Winemaker Notes
Founded in 1996 in the small village of Marseillette, east of Carcassonne, Abbotts & Delaunay began as the vision of Nerida Abbott. In 2005, Laurent Delaunay acquired the estate, bringing with him five generations of Burgundian négociant heritage. A long-time advocate for the Languedoc’s potential, Laurent has led several notable projects across the region. The vineyards benefit from a unique landscape stretching from the Pyrenees to the Mediterranean, with diverse soils—sandstone, marl, limestone, and schist—that contribute to the wines’ distinctive character and strong sense of place.
Today, winemaking is led by Laurent’s daughter, Jeanne Delaunay, whose experience includes Domaine de la Romanée-Conti, Thibault Liger-Belair, and Coldstream Hills in Australia. Under her direction, the winery focuses on estate-grown fruit while partnering with growers throughout the region, always emphasizing terroir. Guided by a Burgundian philosophy, Jeanne prioritizes balance, elegance, and purity, ensuring that winemaking enhances rather than masks the natural expression of the land.
One of the most popular and versatile white wine grapes, Chardonnay offers a wide range of flavors and styles depending on where it is grown and how it is made. While it tends to flourish in most environments, Chardonnay from its Burgundian homeland produces some of the most remarkable and longest lived examples. California produces both oaky, buttery styles and leaner, European-inspired wines. Somm Secret—The Burgundian subregion of Chablis, while typically using older oak barrels, produces a bright style similar to the unoaked style. Anyone who doesn't like oaky Chardonnay would likely enjoy Chablis.
An extensive appellation producing a diverse selection of good quality and great values, Languedoc spans the Mediterranean coast from the Pyrenees mountains of Roussillon all the way to the Rhône Valley. Languedoc’s terrain is generally flat coastal plains, with a warm Mediterranean climate and frequent risk of drought.
Virtually every style of wine is made in this expansive region. Most dry wines are blends with varietal choice strongly influenced by the neighboring Rhône Valley. For reds and rosés, the primary grapes include Grenache, Syrah, Carignan, Cinsault and Mourvèdre. White varieties include Grenache Blanc, Muscat, Ugni Blanc, Vermentino, Macabéo, Clairette, Piquepoul and Bourbelenc.
International varieties are also planted in large numbers here, in particular Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc and Cabernet Sauvignon.
The key region for sparkling wines here is Limoux, where Blanquette de Limoux is believed to have been the first sparkling wine made in France, even before Champagne. Crémant de Limoux is produced in a more modern style.