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Pure southern grape varieties

Certain grape varieties are historically linked to this southern region and over time have demonstrated their perfect harmony with this « terroir ». The clay soil blends, in discontinuous veins, with pebbles from former channels to give generous, powerful, fleshy red wines with firm but warm tannins. The heterogeneity of the plots of land in the domain requires a very strict selection at the time of the grape harvest which is carried out manually after tasting the grape berries. The diversity of the grape varieties as well as the age difference between the vines allows and requires the making of several distinct wines, adapted to the subtleties of the terroir.

The Whites : the harsh Mediterranean climate does not allow for good vintages every year. When it is a good year we favour the Macabeu-Torbat or Grenache-Roussane blends, although nothing can be clearly defined from one harvest to the next. These rare vintages are vinified and matured in new wood.

The Rosés : usually Syrah-Grenache-Carignan by direct pressing.

The Reds : their roots bring up the flavour of the land from the deep layers of the soil. The tasting of the grapes decides the timing for the harvest of each strip of vineyard. The grapes are transported in crates to the cellar where they are plucked from the stems above the vats ; then comes the fermentation time which varies according to the different type of wine

The Rivesaltes (Fortified Wines)
For the whites, everything depends on the interplay between aging and oxidation. The wine spends several years in the harvest vats then ages for the last two years in barrels set out in the open air, thus exposed to the vagaries of the weather, the cold and the heat of the sun. Then it settles for a few months in vats before bottling.
The reds are drawn from black grenache. After pressing off the skins sur followed by maceration for two to three weeks, according to the year, the wine is stored free from air in order to avoid any oxydation.
For the muscats, the grapes are picked very ripe in order to extract the aroma of preserved fruit. These muscats are prepared for aging.