CHATEAUX DE LA PEYRADE

CHATEAUX DE LA PEYRADE - Yves Pastourel et fils, 34110 Frontignan

Châteaux de la Peyrade is regarded the best producer of Muscat de Frontignan. Year after year they get a Coup de Coeur (hart beat) by the French wine bible Guide Hachette. This is the highest grade that is given to a wine.

The wine has been produced for hundreds of years and there has been very appreciated. In the 18^th century this sweet wine was popular in Sweden and the Swedish national poet Carl Michael Bellman wrote about it in one of his songs. Also the Swedish poet and scientist Georg Stiernhielm mentioned this wine in one of his poems. Thomas Jefferson grew fond of this wine during his time in France and it is told that he made sure that his wine cellar never was out of it when he returned to US as president. 

Another funny story is that Marquis de Lur-Saluces, who owned Château d’Yquem should have traveled to Frontignan to learn how to grow and produce sweet wine - Sauterne. The methods used were however not very feasible in Bordeaux because of the climate. The grapes in Bordeaux got affected by Botrytis cinerea, or noble rot as it is also called, which gives the wine its special character. It is told however that he could use the Frontignan bottle they used at the time, which now is known as the Bordeaux bottle.

At one time some of the producers started to use a twisted bottle for Muscat de Frontignan. The saga says that the giant Hercules came to Frontignan and was very thirsty. When he had emptied the last bottle he squeezed it in his hands to try to get the last drops of wine and produced this spiral formed bottle.

Muscat de Frontignan at Châteaux de la Peyrade is produced from Muscat petit grain and is produced under very strict rules when it comes to harvesting, handling and temperature. What makes this wine so special compared to many other sweet muscat wines is the very fresh acidity that elevate this wine over those who are just sweet.

Besides producing wine from muscat grapes, the château sells a large selection of wine from the Languedoc area. It is therefore a good place to go to get an overview of Languedoc wines, especially wines from Herault.

The little castle with its new wine-shop is easy to find. Leaving the motorway driving down to Sete, approaching the sea, you find it beside the first roundabout to the right.

LES VIGNOBLES JEROME d'ORMESON

LES VIGNOBLES JEROME d'ORMESON - Chateau de Lézignan la Cèbe, 34120 Lézignan la Cèbe

This is another of our producers from the time we were wine importers. Jerome d’Ormeson produces wine with appellation Vdp d’Oc, which might not sound to impressive for those who think that AOP is what counts. Nothing can be more wrong in this case. 

The red wine from the estate is absolutely of top class and the prestige wine l’Enclos d’Ormesson is something extra. It is a Bordeaux type of wine produced on Merlot and Cabernet-Sauvignon. We sold this wine to the most prestigious gourmet restaurants in Sweden at the time. At one time we presented the wine at one of Gothenburg’s best restaurants, whose owner was the top sommelier of the country at the time. The sous-chef tried the wine on Saturday and he left half a bottle in the bar until Tuesday when the expert came in and tasted it. He was absolutely astonished by the quality and that was a bottle that had been open for several days.

The first time we visited the castle we had the opportunity to taste all available years of the prestige wine. Still today after 25 years and quite a lot of experience of wine this was the most exciting travel among tastes we have had.

There is actually another very unusual thing with this producer – they sell wine of older harvests, which very few producers in the area can afford.  Some of the cuvees are available from mid-90th.

A funny detail, as you are in the village – Lezignan-la-Cèbe is known to produce the absolutely best sweet onions in this part of the country.

WEB: http://www.larvf.com/,les-vignobles-jerome-d-ormesson,12641,400616.asp

DOMAINE DES JOUGLA

SCEA DOMAINE DES JOUGLA - Prades sur Vernazobre, 34360 Saint-Chinian

Domaine des Jougla has been winegrowers since 1595. It was one of our first producers as importers of wine in the 90s and we were fortunate to introduce their cuvee Ancestral  on Copenhagen Airport - Kastrup’s wine-shop there it had a great success.

The production is manly red wine of AOP Saint Chinian, but they also make a few white. Among them are two Viogner, one of them is a Vdp du Mont de la Grage. They also make one rosé wine which is a AOP Saint Chinian.

We try to visit this producer at least once a year to get a few cases of their red wine to put in our cellar for later consumption. We still have a “forgotten” bottle of the prestige cuvèe Viel Arrasics but cuvee Initiale and Cuvèe Ancestrale are soon finished.

WEB : http://www.domainedesjougla.com/
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DOMAINE DES ASPES - CHATEAU DU PRIEURE DES MOURGUES

SARL VIGNOBLES ROGER - Château du Prieure des Mourgues, 34360 Pierrerue

We met this producer the first time when we still were in the wine business. The son had just graduated as oenologue (wine maker) and had made his first wine – a Merlot - that impressed a lot on us. It became later a favorite in selected Swedish restaurants.

Today the son is in charge of the business and has developed a small but excellent portfolio of wine. They produce the most beautiful variety wines on Merlot, Viogner, Chardonnay and also one with a mixture of Chardonnay and Viogner, which is very pleasant. These wines are sold under the brand name of Domaine des Aspes and are Vdp d’Oc wines, while the traditional AOP Saint Chinian wine is sold under the label of Château du Prieure des Mourgues. The red prestige wine Grand Reserve is really something to pick up and put into your cellar to forget about for a few years.

WEB : http://www.prieuredesmourgues.com/

CAVE COOPERATIVE LES COSTIERES DE POMEROLS

HUGUES DE BEAUVIGNAC - Avenue de Florensac, 34810 Pomerol

In the area around Séte on the Mediterranean coast they grow a quite unique white variety – Picpoul – that has an appellation of itself, AOP Picpoul de Pinet. These wines are designed to drink with the local oysters and all kinds of sea-food. It has also another use, together with another rare old variety – Clairette de Languedoc. They both are the basis for the famous dry vermouth Noilly Prat, that is produced in Marseillan, on the shore of d’Etang de Thau.

There are a mass of producers of Picpoul de Pinet  in the area and the quality differs. We are however not the only who regard the Picpoul from this producer to be one of the best. 

The production is mainly white wine. Besides the traditional Picpoul they make a very interesting wine that is fermented in oak. This gives the wine a full-bodied character that makes it perfect with more prepared and tasty fish and sea-food dishes with sauce.

Their Viogner and Chardonnay are beautiful wine that we always try to have a couple of bottles of on cooling. Just recently we tried I very interesting red on a wine fair. It was their Vin d’Une Nuit, that really was a surprise of taste and light elegance.

WEB : http://www.cave-pomerols.com

NOILLY PRAT

NOILLY PRAT – 1 rue Noilly, 34340 Marseillan Ville

This is probably the most famous alcoholic beverage of the area, internationally. Many lovers of Dry Martini claim that Noilly Prat is the only vermouth that can be used. This vermouth was invented by Anne-Rosine Noilly, widow of Claudius Prat and daughter of Louis Noilly in 1865 and has since then traveled the world. The production of alcoholic beverage started in 1813.

Beside the Original Dry vermouth they produce a red version and one called Ambré. A visit to the premises is interesting and they also have some very smart gifts like apron, T-shirts and other things that fit well in the kitchen and at the garden grill.

The Marseillan Ville is also a very picturesque little place on the shore of d’Etang de Thau with several good restaurant on the pier so a visit can be extended to a day-trip. As in all the villages along this water you can buy fresh oyster that are farmed there.

WEB: http://www.noillyprat.com
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DOMAINE LA MADELEINE SAINT JEAN

DOMAINE LA MADELEINE SAINT JEAN - Rue Edouard Adam, Port rive gauche, 34340 Marseillan

If you visit Noilly Prat in Marseillan and want to buy some  wine to drink with your dinner this vine-yard is a good choice. The vine-yard produces a big selection of wine of red, white and rosé. We are very fond of their red wines, but they also produce a number of variety wines, especially white.

As our local wines in Corbières are quite powerful it is nice to get a few cases of something smother that goes well with more spicy dishes.

 The wines are very affordable and prize-worthy. Most of the wines are produced as Vdp d’Oc. 

WEB : http://www.lamadeleinesaintjean.com/index.html

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