A NOTE FROM THE FUTURE: I adored these wines… and this is a good reminder that I need to look them up all these years in the future. I still have this sweet memory of meeting vigneron Virginie at a tasting and talking about the sparkling Mauzac. She said they loved it, but it was “old people wine.” That was close to 15 years ago, so I guess I could say I was an old soul. But now… I’m just… old people. (I joke a bit, I’m really not that old. But I’m definitely not young!)
Long time, no blog. But lots of Twitter. Oh, those were the days. You can still follow me at Follow me @franklywines where you can get exxtremely up-to-the minute musings on life as a wine retailer. I probably won’t blog about the fun that is running from an off-site distributor tasting to pick up a pre-schooler while trying to wipe the purple stains from my teeth. But I will tweet about it. Because that’s exactly what Twitter is for!
A NOTE FROM THE FUTURE: Oh Twitter, RIP. How I loved you back in the day. It’s hard to image now, but Wine Twitter (before we knew to call it Wine Twitter) was a fun, kind, even charming place to hang out. Joe Dressner was the closest we came to a villian, and to call him that would be in correct. He was more like the Socrates of the platform -keeping us all honest and challenging our beliefs. This was also the time of #reallylongpunnyhashtagsjustforfun. Lyle Fass was the king of this. You can still follow me at @christy.frank.wine or over at IG’s Threads, but I rarely play on those platforms. I’m still on IG as myself and as Copake Wine Works, just because it’s so darn easy. Or for kicks, do some deep scrolling on my old Twitter a.k.ka. X account to see what it was like back in the day.
But in the hopes of getting this blog rolling again, I’ll do one of my quickie cut-and-paste jobs from the web site. I could feel guilty about these cut-and-pasties, but I’m a big believe in frequency and repetition. I know most of you aren’t reading this blog…and the newsletter…and the tweets…and the facebook page…oh wait, there’s no facebook page….yet. So I’ll just keep posting the same things in multiple places in the hopes that most people catch everything at least once.
So…in the name of frequency and repetition, here we go…again…
Domaine de Causse Marines – Tres Cool, Tres Tasty
I will admit it. For a long time I had a thing against the wines of Causse Marines. The label was just a little too cheekily cute, the name was almost certainly a pun that was far beyond my less-then-beginner French, and the bottles kept appearing on the menu and shelves of every new hip wine bar and shop. In other words, I was convinced these wines were far too cool to be any good. Well, shame on me. Because when I finally got around to actually trying these wines, poured for me by one of the owners, I was completely smitten.
Causse Marines is the domaine of Virginie Maignien and Patrice Lescarret, two charming young vignerons. They’re doing their little part to preserve obscure local grapes like Mauzac, Duras, Braucol, and Loin-de-l’oeil. Their wines fall firmly into the “natural wine” category, with nothing added (except the very minimal amount of SO2 needed to keep the wines from getting all funky), nothing taken away. The vines are tended biodynamically with no pesticides, fungicides or artificial fertilizers. All this adds up to vibrant, unique, highly-drinkable…and yes…very cool wines.
3-Pack includes:
Domaine de Causse Marines Les Grielles Blanc 2008: This could be the perfect spring/summer wine. It’s a blend of the not-so-well-known grapes Muscadel, Loin-de-l’oeil, and Mauzac. The Muscadel adds a bit of a floral touch, but the overall taste is crisp, clean and delicious – sort of like springtime in a bottle.
Domaine de Causse Marines Peyrouzelles Rouge 2008: You’ve probably never heard of Duras or Braucol (also known as Fer Savadou.) These are the local red grapes of Gaillac which on their own, make for lighter, spicy, aromatic reds. This one has touch of Syrah in the blend, which plumps it up just a bit. It’s an easy drinking wine which is especially nice with a bit of a chill.
Causse Marines Preambulles Vin Mousseaux Brut 2009: A petillant natural made from 100% Mauzac. The funkiest of the bunch with a bit of a bruisey green apple, but it finishes crisp and clean. Think of it as a grape-based beer alternative. Or just think of it as good!
Price: $50