Wine Manoir des Schistes

Le Manoir des Schistes

Region :
Roussillon
APPELLATION :
Maury, Vin de France, Côtes Catalanes

Anecdotes about the domain

During the difficult times of the Middle Ages, when there was little security, merchants were the target of attacks by looters on the main road. To descend the Agly valley they used mountainside paths, steeper than the main road, but less dangerous for their goods and for them. To find it on these paths, our plot, overlooking the path, served as a reference point for them. She was their secret.

The domain's short story

The history of the Manoir des Schistes is quite recent. This estate was composed of vines that were part of larger farms whose grapes were destined for the cooperative. The successive transfers of the exploitations saw the division of these large surfaces into small units. Gradually, the quality of these vines emerged from the anonymity of the cooperative and they were noticed by a first wine adventurer in 2008, who then sold the estate to the current owner. Mr. Sanchez comes from a family of farmers in the Lot who produced grapes for Cahors wine. The family has expanded combining French and Argentine culture around wine and Maury has always been part of their cultural and culinary landscape. After a professional career dedicated in part to oenology and agriculture, this family has come together around this estate. The plots are planted only with Grenache, the king of Roussillon grapes. It is the one that best suits this arid terroir, made of schist soils that do not retain much water. It can withstand the harsh wind, which often comes from the north, following a corridor drawn between the Pyrenees and the Corbières, and continue to give quality grapes despite the harshness of the summer. Our wish is to identify and buy plots with the highest possible quality potential in order to elaborate the wine in the least interventionist way possible.

The winemaker's pride

A CULTURAL AND GENERATIONAL ASSEMBLY - Located on a mound of deep black schist at 350 metres above sea level, Le Secret des Marchands is produced solely from a parcel of black Grenache, the king grape variety in the region. These vines "have no age": they were already planted when the vineyard register was created in the area, they are more than 90 years old. Cut into cups, they produce little. The yield is on average around 10 hl/ha, which is 2.5 times less than the yield of the MAURY appellation. Here two to three vines are needed to produce one bottle.