Time Travelling with Le Mazel
Last week, I was fortunate enough to be invited to a tasting in London with Jocelyn Oustric. I've been a fan of Le Mazel wines for a while now and when the importer told me that Jocelyn would be opening up old bottles for some members of the trade at Hector's wine bar, I couldn't wait.
In the 1990s, Gerald Oustric was growing grapes in the Ardèche and selling to the local co-op until he met Beaujolais natural wine legend Marcel Lapierre. At this moment he was inspired to start making his own wines and in the most natural, hands off approach possible. He encouraged his sister Jocelyn to jump on board and the rest was history. Now Le Mazel has a reputation for some of the most honest, well priced and age-worthy natural wines in France.
We have been selling the cuvées at Highbury Library for a few years now and have been lucky enough to see just how amazing the wines transform in bottle. The added bonus is that they also drink very well in their youth, albeit in just a very different style. This tasting experience on a Monday night in July was a unique opportunity to sample multiple vintages alongside each other.
To begin, Jocelyn pointed out that the cuvées with the most ageing potential are Larmande, made from Syrah and Mias, from Viognier. So we were to drink 2002, 2005, 2011 and 2021 of the red Larmande and then 2001, 2006, 2011 and 2020 of the white Mias.
Cuvée Larmande is fruitier in youth with pronounced but integrated volatile acidity. There is also a black olive note which seems to be present in every vintage. Working back, the fruits get darker and more savoury, whilst the VA is still present but further integrated. 2002 and 2005 were tasting intensely mineral with a rocky, reductive core. Fruit was still present but had definitely taken a back seat.
When it came to Cuvée Mias, it was evident that as the wines age, they become more precise. The most recent vintages were tasing wild and had noticeable residual sugar and again, volatile acidity. Sweet and salty! These characters don't disappear with time, which I am thankful for, but they all come further together and create something very special. 2006 was tasting minerally with a smoked apricot feel and a long finish. 2001, even darker with more developed fruit. Round and rich but still with the acidity to balance. Mindblowing and unique wines to be completely honest.
I guess the challenge is keeping these bottles for so many years, but like I said, these are still thoroughly enjoyable wines in their youth. It reaffirmed what a pleasure it is to be able to taste and sell the wines of Gerald and Jocelyn, natural wine legends in the truest sense.
We have just received new vintages and have also released some older bottles of Cuvée Larmande from the cellar;
NEW ARRIVALS
Cuvée Mias 2023 100% Viognier. Also available in magnum
Cuvée Larmande 2023 100% Syrah
Cuvée Raoul 2023 100% Carignan - Light and easy drinking with delicate floral and peppery notes.
Cuvée Les Leches 2022 - A blend of Sauvignon Blanc and Grenache Blanc with a touch of Chardonnay. Like Mias, wilder in youth with salty stone fruits and a smokey, mineral edge
FROM THE CELLAR
Happy Drinking!
Leave a comment