Caves Jean-Jaurès

We tackled the monster, the golf course at Fontcaude. The llamas (Fernando and Lorenzo) were out doing their bit in course maintenance. Maybe it was beginner’s luck but the course wasn’t as tough as we thought it would be. The challenge is not the golf itself, although there are many blind shots and the greens are tricky, but very hilly on the back nine so it’s a workout just to walk the course. Take a cart? To us, golf isn’t golf if you’re not walking. But often we’d still be out of breath when setting up for our next shot. Whew!

For dinner, we went to a restaurant called Caves Jean-Jaurès. There’s no winelist. Instead, they've arranged the wines on shelves along one wall. (I’ve seen this once before, in Albufeira.) Once you’ve ordered your meal, go up to the wall and select the bottle that you’d like to have. So if you like to choose your wine because of the label (and I know you’re out there), it’s the place for you. The sommelier is there to help you with your selection. It was a bit of a challenge for me as I’m still a bit weak in some wine terminology en français. (yes, thank you, I know that acid is acide, tannin is tannin, and carbonic maceration is maceration carbonique) The wines were 95% from Languedoc-Roussillon, so no trouble finding something local.

I chose Domaine Laguerre Le Ciste 2005, Vin de Pays Côtes Catalaines, which is from Roussillon. A blend of syrah (45%) cabernet sauvignon (30%), grenache (15%) and carignan (10%), it’s medium bodied with aromas of red and black fruit (notably black cherry) and meat. The tannins have softened nicely and it has medium acidity. I’m not a fan of carbonic maceration and there’s none here. Yay! Even better, the wine also has it’s ECOCERT certification, so they’re meeting the local standards for organic farming. The wine matched very well with our mains: Tournedos au Morilles (for Michèle) and Magret du Canard for me.

BTW, Jean Jaurès was a socialist leader from the south of France, assassinated just before the start of the First World War. You can find a street or square named after him in almost any city in this part of France.