A troupe of former artists-turned-vignerons joined forces in 2003 to create Les Clos Perdus. Enchanted by the old vines and terroir, this ambitious group of expat creative decided to form the business and return biodiversity and life back to the ecosystem of this special pocket of the Languedoc. Their first parcel was a precious 1.5 hectares of old vines in the Corbières Maritime, which contributes its entire bounty to the blend of today’s Mire La Mer bottling. Together, Paul Old, Ben Adams, Stuart Nix and Hugo Stewart have dedicated themselves to the land and its pure translation in the glass through entirely biodynamic and organic viticulture since 2005 and have enjoyed Ecocert certification since 2009. According to Les Clos Perdus, “Over time the wines have become better balanced and, although less fruit driven, seem to carry a greater complexity and a stronger expression of their terroir.”

Today’s wine is derived from five special parcels that boast clay and limestone soils and is an overall blend of 65% Mourvèdre, 30% Carignan and 5% Grenache. Most of the fruit is between 33 and 40 years old; however, the Carignan is an impressive 111 years old, which only adds immense concentration and complexity to this wine. The fruit is hand harvested, destemmed with partial crush, 3-4 day maceration then fermented with indigenous yeast in 40% 500L coarse-grained new French oak and 60% stainless steel tanks. The wine is basket-pressed after twenty-one days of skin contact then is divided up into one, two and three to four year old barrels. Elevage takes place sur lie for twenty months before the wine is bottled without fining or filtration.

This wine exhibits a dark, opaque ruby core with purple hues on the rim. The nose explodes with intensely perfumed aromas of blackberry, black cherry and blueberry woven with violets, black pepper, wild herbs and crushed stone. The dense palate is balanced with freshness which makes this Languedoc example so incredible. Black and blue fruits on the palate confirm the nose along with complimentary flavors of tobacco, violet, cedar, olive and focused minerality. For those of you with enough patience, this will be a gem to encounter in ten to fifteen years if kept properly. To enjoy right away, decant for one hour and serve at 60 degrees in Bordeaux stems. Since the origin of Cassoulet is most likely the Languedoc itself, I would recommend pairing this wine in kind. Try Richard Olney’s classic recipe for Cassoulet.