In 2010 the CIVL, the generic organisation in charge of Languedoc wines, caused a great deal of chatter and consternation when it announced its new three-tier pyramid hierarchy for Languedoc AOCs. Over the ensuing months, speculation, rumour and conjecture swirled until nine ‘grand cru’ AOCs were announced in 2011, at which point certain overlooked AOCs went into apoplexy and things got emotional. Then things went very quiet.
It wasn’t until I visited St-Chinian in late September this year, as a guest of the St-Chinian producers' association, that the word cru popped up in conversation, and jolted my memory. I was...