Winemaker Notes
That the Languedoc has finally overcome its reputation as a source of bulk wine is a testament to the efforts of pioneers like Grange des Pères and Sylvain Fadat of Domaine d’Aupilhac, who have worked tirelessly to shine a light on the region’s finest terroirs. Montpeyroux, a quiet old wine village in the foothills of the Cévennes mountain range, produces powerful reds that remain fresh and balanced, as cool nights and occasional summer storms provide respite from the overall hot, dry Mediterranean conditions. Sylvain creates this cuvée with all the varieties permitted in the appellation, yielding an excellent snapshot of Montpeyroux. With Mourvèdre, Syrah, Carignan, Grenache, and Cinsault, this beautiful, deep-purple beast offers iron-infused black fruit, wild spice, garrigue herbs, and dense, focused minerality from the fossil-rich limestone and marl soils. Delicious and invigorating today, it can also age effortlessly—proof that a great site and honest farming are key to genuine, long-lived wines.
With bold fruit flavors and accents of sweet spice, Grenache, Syrah and Mourvèdre form the base of the classic Rhône Red Blend, while Carignan, Cinsault and Counoise often come in to play. Though they originated from France’s southern Rhône Valley, with some creative interpretation, Rhône blends have also become popular in other countries. Somm Secret—Putting their own local spin on the Rhône Red Blend, those from Priorat often include Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. In California, it is not uncommon to see Petite Sirah make an appearance.
Surrounded by the Terrasses du Larzac, Languedoc-Montpeyroux is a small AOC (750 acres under vine) defined by its northerly location, windy weather, and clay-limestone soil. Approved for red wines only, the region’s vignerons (of which there are fewer than twenty) grow the great southern French grapes, Syrah, Grenache and Mourvédre, blending in Carignan and Cinsault as needed. Cooled by altitude and the winds off the Massif Central, the wines are fresh with acidity, ripe from the southern sun as well as, complex, meaty and deep. A gem of Languedoc wine waiting for the wider world to discover, Montpeyroux is a wine place you want to go!