Exploring Languedoc-Roussillon with Chateau Millegrand Mourral Grand Reserve Minervois + Chinese Charcuterie Board #Winophiles

It’s an old bottle that has been tucked away at the back of the cellar. It’s long forgotten until I recently signed up to blog about wines from Languedoc-Roussillon in southern France, and checked my "inventory". The beat-up label of this 2010 Château Millegrand Mourral Grande Reserve Minervois brought back the memory...excitement and a sense of intimidation of not knowing what these wines were, when I received this wine as part of my first case of wines from the WSJ Wine Club many years ago. This month’s #winophiles blog was kindly coordinated by L.M.Archer whose invite has a focus on Gérard Bertrand, a legendary producer in Languedoc-Roussillon. I detour a bit and explore Languedoc-Roussillon via the lens of the its subregion, Minervois and a taste of my forgotten bottle.

Minervois is an appellation in northwestern Languedoc-Roussillon and is famous for its red wines. Its terroir is not particularly complex. As part of the gently sloped vineyards around the Montagne Noire’s southern edge, the Clamoux, Argent Double, Ognon and the Cesse rivers all run down the Montagne Noire to the Aude, forming an amphitheater. Over time, a series of terraces are made from stones, clays, schiste (i.e., medium-grade metamorphic rock that has visible minerals) and limestone. The clay/stony soils make it prone to producing deep and powerful reds. 

Photo Credit: Benoit France

With an area of 5,000 hectares, around 1,300 producers in Minervois have been producing approximately 94% red, 2% white, 4% rosé. Minervois’s reds (Syrah, Mourvèdre, Grenache, Lladoner Pelut, Carignan, Cinsault, Terret, Aspiran, Piquepoul) offer a variety of styles that make them excellent entry-level French wines, especially considering their relatively low retail price.

Looking at the larger picture, Languedoc-Roussillon is a large and diverse wine region in the south of France where the Mediterranean climate drives the long-standing heat and sun. It stretches from Nîmes and Montpellier in the east, around the Mediterranean to the Spanish border. Languedoc groups together various appellations including the all-encompassing Pays d’Oc, Languedoc AOPs (Appellation d'Origine Protégée) as well as the more geographically focused AOPs such as Corbières, Minervois, Coteaux du Languedoc and Côtes du Roussillon. 

With a continuous fame for reds, like Syrah, Carignan, Mourvèdre, Grenache and Cinsault, the region does produce white wines that vary considerably in quality and style. 

Château Millegrand-Mourral in Minervois is owned by the Bonfils family, who spearheaded the recent quality revolution that transformed the region. Jean-Michel and his three sons undertook the renovation of the vineyard and cellar at this historic property, then brought in Olivier Bayle, from Bordeaux's legendary First Growth Château Lafite, to make the wine. Olivier sourced the barrels for oak ageing from another famous cru classé Bordeaux estate, Château Gruaud Larose.

The 2010 Château Millegrand Mourral Grande Reserve Minervois is a blend of Grenache, Carignan and Syrah with an ABV of 13.0%. As it’s poured into the decanter, the color is deep violet. Given the age of the bottle, initially the notes and taste of the wine didn’t come through as much of anything other than tart cherries. Two hours into the decanter though, the wine seemed to be revived and started to release notes of cherry, bright acidity, light tannin and subtle oak. The finish is short and pleasing. Decanting also helps remove the visible sediment. Compared to the online tasting notes that were written a few years back, this wine was much more intense than the current version of it. Ageing does smooth out this wine! 

To pair with this lean wine, I did a Chinese-style charcuterie board that showcases lean protein like the Chinese cold-cuts that are available in larger Chinese grocery stores which have hot buffet table as well as the pre-made food stored in the open fridge section. Before we dive right into the cold-cuts, one thing I must mention is the concept of “master sauce”. This is the braising concoction (滷水)that is deeply flavored with soya sauce, 5 spices, Chinese licorice root, ginger, molasses, anise, Sichuan peppercorns…whatever that secret family recipe calls for, and is the broth base where all the meat (e.g., all parts of beef, pork and chicken) and shell-less hard boiled eggs are cooked and sit in there for hours to allow maximum flavor to develop. 

Before savoring, let’s take a look at what’s on the charcuterie board:

Shopping List:  Beef shank cold cuts Pork tongue cold cuts Chicken liver pâté: home cooked chicken liver and gizzards in the braising concoction that are coarsely chopped and creamed up with a 1 tablespoonful of butter. Spiced small dry tofu: slice, heat up in microwave and spoon some of the braising sauce or BBQ sauce over. Pork salami: pan-fry like a hot dog and serve BBQ flavored Tofu pieces  Pop-Pan scallion crackers Sweet Soya Sauce pickled cucumber Muscat grapes

A long-lost friend resurfaces and has a complete change of character, like this Château Millegrand Mourral Grande Reserve. No drama queen or king…it’s still a pleasing fellow that we can cling to.  


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