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38 { THE SOMM JOURNAL } OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2015 { france } 1. Corbières-Boutenac Located in the west between the Pyrenees and the Aude River, Corbières-Boutenac (opening photo, p. 36) produces only red wine, generally blends where Carignan is the primary grape. 2. Faugères Although it also produces whites, Faugères, the most eastern and northern of the crus, is known as primarily red-wine territory, with blends in which Grenache, Carignan, Syrah and even Cinsault may dominate. 3. La Clape The most coastal of the crus, La Clape overlooks the sea near Narbonne, producing red blends as well as whites that feature a somewhat rare grape, Bourboulenc. 4. Minervois-La- Livinière Bordered on the south by the Canal du Midi and on the north by the imposing Montagne Noire, the reds of the region are often dominated by Syrah and are noted for their combina - tion of power and elegance. A Brief Introduction to Languedoc's Six Crus 1 4 5 & 6 2 3 5 & 6. Saint-Chinian Berlou and Saint-Chinian Roquebrun The Saint-Chinian region is located in the foothills of the Massif Central mountain region near the town of the same name. The crus are located near each other in the hills, with Berlou (pictured) having a slightly higher eleva - tion. Even so, the climate is still considered Mediterranean. Syrah, Grenache and Mourvèdre are the primary crus grapes. In total, AOP Languedoc contains 86,000 acres of vines, much of them organically grown due to the favorable weather conditions in the region, and it annually produces about 1.3 million hecto - liters of wine. The primary red grapes are Carignan, Cinsault, Grenache, Mourvèdre and Syrah, while white grapes include Clairette, Grenache Blanc, Marsanne, Mauzac, Muscat, Picquepoul, Rolle and Roussanne. Between the various red and white blends, Crus du Languedoc can pair wines with most dishes, from seafood and poultry to pork and lamb dishes. The crus wine campaign in the U.S. will get a further boost in September when the CIVL co-hosts a lunch event for trade and press in New York. The program will take place at Boulud Sud on September 23 and will highlight Crus du Languedoc wines, offering additional information on the category. Michael Madrigale, Head Sommelier for the Daniel Boulud restau - rants and a Languedoc fan, will be one of the presenters. Madrigale says that his love of Crus du Languedoc is so well known in the trade that "distributors have begun profiling me. I have plenty of Languedoc and Crus du Languedoc on our wine lists."