Life is like a box of Chocolates !

Paul Mas – Vinus – 2015 – Clairette Du Languedoc – Morrisons £8

Life is like a box of chocolates, often you never know quite what you are going to get.

Take for example the oldest grape in the Languedoc, The Clairette Du Languedoc, often seen as the bland, slightly unfashionable leftover of the chocolate box, passed over in favour of something more attractive and never really appreciated. However, if times are hard and you’re looking for something to scratch that itch then the rejected leftover is just the ticket. Oh how shallow we are…

Thank goodness then that winemakers are returning to this overlooked of grapes. Thought to have been grown in Languedoc 2,500 years ago, and something of a hidden treasure, the Clairette demands a second slurp.

Clairette du Languedoc and I have a chocolate box kind of relationship, often the wines made from this grape are lacking in character, almost to the point of blandness. It seems that this grape needs an experienced hand in order to harness the beauty within – Enter Paul Mas – who is one of the largest commercial growers in Hérault and is known for producing large quantities of very drinkable good quality wine using the harder to handle grapes of the region.

The Vinus, or Heron – named in homage of the logo of the company, displays remarkable finesse. To the eye it’s an attractive pale gold, on the nose there is apple and citrus, with intriguing floral notes. A quick slurp gives rise to a refreshing note of grapefruit and cantaloupe, with the merest hint of flint. There is a perfect harmony between acidity and flavour, resulting in a full bodied, rounded and lengthy finish.

This wine is excellent, certainly a benchmark for many, it pairs perfectly with fish, white meats, cheese or in this case as an aperitif wine… But Don’t take my word for it – unusually for a supermarket wine this scored 96 points in the recent Decanter review achieving a gold medal, and it also scooped a Medal d’Or at the recent Concourse General 2016 awards in Paris, proving that life really is like a box of chocolates.  Santè a la Tienne !