Chateau Bousquette St. Chinian 1998

From the right bank of the Rhône River to the foothills of the Pyrénées, Languedoc-Roussillon is the largest wine growing region in the world and the third largest AOC (Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée: the top grade of French quality wine) zone in France after Bordeaux and the Rhône valley. It has been called "an amphitheater open to the Mediterranean and almost entirely covered with vines." Languedoc-Roussillon has always been granted a wealth of exceptional "terroirs" (a wine growing environment covering soil, site, and local climate). The vineyard of Chateau Bousquette, our 50 acre family estate, drapes over the craggy hillsides of St. Chinian in the middle of the Languedoc region.

In our family since 1791, Chateau Bousquette is situated 10 miles North of a small town called Béziers, just 30 miles from the Mediterranean coast. Before the French Revolution (1789), the property of La Bousquette belonged to a monastery. On May 5, 1791, our great, great, great.... grandfather, Monsieur Moustelon, bought the land at an auction. "Bousquette" (pronounced boo-sket) in French means thicket or grove. The word aptly describes our property: a simple family estate nestled in pine trees, lavender and thyme, overlooking miles of vineyards stretching all the way to the foot of the volcanic mountains, the Cévennes.

Grape varieties include Syrah, Grenache, Carignan, Mourvedre and Cinsault. Our organic vineyards are certified by ECOCERT, one of the French certification associations with standards spelling out precisely what materials, quantities, and procedures are permitted in growing grapes and making wine (and foods) organically.