When one thinks of wines in the Maury region of the Cotes de Roussillion the usual thought is big, full throttle very Rhone like wines that we see so much of. But, all across the Roussillion Valley there's a movement afoot to make lighter, less extacted and more natural wines. At the front of the line of that is Marc Barriot and his tiny garage winery in Maury, Clot de l'Orgine.
I met Marc at an "off" prior to the start of Vinisud this past February and was impressed with his wine, especially, the whites he's making from Grenache Gris, Blanc and Macabau, the latter which is quickly becoming one of my favorite "white" grapes while his reds that are wines made of Carignan, Syrah, Grenache Cinsault and Mourvedre have a quality not usually found in the area. Marc makes his wines organically, and a look at his vineyard and tasting his finished product shows alot. His wines have a very natural character to them, with tastes of herbs and spices. The nuances in his wines are not for those who don't know, as Marc's wines, when tasted very young require a more educated palate to taste through the wines, but once one does, one finds that the wines of Clot d'Origine are more like Burgundy, then the Rhone. They are not cookie cutter wines like in Napa or Bordeaux, where better wine through chemistry is at work. No, Clot d'Origine wines very terroir specific as are many other wines here in the Roussillion.
Having tasted through most if not all of Marc's wines, one can only hope a smart importer in the USA picks up the wines, and sells them through merchants who can talk about the wines, not just sell them based on their price and value. Personally, I've become a fan of his Les Quilles Libres and AOC Côtes du Roussillon Village wine that is made from 80 percent Grenache, with the rest Syrah, Grenache and Cinsault. There's a great quality in the wine that has it screaming for Tomme de Catelan, local cheese that ripe and nutty, or a nice piece of venison.