fruit typical to good Gigondas or Vacqueyras. Ripe, zesty tannins persisted to the end, making it a great choice for the herb-rubbed leg of lamb which I grilled to accompany it.

Approximately US $16 on release. 12.5% alcohol. Imported by Wine Traditions, Falls Church, VA.

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