Anecdotes about the domain
In wine, everything happens in the vineyard. A winemaker is a man who relies on nature to carry out his project. He is a man who listens and adapts to the conditions but who knows perfectly well where he is going. Only the way to go differs from one year to the next. My ally is nature and sometimes she doesn't make my job easy. Other winemakers tell me this story as I meet them. Many are friends.
The domain's short story
When I came to Saint-Chinian I was looking for clay-limestone soils in the south of the appellation, which for me offer more life to the wine; freshness and sometimes strength, complexity and often elegance. It was unusual to highlight these characteristics when the fashion was for wines from the northern part of the appellation, whose schist soils, with their characteristic fruitiness, are at first sight more generous. I have travelled from one end of this land to the other, where nothing grows, only the vine, until I stopped on the property and selected, through trials, the plots that are assembled in the Minister's Domain. Everything is hand-made with respect for the soil and grapes.
The winemaker's pride
The Domaine du Ministre is located in the commune of Murviel Les Béziers in the heart of the Saint Chinian appellation, on a limestone soil containing marl. These vineyards are typical of the South of France and these 20 year old vines are capable of reaching exceptional degrees of maturity and phenolic concentration over the years. It is composed of 50% of the characteristic southern grape variety, Syrah with spicy black fruit aromas, 40% of Grenache and 10% of Mourvèdre.
Pictures of the domain
