300724 Sat Aug 20 12:58:03 -0700 2005 8 27 General Chowhounding Topics 0 1672999 There's so much written on here, and I have so little experience with French wine outside of the most famous regions, I have no clue what this label means: 1999 Chateau l'Euziere L'Almandin Coeaux du Languedoc Pic Saint Loup Near as I can tell, languedoc is the grape, Chateau l'Euziere is the winery, and of course 1999 is the vintage. Am I right, and what's all the rest? Also, does anyone know about this winery's reputation, or the quality of this particular wine? Some Googling showed that this wine is actually decreasing in value as it ages. The 2001 is retailing for $15, the 1999 for $10, and the 1996 for $9. Obviously I don't have high hopes, but was hoping others could chime in with opinions, info, and advice. Thanks! Sat Aug 20 12:58:03 -0700 2005 0 nooodles 1 1673004 coteaux de languedoc is actually an appelation in the languedoc-roussillon region on the southern border of france near provence. pic st. loup is a sub-region and where syrah, grenache and mouvedre are grown. chateau l'euziere is the producer and l'almandin is probably the name of the wine. with french wines the actual name of the grape is not usually displayed on the label. all the wines of this region aren't particularly well known for their aging (especially the whites and roses) and the grapes used aren't as tannic as say ones used in bordeaux. so go ahead and drink it? out of curiosity, is it a white, red or rose? Sat Aug 20 13:36:46 -0700 2005 1672999 0 rebs 2 1673005 Thanks for being so helpful. Nothing seems to be in the same order on various French labels, so what I learn from one bottle doesn't always easily translate to a new bottle. It's a bottle of red. I am planning on opening it tonight, and will report back. Sat Aug 20 13:53:51 -0700 2005 1673004 0 nooodles 1 1673007 Pic St. Loup is an area within the Languedoc area. It is cooler than much of the region and this affects the grapes. Sat Aug 20 14:02:24 -0700 2005 1672999 0 wally 1 1673017 Thanks for asking the question. French wine labels always confuse me (ok so do US labels). Anyway, for my own information I googled around and found out there are four classes of French wine (be kind wine experts, this is news to me, but go ahead and chuckle in private). They are in order of the regulations they follow: Vins de Table Vins de Pays AO VDQS (Appellation d'Origine -Vins Délimités de Qualité Supérieure) AOC (Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée) With the last two, you won't ever see the variety of grape because they must contain the variety that has been determined is the best for that region. The link below has some sample labels of AOC, AO VDQS, and Vins de Pays. Some other good info I turned up were Wines of France Really detailed info and example of labels for 1. Still wine labels: AOC and Vin de Pays 2. Champagne labels 3. French Vin de Table labels http://www.vins-france.com/BouteilleBouche/Etiquettes.aspx Adams Beverage Group Nice general explanation of French Wine Labels and labels around the world. http://www.beveragenet.net/cheers/1998/0598/598label.asp The Wine Buyer Another example of how to read French wine labels, as well as American and Italian labels. Nice glossary too. http://www.thewinebuyer.com/education/french_labels?id=aDPucrsz&mv_pc=364 Paterno Wines Mini Wine Classes They also have an example of the bottle, but not as clear. Very high level info, but I liked the world wine region map and wine glasses class. Pretty decent glossary. http://www.paternowines.com/knowledge/explore/ Hmmm ... I'm going to have to go out and buy some French wine and practice label reading. Link: http://www.timeforwine.com/2ndlv/ws/3rdlv/ws_course_label.html Sat Aug 20 16:19:09 -0700 2005 1672999 0 rworange 1 1673023 1999 Chateau l'Euziere L'Almandin Coeaux du Languedoc Pic Saint Loup Chateau l'Euzière is what you'd call in the USA a "dba". Actual producers are: Michel & Marcelle Causse ancien chem. d'Anduze, 34270 Fontanès tel.04.67.55.21.41 fax 04.67.55.21.41 Coteaux-du-languedoc is a A.O.C. (Appelation d' Origine Controllée) in Languedoc-Rousillon, on the southern coast of France, close to the border with Spain. This AOC was created 1985. Pic-Saint-Loup is one of 13 possible sub-appelations for Coteaux-du-Languedoc (11 red & rosés, 2 whites). L'Almandin is the name given to this particular wine by the producer. As far as aging & quality, Ch.l'Euzière seems to be improving. Their Pic-Saint-Loup Les Escarbouclès 2001 appears mentioned with 1 star (out of 3) in the 2004 Guide Hachette des Vins. The guide suggests cellaring for at least 5 years. Enjoy! Sat Aug 20 18:19:01 -0700 2005 1672999 0 RicRios 1 1673038 Wow, write down that label and vintage in my original post, and make a mental note to avoid it like the plague. I opened the bottle and poured it into the wide (very clean) glass vase that I use as a poor man's decanter. The color was the same dull reddish brown that I've seen in bad chianti. I worried. I let it sit for half an hour. Didn't smell too bad, so I took a sip. I put on my poker face and had BF take a sip. He took one sip, scowled at me, and said "Does that taste like rubbing alcohol to you?" I laughed so hard I almost fell, because that was exactly what crossed my mind as well. It's an hour later now, and the alcohol has evaporated a bit. It's still godawful wine, though. I personally would rather drink two buck chuck cabernet. For those who've had it, this is as bad as the two buck chuck beaujolais (if in a different way). For the $10 that the Chateau L'Euziere is going for these days, I have had much better reds from all over the world. I sure hope that RicRios is right about this winery having improved since 1999, because otherwise they won't be around much longer. Tasting notes: -very dark brownish red color -weak legs, relating to its rather thin mouthfeel (I think) -no fragrance to speak of -overpowering overtones of alcohol -strong taste of syrah, which I admit I really don't like I'm sorry this post sounds incredibly bitter. I just really have a hard time seeing how someone could sell this for $10 with a straight face. I did get a good laugh out of it, though, because what other hostess gift should I expect from an otherwise rude and obnoxious houseguest? Sat Aug 20 21:11:43 -0700 2005 1672999 0 nooodles 2 1673044 do you think maybe it was just a bad bottle or that the wine is really that horrible. if the bottle is indeed bad, you can usually bring it back to the wine shop you bought it from and get your money back or exchange it for another one. you may also want to ask the person working there if it was supposed to taste the way it did. Sun Aug 21 01:25:57 -0700 2005 1673038 0 rebs 2 1673051 Just from the color you noticed, i'd say it sounds more a poorly kept bottle than a bad wine. Wines in the $10 or under price range usually don't get stored/transported under appropiate conditions, corks are sub par & etc. That's probably the reason why such bottles should be drunk immediately. Not that they are intrinsically unable to age gracefully, but rather they have had for the most part a very troubled childhood life. Sun Aug 21 11:58:02 -0700 2005 1673038 0 RicRios