Château Sainte Eulalie Plaisir d’Eulalie Minervois 2015

Madame Coustal has fashioned a plush, aromatic 2015 Château Eulalie Plaisir d’Eulalie Minervois. Plump, round and beautifully textured, the 2015 Plaisir d’Eulalie highlights the attributes of old vines from Minervois in a great vintage such as 2015. The 2015 Plaisir d’Eulalie captures the nose with savory scents of black cherry and plum, intertwined with hints of violet, Provençal herbs and black pepper – all of which continue to develop and impress for hours on end. And as one has come to expect from Madame Coustal, fleshy, juicy fruit flavors and soft, seductive tannins fill the mouth and caress the palate with each sip. For those looking for a mouthful of beautiful fruit and a taste of traditional country wine from France’s oldest wine producing region, there is no better offering than Château Eulalie’s 2015 Plaisir d’Eulalie. For optimal enjoyment, we suggest serving the charming 2015 Plaisir d’Eulalie at cool room temperature (60º-64º F) after 15-20 minutes of aeration. Salut!

Young, fresh, and brimming with flavor, the 2015 Château Sainte Eulalie Plaisir d’Eulalie Minervois drinks beautifully now with little or no accompaniments. However, one is hard-pressed to find a better wine to bring to table than the 2015 Plaisir. Stews, grilled meats, and flavorful pastas make superb companions to this wine, as do a variety of chicken, beef, lamb, and pork dishes. Pasta with white beans and vegetables; penne pasta with grilled spicy sausages, peppers, and onions; and Chicken Cacciatore over bowtie pasta are some of our favorite companions to Sainte Eulalie’s Plaisir. Each of these dishes complements the sensual side of the 2015 Plaisir d’Eulalie. Roast pork tenderloin served with an herb encrusted black olive tapenade provides another splendid companion. Traditional Mediterranean favorites such as ratatouille, Eggplant or Zucchini Parmigiana, lasagna, and of course all kinds of pizza make fine accompaniments to this wine. Most dishes made with fresh tomatoes, herbs, and wild mushrooms are good bets, too. Salami, pepperoni, soppressata, and other smoked meats offer more tasty pairings, especially in the company of aged, hard cheeses. Enjoy!

Château Sainte Eulalie’s 2015 Plaisir d’Eulalie Minervois is a natural with many types of cow, goat and sheep’s milk cheeses. Pecorino, Brie, and Chèvre all pair beautifully with Isabelle Coustal’s outstanding 2015 Plaisir d’Eulalie. Add some toasted walnuts to the cheese selection and you’ll almost certainly need to have more than one bottle of Château Eulalie’s Plaisir on hand. For more specific wine and cheese pairings or to discover more about the world’s finest cheeses contact us at: www.cheesemonthclub.com.

Château Sainte Eulalie quickly became one of our favorite properties in Languedoc and a favorite among our membership. Under the ownership of Laurent and Isabelle Coustal, Château Sainte Eulalie has joined the top echelon of Languedoc producers. The Coustals are originally from Bordeaux where Laurent continues to work. This dynamic couple has resurrected and restored the ancient Minervois vineyards surrounding their domaine, including the old vines at Château Eulalie. The Coustals grow Syrah, Grenache, and Carignan, the three traditional and most important grape varietals of Languedoc.

Isabelle Coustal serves as the winemaker and artisan in residence at Château Sainte Eulalie. She fashions several wines from old vines, including Plaisir d’Eulalie and La Cantilène. Both red wines spring from old vines from some of the Languedoc’s most renowned terroirs. Plaisir d’Eulalie is picked entirely by hand and bottled unfiltered in order to preserve its freshness and rich, haunting flavors. After more than a decade of outstanding work at Château Ste. Eulalie, Madame Coustal has earned her reputation as one of Languedoc’s finest and most consistent winemakers.

Languedoc is the world’s largest single viticultural area, encompassing many appellations and distinctive sub regions – all of which are capable of producing fine wine. This sprawling viticultural wonderland stretches all the way from the Spanish border in the southwest, within sight of the towering Pyrenees, to the banks of the Rhône River far to the northeast. Languedoc cuts a huge swath of dry coastal plain and sheltered mountains from which flow the guts and the glory of French viticulture.

The Languedoc, whose name is synonymous with the language of southern France, was the first part of ancient Gaul to be extensively planted to the vine and has remained extensively cultivated for millennia. For centuries the Languedoc reigned as France’s most important viticultural area, but the region suffered greatly with the advent of phylloxera throughout the late 19th century and early 20th century, causing the Languedoc to languish in the doldrums of viticultural obscurity, unless of course one considers everyday plonk as a beverage of choice. Once the proud bastion of French viticultural excellence, the Languedoc became the world’s major source of huge quantities of insipid wines, whose main virtues were none other than high alcohol and cheap prices – all of which were subsidized by the French government. Fortunately, the paradigm has changed. The Languedoc is quickly returning to its former glory. The worldwide demand for cheap, coarse wine no longer exists; the emphasis today is on quality rather than quantity. In addition, the only official incentive for grape growers is to plant premium varietals, move back to the ancient hillside sites, and produce less wine of greater quality. Since the 1970s, a true viticultural Renaissance has been sweeping the Languedoc and the results are nowhere more apparent than in the favored appellation of Minervois.