Château Belot is a family enterprise built between 1987, when Jacques and Gisèle Belot bought their first vineyard, and 1996, when the Belot bought Château du Tendon, a former royal hunting lodge.
Lionel and Karine, the children, then joined the team Lionel is now responsible of the winery. The picture shows him, his sister and father.
In 2007 Jérôme Rateau bought the property with its two cellars, and twelve hectares of vines. He had initially planned a career in sport, but was forced to rethink following an injury. He also enjoyed science, particularly biology, and that led to a degree in oenology at Bordeaux.
Château Milhau Lacugue is located North from the village of Puisserguier, West from Beziers.
Between 88 and 205 m high, its vineyards receive a lot of wind, which makes for one of its main characters, major temperature differences.
The old mountain called the « Massif Central » was raised again when the nees an the Alps wre created. It bears various names depending on the area, and is called « Montagne Noire » on its South border. It is made by rolling hills, getting lower and lower towards the plain where Carcassonne was built, as a latch between Toulouse and the Mediteranean.
The vineyards on the Côte Vermeille (between Collioure and Cerbère) mix with other areas, olive trees, garrigues, woods. It gives the region a great diversity in wildlife and flora.
Parcels are usually small (on average 1/2 Ha) with slope percentages of 25, sometimes 50%.
The Estate was constructed by the church in the 18th century and became property of Isabelle’s family after the French Revolution. Mainly women succeeded each other in cultivating the vineyards for ten generations now, and it became its peculiarity : transmission from mother to daughter.
Domaine des Grecaux is a venture started recently. It is owned by Arnaud and Sophie Sandras.
Their Estate is established in Montpeyroux, high on the slopes of the Causse du Larzac.
Domaine Gaujal is owned by the Gaujal family since 1743. This beautiful Estate is run now by Laurent Gaujal who succeeded his father Ludovic in 2013. The entire vineyard covers 30 hectares, including 12 of Piquepoul, in the heart of Picpoul de Pinet’s appellation, on fairly flat grounds, very close to the Mediterranean.
Domaine Girard was set up beginning of the 20th century in Alaigne and has seen four generations of winegrowers tend its vines.
The last one to come in is Philippe, who joined his father end of 1999. They then decided to bottle their production and their first vintage was 2000.
Domaine Lignères Lathenay is located in Siran, in the heart of Minervois, close to Minerve which gave its name to this area.
East from Carcassonne this family Estate grows on 18 hectares premium vineyards of syrah, cinsault, carignan and mourvèdre. Once part of the local cooperative, the Estate withdrew by steps to produce and bottle its own cuvees.
Domaine PIETRI GERAUD was fonded end of the 19th century. It spreads on 26 hectares, 16.5 of which are on the terroir of Collioure.
Steep terraces, beween the end of the Pyrenees and the Mediterranean, with schists, vines that struggle and yields that other areas would deem ridiculous.
The 5 hectares owned by Louis Biscan in 1900 became Domaine Pujol when he married his daughter to Edouard Pujol in the thirties. Since then three generations have worked on the Estate. Today the property is totally self sufficient, with its own bottling, a brand new cellar and aging facilities.
Between Narbonne and Carcassonne, the « Montagne d’Alaric » is a landmark one cannot miss from the motorway, at the extreme North of the Corbières.
In Douzens, at the foot of the mountain, Domaine Py is an old family property where Jean Pierre started elaborating his own Cuvees in 2003.
Domaine Valambelle is an old family property. Most of the present vineyards were gained on the woods surrounding the village of Laurens 30 years ago by Michel Abbal. This means that still today only one vineyard of the Estate is contiguous to vines from another estate.
