Erica and the Enjoy Discovering Wine team hosted an exclusive online masterclass for our Alumni Wine Club exploring the wines of Languedoc, featuring two outstanding Minervois producers: Château Gravillas and Mathieu Cathala. This immersive tasting experience offered attendees the chance to discover the unique terroirs, grape varieties, and winemaking philosophies that define this dynamic region.
A special thanks to Kate from Enjoy Discovering Wine, who, living and working in the South of France, played a key role in bringing these exceptional winemakers together. She carefully transported their wines to the UK for us to experience and appreciate.
Languedoc & Minervois: A Region of Diversity
Languedoc, stretching along France’s Mediterranean coast, is one of the country’s most exciting and diverse wine regions. Once known for bulk production, today Languedoc thrives with passionate winemakers crafting expressive, terroir-driven wines.
The region enjoys a warm and dry climate with low rainfall, ideal for wine production. However, challenges do exist with the biggest grape growing challenge here being drought and increasingly hot summers.
Within Languedoc, Minervois stands out as an appellation with a distinct identity, its wines vary in the qualities due to altitude, warm climate, and the cooling influence from the Atlantic. The wines of Minervois, particularly its reds, showcase a harmonious balance of power and elegance, often blending Syrah, Grenache, Mourvèdre, and Carignan. The region is celebrated for its rich, dark-fruited wines with notes of spice, garrigue, and earthy minerality, reflecting its rugged landscape.
Château Gravillas: Terroir-Driven Elegance
Nestled near the village of Saint-Jean-de-Minervois, Château Gravillas is a winery committed to organic farming and minimal intervention winemaking. Founded by Nicole and John Bojanowski, the estate is known for its vibrant, expressive wines. The vineyards are planted on a unique plateau of white limestone gravel, which provides excellent drainage and retains heat, helping to ripen grapes in this Mediterranean climate. The high altitude and cool nights contribute to the wines’ freshness and vibrant acidity. The winery cultivates a diverse range of grape varieties, including Grenache, Carignan, Syrah, Mourvèdre, and lesser-known indigenous varieties like Terret Gris and Terret Noir. This diversity allows them to craft both single-varietal wines and complex blends. From their delicate yet structured old-vine Carignan to their renowned Muscat de Saint-Jean-de-Minervois, Château Gravillas captures the essence of the Minervois terroir with purity and finesse. For more details, you can visit their website: Clos du Gravillas.
Mathieu Cathala: Precision & Passion
Mathieu Cathala is a fourth-generation winemaker based in Sainte-Valière, Aude. With a deep connection to his region’s history, and working his way through many wine-related jobs in local cooperatives he now farms his own 30-hectare vineyard specialising in local varieties like Grenache and Mourvèdre. Mathieu has quickly gained recognition for his meticulous approach to winemaking. With a deep respect for the land and a focus on quality over quantity, his wines offer a modern yet authentic expression of Minervois. Mathieu practices organic and low-intervention winemaking, allowing the natural characteristics of the grapes to shine. His winemaking philosophy emphasizes gentle extraction, careful aging in oak barrels, and a commitment to preserving the integrity of the fruit. This dedication results in wines that are elegant, expressive, and deeply connected to the land. For more details, you can visit his website: Domaine Mathieu Cathala.
The Wines
- Clos du Gravillas Emmenez-moi au bout du Terret 2023 IGP Herault 12.0%
From the unique Pink Terret grape variety. A pink skinned variety with white pulp that is late ripening. Picking happens when grapes are green (green harvesting) and are allowed to ripen on the warm floor turning pink.
Pale lemon with pink hue. Aromas of lemon, sherbet, grapefruit, green pear. On the palate it is dry, with medium acidity and delicate flavours of yellow stone fruit, like peach and apricot, with hint of phenolic bitterness. Saline, zesty and fresh with medium finish.
- Clos du Gravillas L’Inattendu Minervois 2023 Minervois AC 13.5%
“L’Inattendu” literally means the unexpected as the winery was set out to make red wines only. Nicole and John researched and took advice from other wineries who made wine from pink grenache. This wine is a blend of Grenache Gris, Grenache Blanc and tiny percent of Macabeau. Fermented in 500lt Austrian barrels and remains on lees for 9 months.
Buttery nose, acacia blossom, fresh cut herbs such as dill. Dry with medium+ acidity, medium alcohol and medium body with flavours of grapefruit, lemon, lime, fresh apricot. Lovely creaminess and smooth oily velvety texture leading to a long finish with a lovely citrus fresh note on the finale. Complex with defined aromatics balanced by the elevated acidity.
- Mathieu Cathala Le Meilleur des Grenaches Chapitre Le Fruit 2022 Vin de France 14.5%. 100% grenache.
The free run juice is allowed exposure to air (actually oxygen and nitrogen to homogenise juice during fermentation). This is employed instead of pump overs because it allows for the preservation of fresh pure primary aromas without too much tannin.
Pale ruby, med+ aromatic intensity. Lovely fresh red cherry, strawberry, raspberry, redcurrant. On the palate it is dry, medium+ acidity, low tannins, textural and full body. The high alcohol is greatly balanced by the freshness and intensity of the fruit and gives this wine the feel of a medium alcohol wine, very well integrated, but the texture on the mouthfeel reminds of a full-bodied wine. Finishes medium with purity of strawberry and cherry fruit. Great as an aperitif and dangerously moreish.
- Mathieu Cathala Le Meilleur des Grenaches Chapitre 2 Le Coteau 2022 Vin de France 15.0%. Chapter 2, 100% Grenache old vines from 1980’s
From vineyards at 90-100m elevation (highest of their vineyards) with late picking which allows grenache to develop more spice.
And again, here, free run juice is fermented to produce a pale ruby coloured wine with red fruit aromas like raspberry jam, ripe strawberry, boiled cherry sweets, cherry and cream sweets. On the palate it is dry, with medium but stickier tannins in comparison to wine three, textural with full body. Pronounced red fruit flavours of cherry, raspberry strawberry and more spice with white pepper. A long aftertaste, with the fruit and spice intermingling harmoniously throughout the finish. Extremely food friendly wine.
- Clos du Gravillas Lo Vielh Carignan de 100 ans 2022 IGP Cotes du Brian 13.5%
The fruit of this Carignan comes from the first vineyards the couple bought. From more than 100-year-old vines this Carignan was fermented on skins and then pressed off. Then aged in large oak 600lt demi-muids for a year.
Aromas of blackberry and black cherry fruit, blueberry, plum, liquorice, cloves, allspice, hint of leather. Dry, med+ acidity, medium body, medium fine-grained tannins, earthy, with long fresh finish. Well-balanced with the purity of fruit balanced well against the acidity and structure of the tannins.
- Clos du Gravillas doulce providence 2023 Muscat de Saint Jean de Minervois AC 13.5%
Pineapple, dried rose petals, lemon sherbet, grape, apricot conserve, honey, all the goodness and breadth of aromatics muscat has to offer. Sweet, with medium- acidity, medium body, and intense flavours of honeysuckle, elderflower pineapple and melon. The medium finish is lovely and fresh with the sweetness very well balanced by the freshness of fruit and breadth or aromatics.
During the masterclass, our guests had the opportunity to taste a selection of wines from both producers, each bottle telling a unique story of Minervois. Through engaging discussions, we explored topics such as sustainable viticulture, inside winemaking secrets of the local vignerons, the importance of historically local varieties, the evolution of winemaking in the Languedoc and the worries of global climate change and the effect it may have on the way production is operated in the region.
This masterclass was not just about tasting exceptional wines—it was a journey into the heart of a region where tradition and innovation come together in the glass. Whether you are new to Minervois wines or a seasoned enthusiast, the passion and craftsmanship behind these wines are sure to leave a lasting impression.
Stay tuned for our next tasting event, and let’s continue discovering the world of wine together!
If you have a minimum of WSET Level 2 wine qualification, you are welcome to join the Enjoy Discovering Wine Alumni Club, which meets online around six times annually. For more details: Alumni Club.
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