Maison Ventenac is a family-owned estate and winery located in the heart of the Cabardès AOP, near Carcassone in the Languedoc wine region of France.
The area, near the medieval fortified city of Carcassone has the rare characteristic of benefitting from oceanic influences from the Atlantic Ocean yet with an overall Mediterranean climate typical of Languedoc.
Therefore, Cabardès is the only appellation in Languedoc with the obligation to assemble at least 40% of Atlantic grapes that originate from Bordeaux (Cabernet, Merlot) with 40% of Mediterranean varieties such as Syrah or Grenache.
With the wines reviewed here, Maison Ventenac has pushed the envelope of innovation and challenge even further by growing grape varieties that originate from the Loire Valley: Cabernet Franc and Chenin Blanc!
Maison Ventenac is committed to a sustainable agriculture approach certified by the leading organization ‘TERRA VITIS’. However, building on a desire to take respect for the land even further, internal specifications require that no chemical inputs be used on our soils.
The transition has been underway since 2015, and almost all of the estate is now weeded mechanically.
‘Les Dissident’: Innovative, alternative wines by Maison Ventenac
Here is how the winery introduces its ‘Les Dissidents’ range of single vineyard wines:
“Resolutely militant, and just a little bit of an anarchist, our “Dissidents” and “Païens” ranges express what we believe to be the very soul of Maison Ventenac, without any form of constraint, cultivating our finest plots of land in the most natural way possible, classifying our soils in order to better define them, selecting and creating our wines as we see fit. Here, there is no make-up, just delicate blends concocted in jars of 150 or 500 liters, and in casks of 2,000 liters. These wines are uncompromising, chiseled, precise and direct. An uppercut – but the good sort! One that wakes you up and tells you that not everything is standardized and uniform, but can be unique.”
Essentially Les Dissidents is a series of single vineyard expression of varietal wines, grown with organic practices and made using as little sulfites as possible. They are also matured with little or no oak influence to respect the pure expression of the fruit and soil.
This is as close to the ‘natural expression’ of the grapes and the land they were grown on as can be translated into a wine.
So, let’s find out what these wines actually taste like….
Watch the Review of Ventenac Wines in Video
Languedoc Wines made from Loire Grape Varieties
2018 Maison Ventenac ‘Candide’ Chenin Blanc, Vin de France
Score: 91/100 points
Candide is made from 100% Chenin Blanc grapes grown on white limestone terroir, matured at the winery in small oak vats.
Overall Review Notes & tasting Impressions
A white Chenin with a bright and shiny lemon-yellow color with vibrant green hues that seem to indicate the wine hasn’t gone through much oxidation during the winemaking process, respecting the integrity of the fruit. This is confirmed on the nose, with a wealth of shiny floral notes of elderflower and daisies, hints of zingy lemon, juicy apricots and hints of tropical pineapple and green mango. Complex and extremely vibrant aromatic profile, both floral and fruity. Tempting!
The palate reveals a light and vibrant wine on mid-body with a crisp acidity and salivating minerality to the finish. An outstanding expression of Chenin, both typical of the grape but revealed here with a delightful precise and playful floral and fruity expression.
2018 Maison Ventenac ‘l’Intrus’ Cabernet Franc, Vin de France
Score: 90/100 points
L’Intrus is made from 100% Cabernet Franc grapes with minimal addition of sulfites, matured for 3 months in concrete tanks.
Overall Review Notes & tasting Impressions
With a vibrant red color, still filled with delicate purple hues, l’Intrus shines on the nose with dominant notes of freshly-squeezed berries, raspberry and blueberry. Add some hints of green pepper and peppermint for freshness and you are with a tempting, remarkably vibrant aromatic expression.
The palate equally charms with a juicy mouthfeel like fresh berry mixed-berry juice. The typicity of Cabernet Franc is there with violet flower and ripe berry flavors for a succulent for an exciting tasting experience, thirst-quenching, fruity and salivating. An easy wine to love.
Perfect pairing wine for mildly-flavored meat dishes, antipasti and appetizers.
2017 Maison Ventenac ‘Patience’ Cabernet Franc, Vin de France
Score: 92/100 points
Patience is made from 100% Cabernet Franc grapes grown on deep clay and limestone terroir with minimal addition of sulfites including no sulfite used during fermentation. The wine was matured in 2000L small oak vats.
Overall Review Notes & tasting Impressions
With a dark ruby red color, Patience Cabernet Franc bursts with ripe red berry notes of blackberry and ripe cherry. The signature floral characters of Cabernet Franc are there too populating the aromatic profile.
A dense but smooth tannic structure comes with crisp acidity that underlines the freshness of the dark berry fruit dominant notes. Layers of dark cocoa and pepper, with hints of delicately earthy traits make a stunningly bright tasting experience, yet with depth and complexity. The pure expression of cabernet Franc in all its glory, precise, floral and vibrant, fresh and acidic, yet deep and concentrated. An expression of the grape that is somewhat faithful to the Loire, from the purity of fruit and the juiciness. Only a tiny bit more weight and slightly riper fruit expression betrays this is a Languedoc wine. Refined and juicy. Excellent.
Drink 2019-2025
2017 Maison Ventenac ‘Paul’ Cabernet Franc, Vin de France
Score: 92/100 points
Paul is made from 100% Cabernet Franc grapes grown on white limestone and clay terroir with minimal addition of sulfites including no sulfite used during fermentation. Half the wine (50%) was matured in small 150-liters clay jars, while the other half was aged in 200L oak vats.
Overall Review Notes & tasting Impressions
With a dark ruby red color, Paul Cabernet Franc feel introvert and delicate to smell at, much like a dense wine that does not want to reveal its full potential quite yet, like a young age-worthy wine. Subtle blackberry notes, black pepper, some plum with a little prune. Deep and profound an aromatic profile.
On the palate though, Paul becomes talkative and reveals a dense tannic structure all about smoothness and finesse of tannins. Round soft body on an oily texture that allows fragrant notes of blackcurrant and blackberry to shine with a plummy richness and peppery spiciness.
As refined Bordeaux-like expression of Cabernet Franc, rich and generous, yet precise and delicate like Cab Franc loves to shine.
Drink 2019-2025.
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