Montpellier Wine and Oyster Tour
In a typically Mediterranean landscape, discover two of the region’s greatest treasures on this unforgettable half-day experience combining fine wines, fresh oysters, ...
Carignan, Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre, Picpoul and Mauzac across the garrigue from Narbonne to the Cevennes
A 220,000-hectare Mediterranean vineyard running from the Rhone delta to the Pyrenees, where old-vine Carignan, Grenache, Syrah and Mourvedre meet the schist of Faugeres, the limestone of Pic Saint-Loup, the Boutenac sand of Corbieres, and the Mauzac of Limoux's centuries-old sparkling tradition.
In a typically Mediterranean landscape, discover two of the region’s greatest treasures on this unforgettable half-day experience combining fine wines, fresh oysters, ...
Discover the wines of Languedoc with a tasting and a fun wine quiz 5:30 PM - 7:30 PM
During this tour you will visit two wine estate châteaux and taste their excellent range of wines.
Every vineyard, tasting room, wine bar and cellar we cover in Languedoc, pinned. Click a pin for the page.
The iconic bottles that define Languedoc.
Producer: Mas Jullien
Mas Jullien's single-parcel Terrasses du Larzac east of Jonquieres. Grenache-led blend on sandstone and schist; precise, structured and built for two-decade cellaring.
Price: EUR 55-90 at retail
Producer: Mas De Daumas Gassac
Daumas Gassac's exception cuvee. 100% Cabernet Sauvignon from the 1972 parent vines at Aniane; about 2,000 bottles per top vintage, built for cellaring.
Price: EUR 200-450 at retail
Producer: La Peira En Damaisela
La Peira's flagship Terrasses du Larzac. 60/40 Syrah-Grenache off schist soils; structured red with garrigue depth and decades of cellaring potential.
Price: EUR 80-150 at retail
Producer: Domaine Leon Barral
Domaine Leon Barral's flagship cuvee. 80% Mourvedre from 15-30 year-old vines on 4.3 hectares of pure Faugeres schist; built for twenty-year cellaring.
Price: EUR 55-90 at retail
Producer: Domaine De L Hortus
Domaine de l'Hortus's Pic Saint-Loup flagship. Mourvedre-Syrah from two opposing limestone-cliff terroirs at Valflaunes; structured but drinkable on release.
Price: EUR 25-35 at retail
Producer: Mas Champart
Mas Champart's mid-tier Saint-Chinian from the Bousquet plateau's argilo-calcareous soils. Syrah-led blend with garrigue lift and a controlled, precise house style.
Price: EUR 20-28 at retail
A handful of the estates we send friends to when they are in Languedoc.
Reference Pic Saint-Loup estate set in the valley between the Pic Saint-Loup and L'Hortus, founded in 1978 by Marie-Therese and Jean Orliac and now run by the Orliac family across 55 hectares of clay-limestone vineyard.
Signature: hortus-grande-cuvee-rouge, hortus-bergerie-de-l-hortus-rouge, hortus-grande-cuvee-blanc
Cavalier-family Pic Saint-Loup estate established in Vacquieres since the 16th century, 75 hectares of certified-organic biodynamic vineyards on cool clay-limestone hillsides north of Montpellier.
Signature: lascaux-nobles-pierres, lascaux-les-secrets, lascaux-carra
Seven-generation family estate at Valflaunes in the valley between Pic Saint-Loup and L'Hortus, 12 hectares of certified-organic vineyard (in conversion since 2003) split across the Rocher de la Bergere and the Plaine du Pic Saint-Loup.
Signature: mas-bruguiere-l-arbouse, mas-bruguiere-la-grenadiere, mas-bruguiere-les-muriers
Ten-hectare natural-wine estate in the northern Pic Saint-Loup at Claret, owned by Blandine Chauchat and Pierre Jequier, organic since 2005 and biodynamic since 2006, with the wines often unfined and unfiltered.
Signature: foulaquier-les-tonillieres, foulaquier-l-orphee, foulaquier-le-rollier
Pic Saint-Loup estate in a 9th-century building one kilometre from Lauret, 35 hectares of clay-limestone vineyard taken over by Andre Leenhardt in 1988 and certified organic since 2010.
Signature: cazeneuve-les-calcaires, cazeneuve-le-roc-des-mates, cazeneuve-la-clape
Pic Saint-Loup estate founded in 2008 by Guilhem Viau across more than 15 hectares of vineyards between Lauret and Valflaunes, working from a new eco-responsible winery built in the middle of the vines in 2024.
Signature: capucin-larmanela, capucin-dame-jeanne, capucin-blanc
Garrigue, scrub-oak and limestone scree under a slender white peak, with vineyards stepping up clay-limestone terraces from 100 to 300 metres of elevation.
Wild schist ridges in the Haut-Languedoc Natural Park, with old-vine Carignan and Syrah on slate-coloured terraces facing south toward Beziers and the Mediterranean.
Schist ridges in the north and clay-limestone valley floors in the south, with the Orb river running through and old terraces of bush-vine Carignan above the river.
Endless rolling garrigue hills across the Aude with bush-vine Carignan on sandstone and rolled pebbles, the Mediterranean to the south and the Pyrenees foothills to the west.
Stony clay-limestone hillsides at the foot of the Black Mountains, with the Canal du Midi running below and the high garrigue of Saint-Jean-de-Minervois on the plateau above.
High-altitude vineyards stepping up the Larzac foothills, with the Salagou lake to the west and the Pic Saint-Baudille looming north, cool nights even in August.
Peak wine-travel season in Languedoc is spring through autumn, with harvest the standout window.
classified-growth and grand-cru estates require booking days to weeks ahead; smaller family domaines often take walk-ins midweek.
most estates open 10:00 to 17:00 by appointment, often closed Sunday and Monday.
tipping is not expected at tastings; buying a bottle from the cellar door is the customary thank-you.
If you only open one bottle, open Carlan by Mas Jullien. It is the wine most associated with Languedoc.