Commanderie de Preissan

Anecdotes from the Estate: It was only after completing her pharmacy studies that Sophie Gely decided to train as a winemaker. The turning point? The realization that this superb family estate could only survive with her full and professional dedication. The first harvest took place in 1995. Then, four years of acclimatization and getting to grips with the estate were required before the first vintage was released in 1999. The positive reception (Jean-Pierre Coffe mentioned it on his show "Ça ne se bouffe pas, ça se mange") validated Sophie Gely's long-term efforts and marked the beginning of a great adventure for the Commanderie! The Preissan estate is a very old estate! Numerous remains attest to its history: Roman, Visigothic, the superb dovecote with its impressive number of nesting boxes, the Hospitaller commandery, and the neo-Louis XIII château reflected in a pond dug during the First World War, a period in which the building served as a military hospital. Its geographical location between Béziers and Carcassonne, two Cathar strongholds, is certainly the reason for the "donation" in 1193 of the property by Adhémar de Murviel to the Order of Saint John of Jerusalem. The estate later became the property of Fontfroide Abbey before finally being appropriated by the commendatory Abbot of Frégoze for the benefit of his family, who remained the owners until its sale in 1960 to Sophie Gely's grandfather. The pride of the estate, the Commandery of Preissan, is located in the heart of the Minervois region, between Narbonne, Béziers, and Carcassonne. The vines are planted on soubergues, the name given to small hills in Languedoc. Although some ten kilometers from the sea, they are the first rises inland and benefit from the sea spray. Furthermore, the soil, composed of Miocene sands, also found in Rioja and the Côtes du Rhône, makes it a prime terroir for Grenache and Mourvèdre. The presence of numerous patches of garrigue (Mediterranean scrubland) imparts aromatic character to the wines.