Agly Brothers: Roussillon

A chance meeting in the mid nineties was the start of a partnership between two influential winemaking families of modern times—The Laughtons and the Chapoutiers. A common belief in biodynamic farming and its expression of “true terroir” led to the forming of a common vision—to create wines that were from opposing sides of the world, old and new world, that were joined in the philosophy of their creation—as true expressions of their terroir.

Agly Brothers is nurtured biodynamically and made with simplicity from vines grown in the Southern French town of Latour de France, located in Corbières zone in the hills above the Roussillon plains. Literally translated as ‘The Tower of France’, this small village borders the ancient kingdoms of Catalonia and France. Mature vineyards lay abandoned in this area of steep, arid slopes due to the high cost of farming, thus it is the quest of the Laughton and Chapoutier families to rediscover and fully express these exceptional, low-yielding sites. The vineyards are located on the slopes in the upper reaches of the Agly valley. The plot planted with  Carignan and Shiraz is on gneiss at an altitude of 250m, and faces north. The plot planted with Grenache is on south-facing slopes on an original soil made up of schists on a layer of limestone.

2008 Agly Brothers Cotes du Roussillon—(60% Carignan, 20% Shiraz, 20% Grenache). The grapes are picked and selected by hand, 100% destemmed and fermented in small concrete tanks. Maceration takes place over a period of 3-4 weeks with very mild pigeage. The wine is transferred to larger barrels for malolactic fermentation. The wines are then aged for 16-20months in oak, both new and old.

“The Agly Brothers 2008 Cotes du Roussillon smells and tastes of blueberry and blackberry preserves laced with mint, cinnamon, and lavender. Polished, expansive, and soothing, this offers a seductive performance, but with suggestions of berry skin tartness, huckleberry bitterness, and crushed stone warding off any tendency for it to finish entirely elixir-like. It ought to give great pleasure over at least the next 6-8 years.” 91 pts Robert Parker—The Wine Advocate #195 Jun 2011

2007 Agly Brothers Cotes du Roussillon—“The wine matures in demi-muids, followed by tank…..an intensely-fruited, savory, and persistently perfumed palate and a finish impression of remarkable lift and refreshment that completely belies the wines sheer ripeness and alcohol. This totally intriguing wine seems to have borrowed some of the smoke and floral enhancement of Cote Rotie and peat from an Islay distillery.”(91-92)pts Robert Parker—The Wine Advocate #183 Jun 2009