TERROIR
One of Minervois’ leading terroirs, Les Causses is found in the North-Eastern section of the zone. It is a series of limestone terraces covered in heat-reflecting white stones. Benefiting from cool northern winds are 250-300m, the terraces are known as “Petite Causse”, “Grande Causse”, and “Cazèle” respectively.
This terroir delivers elegant wines of real potency and depth. They can improve in bottle for at least a decade.
VINIFICATION
In the early hours of the morning, the grapes are picked either by hand or machine before macerating for several hours to extract softer tannins, dense colours, and fruity aromas.
Traditional fermentation with gentle pump-overs to avoid over-extraction. Once pressed, the wined sets to age in various ways: 500l oak barrels for the complexity, 800l cement casks to retain the mineral character, and small 5000l cement vats to preserve the fruity qualities. The wine is not filtered before bottling. The final blend is 90% Syrah and 10% grenache.
The calcareous soils characterise the wines with blackcurrant aromas with a hint of spice, a unique mineral quality, and gentle tannins.
Elegant and harmonious, this wine is a very singular expression of the calcareous terroir of Minervois. A bouquet of redcurrant, vanilla and chocolate leads into a silky smooth palate, with the hedonism of dark chocolate held in check by an undertow of fresh minerality. The finish is long and complex.