Wonderful richness and intensity from this great Languedoc wine. This is a class act and offers real character and “sense of place”. What’s more it is a true natural wine, with organic and biodynamic farming and no filtration. Considering the quality of production, the very low yields and the super high review ratings, the price is unbelievable and offers outstanding value. This is a “must have” wine!

CHARACTERISTICS

Solid crimson in the glass, our tasting notes read “nose -rich, spicy blackberry jam with earthy notes. Attractive, moreish, juicy, powerful. Mouth – As it smells, full, rich, smooth. Balanced spice, good intensity, excellent length. Seemless, great balance.” This is a delicious wine and well suited to all meat dishes. You can expect it to continue to drink well for a number of years.

THE WINERY

Sir John Hegarty, world renowned in the advertising industry purchased Domaine de Chamans in 2002, along with Philippa Crane as co-proprietor. They knew that they would need real expertise to get the most from this old estate and immediately employed a young, talented local winemaker. He has since been replaced by Sylvain Delabre adding further skills. The 22ha of vines sitting in the south facing foothills of the Montagne Noire were reduced to 15ha as the poorest vines were ripped up and the isolation from other vineyards meant they could pursue a rigorous non-interventionist farming philosophy, based on organic and biodynamic principles. (AB Certified and Demeter) To ensure quality, the vines are pruned to produce 20-30 hl per ha. Use of machines is minimal, the sheep (including 1 black one like the logo) are used to control the natural vegetation between the vines and they do all their own composting and natural treatments. The cellar is beautifully organised and all of this has led to the creation of some of the most highly rated wines in the whole region.