New
75cl
Domaine du Clos des Fees Le Clos des Fees 2012
Vendor code : 1700
Domaine du Clos des Fées is easily one of the top few estates in Roussillon, led by Hervé Bizeul — a bit of an eccentric, but completely serious about his craft. Besides his classic Roussillon wines based on Carignan, Grenache, and Syrah, he’s also been experimenting with some unexpected blends and grape varieties. Now he’s putting out an outstanding Cabernet Franc, an impressive Tempranillo, and a stunning Semillon (the Côtes Catalanes Le Clos des Fées Blanc) that you really have to try to believe.
Color
Red
Fortress
15%
Country
France
Region
Languedoc-Roussillon
Vintage
2012
Producer
Domaine du Clos des Fees
Not available
Of all the wines in the lineup, the 2012 Côtes du Roussillon Villages Le Clos des Fées is hands down our favorite — probably even the standout of the whole vintage. It’s a blend of 50% Syrah, 20% Grenache, 20% Carignan and a bit of Mourvèdre, aged 16 months in about 60% new French oak. This is a textbook Roussillon: structured, built to age, bursting with blackberry and cassis, smoked herbs, licorice and a touch of earthy minerality. It’s rich and full-bodied, yet somehow still feels light on the palate, finishing with great precision and grip.
Tucked away in a rugged landscape of garrigue and dry-stone walls, Le Clos des Fées looks like it was lifted straight off a postcard. The vineyards were planted by hand with pickaxes, carefully avoiding the bedrock limestone, instead set into pure clay pockets that wind their way among striking green oaks. Stones were cleared from the land one by one — carried by hand or hauled by horses — then patiently piled up by generations of winemakers who knew only hard, long hours. The old folks in the village say that for as long as anyone can remember, these gnarled, twisted vines have always been thought of as “old”. Off in the distance, the blue cliffs of Vingrau rise almost straight up, shaped over ages and constantly buffeted by the Tramontane winds. Down below, the Mediterranean sparkles at the base of the Pyrenees. And if the fairies still come out to dance at the solstice, they’d surely choose this strange, beautiful, mysterious corner of the world to do it.
Reviews from critics
97/100
1 points
95-100
1
90-94
0
85-89
0
80-84
0
75-79
0
0-74
0
Wine Advocate
My favorite of the lineup, the 2012 Côtes du Roussillon Villages Le Clos des Fées is a sensational effort that’s most likely the wine of the vintage. Made from 50% Syrah, 20% Grenache, 20% Carignan and the rest Mourvèdre that was aged 16 months in roughly 60% new French oak, it’s a classic, structured, age-worthy Roussillon that exhibits lots of blackberry and cassis fruit, smoked herbs, licorice and scorched earth. Full-bodied and concentrated, yet light on its feel, with a firm, focused finish, give it 2-3 years and enjoy bottles through 2027. There are few wines from the Roussillon I’d rather have in my cellar.
Not available