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Languedoc firm champions Burgundian approach
“standfirst”>Languedoc firm Badet Clément & Co is pioneering a Burgundian-style négociant business model as a means of capitalising on and promoting the best quality appellations within the region.
As part of its mission, the company, which also has a base in Burgundy, has developed a new range that aims to enhance the reputation of some of the Languedoc’s lesser-known grape varieties. Meanwhile it recently took over and relaunched an AOC level brand, Abbotts & Delaunay in a bid to show off the potential of top Languedoc appellations under a single name.
Inspired by the potential of the Languedoc, Badet Clément CEO Laurent Delaunay and his wife Catherine, left their native Burgundy to set up the business in 1995. “We were young winemakers in our 20s wanting to do something new,” explained Delaunay, who had also been inspired by time spent making wine in California. “It’s very difficult to do that in Burgundy and we had no money.”
As a new start-up with limited capital, the couple took inspiration from the young generation of Burgundian winemakers such as Nicolas Potel and Vincent Girardin, who had surmounted the problem of acquiring top sites in Burgundy by building close relationships with growers in key appellations.
By contrast, Delaunay feels that as yet “That’s not happening in the Languedoc. People are only using grapes from their own vineyard so they’re very limited when the region is so diverse.”
Two years ago the couple decided to introduce a new single varietal range called Rare and Antique within their predominantly Vin de Pays tier brand, Les Jamelles. The range features Bourboulenc, Macabeu and Rolle (or Vermentino) for the whites and a red selection of Alicante, Cot (the local name for Malbec) and Carignan.
The company worked closely with the Chamber of Agriculture for Aude to identify the best sites and partners for the project, with each wine a blend of at least two different vineyard sites “to add complexity,” explains Delaunay. The Carignan comes from 100 year old Minervois vines, while the Rolle has been selected from vineyards to the south west of Perpignan.
“We were frustrated to see the growth of varieties in the Languedoc that were not native to the area so we decided to find blocks of old, native Languedoc varieties and promote them,” explained Delaunay. “The goal of our range is to show people the true taste of the variety.”
In some cases this experimentation with unfamiliar or maligned varieties has led to enlightening discoveries. “We were very surprised by the Alicante,” remarked Delaunay, “It was much better than we expected.”
With small volumes – from 300 cases for some varieties up to 2,000 cases for the Cot and Carignan – the company has only just turned its focus to the UK market, where it works with small, independent agent Vinimpo. Delaunay is hopeful that the combination of concept and quality in the Jumelles range, which retails for £8.99, will find supporters, saying “we’ve entered these wines into all the main competitions and had very good results.”
In 2006 the company added an AOC level to its portfolio with the acquisition of Languedoc brand Abbotts. Set up in 1996 by Australian couple Nerida Abbott and Nigel Sneyd, the business shared common ground with Badet Clément, working with local growers and bringing New World experience to the Languedoc.
However, having found that the Abbott style was too dominated by new oak for the market, while distributors felt the name lacked Languedoc authenticity, Delaunay decided to relaunch the brand from the 2010 vintage.
Renamed Abbotts & Delaunay for a more French feel, the range has now been stripped back to seven wines across two tiers: a reserve level covering Corbières, Minervois and Côtes de Roussillon and a top end range called Nuages et Vents, a reference to the weather that shapes the region and its wines.
The style too has been changed, with a shift towards older barrels or stainless steel. Likewise the labels have been updated to reflect the wine inside, with a simpler, cleaner design, which has appellation and grape varieties clearly displayed.
“Our aim is very simply, very pretentiously, to make the best wines in the Languedoc,” remarked Delaunay. “It’s very ambitious but we’re determined not to compromise.”
As the Languedoc works to strengthen its identity and reputation at higher price points, it is private enterprises such as Badet Clément, Paul Mas or Gerard Bertrand which are showing that it is intelligently conceived, high quality brands, rather than any restructuring at a generic level, which will give this region the profile it deserves.
Gabriel Savage, 21.06.2011