Tasting Notes – Le Limoux – AOP Limoux blanc

 

Notes de Dégustation
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LE LIMOUX 2020 

JANCIS ROBINSON MW JancisRobinson.com Tasted September 2020, 16 pts.

I’m still smelling a little fermentation here.  Full with all corners of the pallet filled in, but somehow with a less distinct personality than the single-variety wines. Although the RS is zero, it tastes quite ripe and sweet.  Simple.

 

LE LIMOUX 2018 

DE GROTE HAMERSMA by Harold Hamersma (tasted November 2021)

Subtle apple notes from the Mauzac,  freshness from the Chenin, and the round fruit of Chardonnay get on very well together in this proudly named Limoux.  Really like this characterful, richly endowed wine with its own individual smell and taste.  A fine ambassador of the appellation.

De subtiele appelgeuren van druif mauzac, de ranke zuren van de chenin en het rijpe fruit van de chardonnay kunnen het prima met elkaar vinden in deze limoux, die trots Le Limoux heet. Of de andere producenten in Limoux ook vinden dat dit Dé Limoux is, weten we niet, maar wij zijn dik tevreden met deze karaktervolle, rijkgeschakeerde wijn met z’n heel eigen geur en smaak, die wat ons betreft een prima ambassadeur is voor de limoux. Een fijn visitekaartje.

GUIDE DUSSERT GERBER VINS 2021

An agreeable Limoux, with a strong and fruit-filled nose (almonds), round and full, well made, persistant in the mouth with a well-integrated finish.
Agréable Limoux, au nez puissant et fruité (amande), ample et gras, bien vinifié, de bouche persistante avec une finale fondue.

GUIDE DES MEILLEURS VINS DE FRANCE 2022, La Revue du Vin de France (90 pts)
Dominated by  Mauzac, Le Limoux is rich, with a lively lift in the middle of the mouth.  Its three sides reveal themselves: the chenin with its energetic crunch, the chardonnay which envelopes it, and finally the Mauzac, pure with its notes of blossom, and a most satisfyingly delicious mouth.

Dominé par le mauzac, le Limoux  est gras avec une petit pointe vive qui arrive en milieu de bouche,  Suit une déclinaison de trois étapes: le chenin d’approche vive et croquante; le chardonnay plus enveloppant; enfin, Mauzac, pur avec des notes de fleurs de printemps et un grand gourmandise en bouche.

 

LE LIMOUX 2015 

WINE ENTHUSIAST November 2016 by Lauren Buzzeo 89 pts
A blend of 60% Chardonnay, 30% Chenin Blanc and 10% Mauzac, this is a bright and lively white, with attractive aromas of white flower, clover, pear flesh and lightly grilled peach. The medium-weight palate is remarkably balanced, with ample acidity to lift the ripe apple, pear and citrus flavors, finishing with a kiss of sweet spice.

FALSTAFF Magazine “Top Languedoc Wines”, July-August 2019,  90 pts
Mineralische Noten, Hefe, Mandarine, Ananas, fruchtbetont mit nur geringem Holzeinfluss. Geschmeidiger Ansatz, die typische südliche Körpersüße des Chardonnay, gut tragende, präsente Säure, mittelgewichtig in Extract und länge, Kalk-Mineralität zuletzt.

Mineral with notes of yeast, tangerine, pineapple; fruity with only a slight hint of wood. Very smooth, typical southern  sweetness of Chardonnay balanced by noticeable acidity. Medium-weight, good  length, finishing on a note of lime-minerality.

THE ROBERT PARKER WINE ADVOCATE: 89 pts by Jeb Dunnuck
“Bottled under screwcap, this is a crisp, deliciously drinkable effort that has tons of citrus and leafy herbes characteristics, as well as a touch of minerality, in a sweetly fruited, hard to resist package.  It’s well made and a perfect white to buy a case of for drinking over the coming year or so.”

 

TERRE DE VINS Janvier 2019
This wine wins us over with its delicious full and rounded body enhanced by grilled notes, while a fine delicacy brings it all together.

WEINPLUS 86 ptsIMG_3315|
Zart holziger, vegetabiler und gewürziger Duft mit Nuancen von mürbem Apfel, Williams-Christ-Birne und brauner Butter. Herb und recht straff im Mund, merklich reife Zitrusfrüchte, lebendige Säure, im Hintergrund Salbei, Fenchel und rote Beeren, ein wenig trocknender, mit Luft zunehmend mürber Gerbstoff, erdige und salzige Mineralik, ein Hauch Tabak und gelbe Würze, wieder auch eine Spur Butter, gewisse Nachhaltigkeit, guter bis sehr guter Abgang mit gewissem Schmelz, etwas Biss und tabakig-holzigen Anklängen

Delicate wood, herbaceous and spicy fragrance with hints of soft apple, pear and brown butter. Tart and quite firm in the mouth, noticeably ripe citrus fruits, lively acidity, sage, fennel and red berries in the background, slightly astringent tannins, earthy and salty mineral notes, a hint of tobacco and yellow spice, again a touch of butter Fairly persistent, good to very good finish with some creaminess, some bite and tobacco-like notes


HUBRECHT DUIJKER
Top 50 Augustus 2015
Een karaktervolle compositie van de helft chardonnay, gecompleteerd door chenin blanc en 10 procent mauzac. Er valt van alles in te ontdekken, waaronder wit en citrusfruit, een mespuntje kruiden, een hint van toast (dankzij een half jaar vat), een vleugje plantaardigheid en frisse zuren. Wat ‘m breed inzetbaar maakt bij o.a. visgerechten, salades en hartige taarten. Le Limoux is gewoon lékker.


JANCIS ROBINSON MW 
JancisRobinson.com September 2016 – 16+ pts
More complex, less ‘obvious’ nose than any one of the three ingredients. For the moment a tad less satisfying but perhaps that’s because it’s too young? I’d hold on to this high-altitude wine for a while. It’s a little muted at the moment.

Drink 2018-2021

 

ROSEMARY GEORGE MW Taste Languedoc, August 2015
Quite rounded with some balancing freshness.  A touch of oak, and a herbal note.  Quite intriguing.

 

GUIDE HUBERT DES VINS 2017-2018 Nadine Adenis
Un nez fruité et rassurant, un peu acacia, une pomme blanche, des notes anisées et une pointe de citron.  La bouche aussi est complète, à la fois fruité et acidulé, fondante et tendue.  Le boisé est discret.

 

GUIDE DES VINS BETTANE & DESSEAUVE 2018

14/20

LE GUIDE DES MEILLEURS VINS DE FRANCE 2018

13.5/20

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LE LIMOUX 2014

WINE SPECTATOR (GS) The moderate pear and apple flavors are complemented by herb and spice undertones. Offers a clean, spiece-tinged finish. Drink now. (84 pts)

LA FEUILLE DE VIGNE (3 Nov 2015) Le chardonnay est le cépage principal, mais cette cuvée fait également la part belle au chenin et au mauzac, pour un ensemble d’un équilibre tres réussi. reflect des 3 cépages de l’appellation. On y trouve des agrumes, une fraicheur et une acidité qui ne sont pas sans rappeler le chenin, ainsi que des notes subtiles de fruits tropicaux, et une touche d’herbes aromatiuqes et de pomme confite. On ne vous cache pas qu’à l’aveugle, quasiment impossible d’identifier le vin …

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LE LIMOUX 2013 

JANCIS ROBINSON PURPLE PAGES September 2014
No obvious oak on this crisp mountain wine. Lees stirring twice weekly but that isn’t obvious either – all done with a light hand. Very perky and refreshing. NIcely balanced and will probably come into its mellow own towards the end of 2014. Finely etched without any single variety too obvious. 16.5 Drink to 2017.

JANCIS ROBINSON PURPLE PAGES September 2015 (16.5 pts) 40% Chenin Blanc, 40% Chardonnay, 20% Mauzac.
Nettles, cigar smoke and grapefruit – quite particular! There’s a sort of Sauvignon sweatiness too. Altogether unconventional, and enjoyable for precisely that reason. (RH)   Drink 2015-2017

WINE ADVOCATE (ROBERT PARKER) Jeb Dunnuck (89 pts)
This is a solid blend of 50% chardonnay, 30% chenin blanc and 20% mauzac that spent 7 months in barrel prior to bottling. Racy, medium-bodied and decidedly fresh, it gives up lots of green citrus and tropical aromas and flavors. While this doesn’t the complexity of depth of the top two cuvées, it’s a great drink. These new releases from Chateau Rives-Blanques are some of the top whites reviewed for this Languedoc report. They also represent terrific values

WINE SPECTATOR (85 pts)
Crisp and fresh, this has appealing apple and melon flavors that are flanked by light spice and floral notes. Clean finish. GS

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LE LIMOUX 2012 (AOC Limoux blend)

MARC DUBERNET
Nez de fruits mûrs, bouche ample et charnue.

JANCIS ROBINSON PURPLE PAGES (September 2013)
Pale lemon straw. The richness of the oaked chardonnay dominates although there is attractive citrus acidity on the finish more reminiscent of Chenin. And a smoky overlay may just be Mauzac. An attractive blend with impressive persistence. Quite a mouthful – a food wine! Medium body and some real structure.

INTERNATIONAL WINE CHALLENGE 2014 Jury’s comment (silver medal)
Ripe, soft, creamy, apple flavours. Polished finish

BURGHOUND Allen Meadows October 2014
A whiff of oak sets off the ripe but agreeably fresh nose of white peach, pear, apple and citrus nuances. The wood is also present if discreetly, on the the delicious, opulent and viscous medium weight flavors that possess reasonably good depth and length. this is actually quite good and could even be held for a year if desired. Excellent value and this would make a good all-round house white. Recommended. 87 pts.

DECANTER WORLD WINE AWARDS (Bronze medal)
Delicate floral nose with a touch of apple. Ripe fruit in the mouth of dried melon and pineapple. Elegant with a zesty lemon acidity on the finish.

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LE LIMOUX 2011 

GUIDE GILBERT & GAILLARD 2014 (Gold Medal)
Robe or clair. Joli nez d’amande, de chevrefeuille, touche miellée. Bouche souple, ronde, expressive. Belle fraichure d’ensemble, parfums nets et typés. Un Limoux racé, à apprécier sur une blanquette de veau.

INTERNATIONAL WINE CHALLENGE 2013
Lifted ripe melons, lemon with hints of orange. Floral and herbal. Refreshing finish.

DAILY TELEGRAPH UK Victoria Moore (March 21, 2013)
Layered – made from chenin blanc, chardonnay and mauzac – a local grape that adds appley bite and quickness like a fish leaping in a stream.

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LE LIMOUX 2010 

DE VOLKSKRANT: Onno Kleyn
Een Chardonnay uit het Zuid-Franse Limoux is het, maar eentje die geurt en smaakt als een witte Bourgogne. Het is een wijn die ver is uitgestegen boven enkelvoudige aanduidingen als ‘ruikt naar perzik’. Hij heeft zoveel aan boord dat de kenners fronsend uitkomen op ‘complex’. Dat betekent niet moeilijk, maar rijk geschakeerd. Dit is voorname wijn, trillend als een espenblad, met boventonen als de viool van Janine Jansen. Hoor ik daar nu Mozart? Nee, het is Poulenc.

HUBRECHT DUIJKER http://hubrechtduijker.com/actueel-maandmagazine/
Een innovatie als vondst is Le Limoux 2010 van Château Rives Blanques. Eigendom van het Nederlandse echtpaar Jan en Caryl Panman. Dat op hun domein voor het eerst drie druivenrassen met elkaar combineerde, uit het aanvankelijk koele oogstjaar 2010. Die variëteiten zijn de regionale mauzac, de chardonnay en de chenin blanc. Het resultaat is een lekkere Limoux, goed gevuld en met elementen van appel/peer/perzik, een toefje zuidvruchten, een klein kruidje en beheerst wat eikenhout.

GUIDE DES MEILLEURS VINS DE FRANCE 2013 La Revue du Vin de France
Le Limoux offre une matiere franche et une fruit expressif

LE GUIDE BETTANE & DESSEAUVE DES VINS DE FRANCE 2013
Robe dorée. Nez expressifs aux notes florales. Bouche pleine, suave, avec une finale sur des notes vanillées.

GUIDE DUSSERT-GERBER DES VINS 2013
Rond, fruité et subtil, un vin tres aromatique

THE WINE DOCTOR Chris Kissack
Bottled under screwcap. A very attractive and well defined nose, with bright and expressive fruit, melons and peaches, with minerally, stony, smoky nuances rather than too sweet a character. The palate is full, expressive, and like the nose defined and bright. The texture feels supple, nicely balanced with an underpinning of pithy substance and an appealing, mouth-watering acidity, leading into a firm and grippy finish. A very attractive wine indeed. 15.5/20 (December 2012)

LEON STOLARSKI A blend of Chardonnay, Chenin Blanc and Mauzac.
Delightful aromas of honeysuckle, orchard fruits, orange blossom and lime oil, with a strong sense of minerality, along with subtle hints of flowers, herbs and freshly-cut hay. Quite rich and intensely fruity on entry, with a touch of earthiness and gentle orangey acidity, countered by strong minerality and a delightful pithiness at the end. Barrel fermentation (as is the rule for all AOC Limoux wines) has imparted a gentle florality and elegance, rather than any overt oakiness. As a blend of Chardonnay, Chenin Blanc and Mauzac, this is the perfect expression of what the still white wines of Limoux are all about – and is absolutely delicious.

THE INDEPENDENT NEWSPAPER MARCH 9, 2013
Oak cask fermentation adds Burgundian-style complexity to this chardonnay with stonefruit richness and a clean streak of freshness.

JANCIS ROBINSON 16 pts (Tasted November 2013)
Light nose and well integrated. Relatively complex but not given away! 13.5%

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