Le Manoir des Schistes

Anecdotes from the Estate: During the difficult and unsafe times of the Middle Ages, merchants were often targeted by highwaymen. To travel down the Agly Valley, they took paths along the mountainside, steeper than the main road, but less dangerous for their goods and themselves. To find their way on these paths, our plot of land, overlooking the road, served as a landmark. It was their secret. The Estate's History: The history of Manoir des Schistes is relatively recent. This estate, comprised of vines, was once part of larger properties whose grapes were destined for the cooperative. Successive sales of these properties led to the fragmentation of these large areas into smaller units. Little by little, the quality of these vines emerged from the anonymity of the cooperative and was noticed by an adventurous winemaker in 2008, who subsequently sold the estate to the current owner. Mr. Sanchez comes from a family of farmers in the Lot region who produced grapes for Cahors wine. The family expanded, blending French and Argentinian cultures around wine, and Maury has always been part of their cultural and culinary landscape. After professional careers dedicated in part to oenology and agriculture, this family reunited around this estate. The plots are planted exclusively with Grenache, the king of grape varieties in Roussillon. It is the one best suited to this arid terroir, made up of schist soils that do not retain much water. It can withstand the harsh wind, which often blows from the north, following a corridor between the Pyrenees and the Corbières mountains, and continue to produce quality grapes despite the harsh summers. Our aim is to identify and purchase plots with the highest possible quality potential in order to produce wine in the least interventionist way possible. The pride of the estate: A BLEND OF CULTURES AND GENERATIONS - Located on a hill of deep black schist, at an altitude of 350 meters, Le Secret des Marchands is produced solely from a plot of Grenache Noir, the king of grape varieties in the region. These vines are "timeless": they were already planted when the vineyard land registry was established in the area, and are over 90 years old. Trained in the goblet style, they produce little. The yield averages around 10 hl/ha, or 2.5 times less than the yield of the MAURY appellation. Here, two to three vines are needed to produce a single bottle.