Suffering, and its sweet, vintage rewards

On a trip home to Louisiana, Joanne Close brought bottles of Marselan, a new red wine made from a grape recently bred by French viticulturists.

“It’s a cross between Grenache and Cabernet Sauvignon,” says Close, holding up a glass to the light. “Look at that color. I had this with duck last night, and it was wonderful.” Few wineries produce Marselan, and fewer export it to the United States. Close’s parents run one of them.

Owning a winery was the lifelong dream of Susan and Peter Close, an English couple who raised their three children in New Orleans. “Fine food and wine were always a big part of our family,” says Joanne, brand manager. “We’re painfully slow eaters. Our meals last for hours.” Her siblings, Sarah and Chris, operate Merlin Wines, a distribution company that imports boutique wines from southern France. The Closes relocated the business to Baton Rouge after Hurricane Katrina.

After retiring, Susan and Peter traveled to Italy, Spain and France in search of a winery. They found one in the Languedoc in southwest France, a region known historically for vast production and grape-growing, but only recently for its fine wine potential. “My father liked it for its possibility,” said Joanne. The Closes launched Chateau Camplazens in 2000.

In the past six years, the family cleaned vines, modernized the “cave” or wine-making facility, hired an energetic young winemaker and planted new grapes, including Marselan.

The work has paid off. In July, Wine Spectator awarded Camplazens’ 2000 Serendipity Syrah 88 points and gave it a Best Value nod. The winery’s highest quality red, the 2000 Premium, won a gold medal at the 2003 International Wine Challenge and was awarded 90 points from Wine & Spirits Magazine. “It’s one you can put up or drink now,” said Joanne. “We wanted to prove that wines from the Languedoc can age successfully.”

The Closes are confident their strong start will continue. Chateau Camplazens’ appellation, Coteaux de Languedoc, is noted for its quality production. Further, the winery is situated in the sub-appellation, La Clape, an area characterized by intense elevation changes. “The grapes love the temperature swings, the good drainage and the intense sun,” said Joanne. “It sounds funny, but they like to suffer. It helps them produce great wines.”