This delicious little sparkler from Languedoc has been one of my restaurant go to wines for as long as I can remember.  It’s unusual in every way, starting with it’s exceptional history.  Though it’s claims have been mostly, but not totally convincingly, debunked, Limoux claims to be France’s first sparkling wine, claiming that monks from the abbey of St. Hilaire were making the methode ancestrale (this means that the wine doesn’t go through two fermentations, but rather is bottled during a pause in the original fermentation, which re-starts after the wine is bottles producing a soft froth, and a usually sweet wine – one of these might show up in a future shipment!) version of this wine back in the 1500 hundreds.  The only real proof is some letters from the King’s officer at the time ordering wine (though it doesn’t mention whether it is sparkling or not) for he King.

Historic or not, the trick here is the grape: Mauzac.  Mauzac is indigenous to the South of France, and its best use is in sparkling wine.  It ripens late, and therefore retains its acidity, even in the sunny climes of the Languedoc.  This wine is made using the Methode Traditionelle (Methode Champenoise), meaning that it is fermented dry, then yeast and sugar are added to the wine in the bottle to promote the secondary fermentation which produces the bubbles while the dying yeast cells (lees) are creating complexity and nuance in the relatively neutral base wine.

Blanquette de Limoux refers to the fully sparkling wines made from a minimum of 90% Mauzac (Chenin Blanc and Chardonnay are also permitted) in the Methode Traditionelle.  Cremant de Limoux refers to wines that are made from a Maximum of 10% Mauzac (the rest being Chardonnay, Chenin Blanc and Pinot Noir) using the Methode Traditionelle.  A third type, mentioned above, is Blanquette de Limoux Methode Ancestrale.

Domaine Martinolles Le Berceau is the real deal.  Made from 100% Mauzac, and aged on tirage for 2 years.  It has a delightful, rich mouthfeel, and aromas and flavors of green apples, lemon curd, grass and fresh herbs.  It’s perfect for a picnic, and goes with just about everything! Drink now – 2010