Château Bas, Georges de Blanquet

The vines of Château Bas grow on the site of an extensive Roman town. A 1st century temple still stands to the side of the Château. Below one of the main buildings, previously used for the production of olive oil, a Roman street has been discovered with shops and houses on either side. These vines have their roots in history!!

Cave de Roquebrun

In the past a search for good wine would rarely take you to a Cave Coopérative. More and more however some Coops are taking the lead in their area. This is one of the best. Roquebrun is a beautiful village in a deep valley on the Orb in the Cévennes. Mimosa, orange & cherry trees abound. When we were there the temperature was over 40ºC and the whole village seemed to be in the river. A great place for a holiday.

Domaine des Estanilles, Michel Louison

Probably the best producer in Faugères making stylish & classy wines, Michel is another incomer (he is from near Tours) to an area, where new blood and excellent growing conditions have led to wines of great quality being produced.

Domaine Canet-Valette, Marc Valette

Probably the best producer in St Chinian, As with a lot of the best producers in the area, Marc Valette & his father saw potential in an abandoned run-down, overgrown & steeply sloping vineyard from which they have produced a jewel. The grandson of a vignerons from nearby Minervois. Marc Valette makes organic wines that rival the finesse of the best Bordeaux. This he has achieved by great attention to detail and great flair and (not the least important) geographical position.

Mas de Bicary, Claude et Christine Rouquié

There has been well-organised wine production around Gaillac since the founding of the Abbaye St-Michel in 972AD though there is evidence of production considerably before this date.
The vines of le Mas de Bicary are to be found on south facing slopes on the right bank of the river Tarn.
The Rouquiés are hard working, uncomplicated and ambitious people who make excellent wines (practising lutte raisonnée), which rival anything, made in Gaillac. They continue to respect traditional methods whilst ignoring the current trend of producing red wines to be drunk very young. In this way you could say that they are old-fashioned in that they go for quality before quick profit. It is very unusual to be able to buy 8 vintages of red from one producer. Make the most of the opportunity before this rare pearl is discovered by too many.
We also stock their traditional Perlé (a crisp and very slightly fizzy white wine), a dry and a sweet still white their exceptional rosé and both brut and demi-sec Méthode Traditionnelle. There isn't a mediocre wine amongst them.

Cave de St. Sardos

This 'cave coopérative' is one to watch out for. The reds are excellent too. The appellation of St. Sardos is very small (450 acres) but many grape varieties are present. The microclimate, influenced by both the Mediterranean and the Atlantic, together with excellent 'terroir' mean that these wines are unique.

Domaine René Bouvier, Bernard Bouvier

Bernard Bouvier is the 4th generation of his family to run the 'domaine', which now extends across the appellations of Gevrey-Chambertin, Fixin, Cotes de Nuits Villages as well as Marsannay. His reds are world-renowned. He uses no fertilisers and looks after his vines by what is called 'lutte or culture raisonnée' (see glossary). The grapes from the 5 acres he sets aside for his rosé are harvested and sorted by hand before pressing, fermentation at 20°C and bottling 6/12 months later.

Domaine de Flassian, Antech

The Antech family have been wine producers for 6 generations. Françoise Antech-Gazeau has followed her father and uncle at the helm of the production of high quality Blanquettes and Crémants de Limoux. The first 'Brut' wine was created in Limoux (not the Champagne region) in 1531 in the cellars of the Benedictine Abbey at Saint-Hilaire.

The Blanquettes are made from 90% Mauzac with the other 10% being Chardonnay (for its aroma) and/or Chenin (for vivacity and freshness). The Mauzac grape is specific to Limoux and Gaillac (there is disagreement as to who had it first) and is most noted for the taste of fresh, crisp green apples it brings to a wine. The Blanquettes are then left to age in the bottle for 9-12 months on their lees before 'dégorgement'.

The Crémants are made of 60% Mauzac, 20% Chenin and 20% Chardonnay, followed by 12 months on lees. These wines are rounder and less sharp than the Blanquette, the choice is yours.
All these wines can be drunk now (the Crémants are already 3-6 years old) but will continue to age well. We had a (not very distinguished) Blanquette at our wedding and we kept a bottle until our 10th anniversary. It was tremendous with extra smoother undertones. We do not recommend you keep these wines for that long. The Antech advise 3-5 years.

Château Tour Grise, Philippe Gourdon

'Bio-dynamic' describes both the wines and the character of Philippe Gourdon. As far as the wines are concerned this means that they are organic and a lot more. As well as encouraging the natural flora and fauna of the vineyard in order to give vitality to the vine and the soil, emphasis is put on allowing both vine and soil to express themselves naturally in the wine (i.e. Unnatural characteristics are not produced by artificial means.) This is the short and badly expressed version. If you want to know more, please contact us.

Philippe Gourdon himself is a man of great energy and enthusiasm. He says his wines are not typical of the Saumur appellation and leaves you to decide whether you like them or not. We like them a lot!
P.S. If you like roller coasters ask Philippe to take you on a motorised tour of the 6 miles of galleries where he stores his wine. They are about 7 feet wide and winding and he drives at about 30 mph. It seemed more! Check your travel insurance first.

Mixed Case

Wines from a selection of our producers.

L'Abbaye de Genne, Frédéric Lornet

The Lornets have been vignerons for several generations. Frédéric Lornet, a regular
prizewinner for his wines, works his vines using the method of 'culture raisonnée' (see glossary). Traditional grape varieties and methods are used here, (the Crémant since the 18th century). The wine is made in the beautifully restored buildings of an abandoned Cistercian abbey, where the monks produced wine from the 13th century onwards. If you have never been to the Jura, make the effort, as it is undoubtedly one of the most picturesque regions of France.

Maison Bouachon

The appellation of Tavel only produces rosé and la Maison Bouachon and is one of the top vignerons/négociants in the area having been founded in 1898. They have expanded to produce wines from many of the appellations of the southern Rhone from Beaumes de Venise to Cotes du Ventoux, Vacqueras, Gigondas, St Joseph, and obviously Châteauneuf du Pape

Château Puech-Haut, Gérard Bru

M. Bru is another of those incomers to the Languedoc who has taken his vineyard by the scruff of the neck; given it a good shake (and a lot of investment) and started producing some excellent wine. If you need evidence of the effort M Bru thinks worthwhile, how about the fact that the house is in fact the old Préfecture of Montpellier which was up for demolition. It was purchased, moved, and rebuilt here 15 miles from its original site ! Only the best is good enough.

Bergerie de l'Hortus, Jean Orliac

M.Orliac was first attracted to the area for its challenging rock climbing but saw the potential of the area for wine production. Between 1978 and 1990 (when he produced his first bottle) he rented and bought land, which he planted with the local varieties, picking the one suited to the microclimate of each 'parcelle'. He is undoubtedly one of the foremost producers within the appellation of Pic St Loup.

Domaine Cauhapé, Henri Ramonteau

In the heart of Jurancon, between the Pyrenees and the Atlantic, the vineyard covers 40 hectares SE exposed slopes.
The extremes of the climate and quality of the soil, a mixture of clay, silica and stone allows us the varieties of the Jurancon: Gros and Petit Manseng to express themselves fully.

Chateau de Fontanche, Frédéric Lornet

Jura/Arbois producer Frédéric's new venture in the Languedoc. Knowing the quality of his Jura wines, we had no hesitation in stocking his first wines. These are fresh, full of fruit and lighter than many wines from this area. Beautiful!

Gift Packing

Durand and Valentin, Chateau de Lancyre, Pic Saint-Loup

We first tasted this wine in a restaurant in Nice, which was run by a couple from Montpellier, who had brought the wine with them. The food and wine were so good we went back again the next night and tracked down the producer on our following buying trip. We were received by Bernard Durand who was as welcoming and open as the wine he produces in the midst of stunningly wild countryside above Montpellier. ‘Culture Raisonnée’ is practised and the wines are of exceptional quality.

Vignobles Guilhem

Various Producers

Castillo Perelada, Catalunya

Domaine de Laulan, Gilbert Géoffroy

M. Géoffroy has won scores of prizes for his wines, which is not surprising when you talk to him. He knows wine. Not just the wines of his region but from all over France.
He combines flair and intelligence in his creation of exceptional wines. Taking over the semi-abandoned Laulan in 1974, he has built up a well-respected vineyard through ecologically sympathetic work (well before Lutte Raisonnée was widely recognised).