Blend: Carignan 60%, Mourvèdre 25%, Syrah 15%

Aric is local dialect for Alaric, King of the Visigoths who gave his name to the mountain whose slopes conceal the Lignères fabulous terroir. The surname of a grandmother, a direct descendant of those Barbarian warriors, was Amalric, and a question still haunts the family today: had Alaric known that his mountain possessed such wonderful wine, would he have plundered Rome in 410 AD?

The Ligneres family's ties to the wine world can be traced back to the sixteenth century, but it was in 1957 that André and Suzette Ligneres bought the domaine. André's parents were from Moux and Fontcouverte, the two villages on either side of the estate and already had vineyards in both villages as well as a négociant business in Moux. Since then they have gradually expanded the domaine, acquiring the most attractive terroirs bordering on the estate, particularly Las Vals. Throughout this period the assistance of Marc Dubernet was invaluable in helping develop the domaine's wines.

In 2002, Richard Marlowe, an incredible wine-specialist and a faithful "fan" of Domaine Ligneres, organized a meeting with the renowned Tuscan wine consultant Stefano Chioccioli. He knew Stefano could understand their concept of "terroir", i.e. trying to produce wines with more of everything – weight, aroma, dimension, focus, varietal definition, and most importantly, allowing the terroir to shine through in every cuvee.