Mid-week tipple: A blended red wine from elegant Limoux

Château Martinolles Limoux Chardonnay 2015
13.5%
€15 for the month of September from Molloy's Liquor Stores

This week, a brace of wines from Château Martinolles, a property in Limoux, a small region close to Carcassonne that is responsible for some excellent Chardonnay and rapidly improving Pinot Noir.
It is also home to the sparkling wine Blanquette de Limoux, arguably the oldest fizz in the world. Limoux is cooler than the rest of the Languedoc, and therefore the wines are usually more elegant. I don't always like oaked Chardonnay, but this wine went down a treat. Medium-bodied with lovely creamy, textured custard and pears, countered by some refreshing lime zest. We drank our bottle with fish pie.

Château Martinolles Garriguet Limoux 2014
14%
€15 for the month of September from Molloy's Liquor Stores

The red wines of Limoux must contain at least 50% Merlot, blended with a host of other permitted grape varieties. I suspect the authorities now wish they had included Pinot Noir. This wine is a blend of 55% Merlot, 30% Syrah, and 15% Cabernet Sauvignon. It is rich, warming and smooth with ripe sweet dark fruits, with vanilla and other spices lingering on the finish. Perfect with a daube of beef.