Getting Arrogant and Being Loved

The word arrogant has a stigma to it. I personally shy away from arrogant people, that is until I met this dapper little frog. He appeared at a gathering in October where we all fell in love with him. After all how can you resist this little frog dressed so classy.

Arrogant Frog is the creation of Jean-Claude Mas, a dapper man himself and owner of Paul Mas Domains (Domaines Paul Mas, Mas des Tannes, Domaines Astruc, Chateau de Martinolles, Chateau des Cres Richards, Domaine de la Terrandiere, Domaine Silene, Chateau Lauriga and Arrogant Frog) As Frenchman he wanted to show that wines from the Languedoc region can shine all over. Can the French shed their reputation as arrogant people? I think so, and together with Jean-Claude’s humor he decided to poke fun at the disposition and created Arrogant Frog.

Arrogant Frog was born in 2005 in the Herault Valley of Landguedoc which is located in the south of France. The Languedoc region of France is unlike the other regions where a few grapes grow well and dominate. The Languedoc is a great growing region for a variety of grapes with Mediterranean influences. The Herault Valley terroir is gravely, clay limestone hills making it a good area to grow Syrah, Grenach, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Carigan, Cinsault, Viognier, Marsanne, Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay.

Chateau Arrogant Frog is located in the Limoux grand cru and has 20 hectares of which 15 are organically farmed and 5 are certified by Terra Vitis.

Around the holiday time the frog appeared on my doorstep with a bottle of 2016 Lily Pad Pinot Noir. I welcomed the Arrogant Frog into my home where he clearly made himself comfortable.

The 2016 Arrogant Frog Lily Pad Pinot Noir had a beautiful light red garnet color that shimmered in the light. Half of the wine is aged in new oak barrels for 7 months while the other half ages in stainless steel vats. After the 7 months of aging in new oak the wine is put into vats to age for 2 more months before being bottled. Escaping from the bottle were aromas of red berries, strawberries, hints of vanilla and lots of spice. In the glass ad on the palate the wine had ripe tannins and nice acidity with a nice black pepper finish. SRP $10

Rose All Day with Domaines Paul Mas

The Languedoc region is home to a variety of soil types and variety of grapes which makes it a great region to produce Rose wine both still and sparkling. It is also home to Limoux which is known as the birthplace for sparkling wine in France dating back to 1554. Who to make better wines from this region but Jean-Claude Mas who created Domaine Paul Mas in 2000 after being left 35 hectares of vineyards from his father Paul Mas.

Jean-Claud is a forth generation grape grower and first generation winemaker. He believes luxury doesn’t alway equate to quality. He says “We are all about quality, which is, by its nature luxurious.” His wines are the result of his mission to inspire real emotions.

Cote Mas Rose Aurore 2016 is a Rose blend of 50% Grenache, 30% Cinsault, and 20% Syrah. The wine had a very right floral aromas coming from the glass along with honeysuckle and liliac. In the glass were flavors of red raspberry, apricot, peach, pomello. This was a really nice wine and my 22 year old daughter really like it as well. Always nice when I can share the wine with her and get her opinion. I love the label on this wine and the Arrogant Frog! This wine comes in liter bottle so you are getting more and the price SRP is $10.99. A definite wine to bring to the summer BBQ.

Arrogant Frog Rose 2016. I love the name of this wine, the label and what’s in the bottle. This is 100% Syrah. Jean Claude Mas says “Arrogant Frog is a play on words, but still seriously good wine for a not-serious price.” Floral notes with strawberry lead the way to cherry, strawberry some minerality where the wine dances on the palate and a bit of spice that pops up on the finish and then disappears. Kind of what an arrogant frog would do. The SRP is $9.99. I paired this with a spicy hot dog.  What you have to do when your home alone and need to go grocery shopping.

Cote Mas Cremant de Limoux Rose NV this is a great value sparkling wine made with 70% Chardonnay, 20% Chenin Blanc and 10% Pinot Noir. Nice soft mouth feel leads to strawberries, raspberries hint of citrus and stone fruit. I took this to the beach and had a picnic with shrimp burrito. Nice pairing! SRP $15.99

I wouldn’t hesitate picking up any of these wines. They are affordable, delicious and food friendly.