A Wine Worthy of the Bird

Mont Tauch Fitou Chasee Gardée, 2006 (Languedoc France)

I almost didn't want to share. Seriously.

But in the spirit of holiday thanks, I am deeply appreciative that this wine has appeared again on the shelves at . That's the good news. The not-so-good news is quantities are limited, which caused me no small amount of angst when deciding whether to clue you all in to this heavy-on-value, great quality wine.

First, a little background on Fitou.

The designated Fitou region in southern France contains vineyards of Roman origin, and are one of the oldest appellations of the Languedoc. The 900-meter Mont Tauch mountain is home to the Mont Tauch Cooperative, in which grapes from three villages - Tuchan, Pazoils and Villeneuve - have come together to produce wines consistent with winemaking techniques that have been in operation for generations.

About 10 years ago, the 100-year-old cooperative got a big dose of modernity with millions of dollars spent investing in both vineyards and the downstream processing of the grapes. This has resulted in 300 or so Vigneron members being paid (or penalized) based on the quality of grapes produced.  

This Languedoc blend is, in my opinion, a perfect alternative to all those heralded Beaujolais Nuevo that are constantly pushed as THE Thanksgiving wine. Honestly, I have yet to taste any Beaujolais that I would continue to drink unless we ran out of alternatives. That includes White Zinfandel in a box.

The Grenache adds a sparkling deep cherry zip, while the Carignane and Syrah give the wine plenty of that gorgeous stone and earth terrior. Like the Wild Boar pictured on the label, this is a rustic wine, up front with a nice raspberry, blackberry, black cherry nose and a tickle of tannins in the back. This 2006 Fitou does not show as much oak as the 2005, but nice tobacco and burnt cherry balance beautifully, nonetheless.

Basically, while this wine isn't a big fat Cabernet showstopper, it is much more complicated than it seems, with a pleasurable chewy cherry on the palate and a decent thick finish. More importantly, it's lusty enough to stand up to all those hearty, savory Turkey day flavors. And please, at $10/bottle, who can complain about this lovely, food friendly wine?

Limited quantities can be found at on Washington St. If you're out of luck, try - Steve has been stocking this wine off and on for a few years.

Happy Thanksgiving!