Pic Saint-Loup AOCSyrah, Grenache, Mourvedre, Roussanne, Marsanne, Viognier75 haCavalier familyWinemaker Jean-Benoit CavalierBiodynamic PracticingORGANIC CERTIFIEDPic Saint-Loup
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.
Tasting: Cellar tour and tasting Monday to Saturday, winter hours 10am to 12pm and 2pm to 6pm, summer hours 10am to 12pm and 2pm to 7pm
Signature wines: lascaux-nobles-pierres, lascaux-les-secrets, lascaux-carra
Tip: The Nobles Pierres is the Syrah-led prestige cuvee; the still Pic Saint-Loup blanc is one of the rare whites of the appellation and shows the cool-climate Marsanne-Roussanne register.
Pic Saint-Loup AOC and Languedoc Gres de Montpellier AOCSyrah, Grenache, Mourvedre, Carignan, Roussanne, Marsanne33 haFounded 1986Pierre and Estelle ClavelWinemaker Pierre ClavelBiodynamic PracticingORGANIC CERTIFIEDPic Saint-Loup
Pierre and Estelle Clavel's 33-hectare estate at Assas north of Montpellier, working across Pic Saint-Loup, Gres de Montpellier, La Mejanelle and Saint-Christol with biodynamic principles and organic certification.
Tasting: Cellar tastings by appointment at the Assas estate
Signature wines: clavel-bonne-pioche, clavel-copa-santa, clavel-les-garrigues
Tip: Bonne Pioche is the Pic Saint-Loup cuvee, Copa Santa is the Gres de Montpellier Syrah-led flagship.
Faugeres AOCCarignan, Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre, Cinsault, Roussanne, Marsanne, Grenache Blanc60 haVidal-Dumoulin familyORGANIC CERTIFIEDFaugeres
Vidal-Dumoulin family estate at the hamlet of La Liquiere in Cabrerolles, 60 hectares on the pure schist hillsides of the Faugeres appellation, certified organic.
Tasting: Cellar tour and tasting at La Liquiere by appointment
Signature wines: liquiere-cistus, liquiere-nos-racines, liquiere-amandiers
Tip: The Cistus rouge is the schist-driven flagship; the Nos Racines old-vine Carignan shows the estate's heritage parcels.
Faugeres AOCSyrah, Grenache, Mourvedre, Carignan, Roussanne, Marsanne22 haFounded 2018Sophie and Thibaud Bardi de FourtouORGANIC CERTIFIEDFaugeres
Historic Faugeres estate (formerly Jean-Michel Alquier, an early architect of the appellation), joined and renamed in 2018 by Sophie and Thibaud Bardi de Fourtou, with the schist parcels still at the core of the wines.
Tasting: Cellar tastings at Faugeres by appointment
Signature wines: bardi-alquier-les-bastides, bardi-alquier-maison-jaune, bardi-alquier-blanc
Tip: Les Bastides (Syrah-Grenache-Mourvedre) is the cellar bottle; the Maison Jaune is the entry-level Faugeres rouge.
Faugeres AOCCarignan, Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre, Roussanne, Marsanne36 haOllier familyWinemaker Luc OllierORGANIC CERTIFIEDFaugeres
Five-generation Faugeres family estate at Fos run by siblings Luc and Francoise Ollier on 36 hectares of schist in conversion to organic agriculture, with their parents Nicole and Alain among the architects of the 1982 AOC decree.
Tasting: Cellar tour and tasting at Fos by appointment
Signature wines: ollier-taillefer-castel-fossibus, ollier-taillefer-collines-bleues, ollier-taillefer-allegro
Tip: Castel Fossibus (old-vine Syrah-Mourvedre-Grenache) is the prestige bottle; the Allegro white (Roussanne-Marsanne-Vermentino) is a rare AOC Faugeres blanc.
Saint-Chinian-Berlou AOC and Saint-Chinian AOCSyrah, Grenache, Mourvedre, Carignan, Cinsault, Roussanne, MarsanneMartin familyORGANIC CERTIFIEDSaint-Chinian
Saint-Chinian-Berlou estate on the schist hillsides above the Orb river at Berlou, certified organic and producing both Saint-Chinian-Berlou cru reds and Saint-Chinian whites.
Tasting: Cellar tastings at Berlou, by appointment
Signature wines: cambis-carnet-de-voyage, cambis-kalliope
Tip: Carnet de Voyage is the Berlou-cru flagship Syrah-Grenache; Kalliope is the rare Saint-Chinian blanc.
Corbieres AOC and Corbieres-Boutenac AOCCarignan, Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre, Cinsault, Grenache Blanc, Roussanne, Marsanne75 haBories familyWinemaker Pierre BoriesORGANIC CERTIFIEDCorbieres-Boutenac
Corbieres-Boutenac organic estate at Montseret on Route Departementale 613, run by Pierre Bories with a vineyard restaurant (La Touketa) on the property.
Tasting: Cellar tastings and on-site bistro La Touketa at Montseret
Signature wines: ollieux-romanis-cuvee-classique, ollieux-romanis-or-de-la-touketa, ollieux-romanis-prestige-boutenac
Tip: The Prestige Boutenac (Carignan-Grenache-Syrah) is the cellar bottling; the on-site La Touketa restaurant pairs the wines with regional food.
Terrasses du Larzac AOC and Languedoc AOCSyrah, Grenache, Mourvedre, Carignan, Cinsault, Vermentino, Roussanne, Marsanne, Chenin BlancIsabelle and Vincent GoumardWinemaker Vincent GoumardBiodynamic PracticingORGANIC CERTIFIEDTerrasses du Larzac
Terrasses du Larzac estate originally founded by Jean-Pierre Jullien (Olivier Jullien's father) and taken over in 2004 by Isabelle and Vincent Goumard at Jonquieres, working biodynamic principles on Larzac-foothill terroir.
Tasting: Cellar tastings at Jonquieres by appointment
Signature wines: cal-demoura-terre-de-jonquieres, cal-demoura-les-combariolles, cal-demoura-l-infidele
Tip: Terre de Jonquieres is the appellation flagship; Les Combariolles is the older-vine prestige cuvee.
Terrasses du Larzac AOC and Languedoc Montpeyroux AOC and IGP Mont BaudileCarignan, Mourvedre, Syrah, Grenache, Cinsault, Vermentino, Roussanne, Marsanne26 haFounded 1989Sylvain and Desiree FadatWinemaker Sylvain FadatDemeter CertifiedECOCERTTerrasses du Larzac
Five-generation Montpeyroux estate created in 1989 by Sylvain Fadat in the heart of the Terrasses du Larzac, 26 hectares of vines certified organic by Ecocert and biodynamic by Demeter, with the Cocalieres parcel at high altitude on the Larzac foothills.
Tasting: Cellar tastings at Montpeyroux by appointment
Signature wines: aupilhac-le-carignan, aupilhac-la-boda, aupilhac-cocalieres
Tip: Le Carignan is a single-varietal old-vine Carignan (vines planted in 1947 on the Aupilhac home parcel); La Boda is the estate's prestige Terrasses du Larzac.
Terrasses du Larzac AOC and Languedoc AOCSyrah, Grenache, Mourvedre, Roussanne, Marsanne22 haPourtalie familyWinemaker Frederic PourtalieORGANIC CERTIFIEDTerrasses du Larzac
Terrasses du Larzac estate at Puechabon 30 km north-west of Montpellier, 22 hectares across Puechabon, Aniane, Saint-Jean-de-Fos and Saint-Saturnin-de-Lucian, run by Frederic Pourtalie with around 50,000 bottles a year.
Tasting: Cellar tastings at Puechabon by appointment
Signature wines: montcalmes-rouge, montcalmes-blanc
Tip: Montcalmes Rouge (Syrah-Grenache-Mourvedre) is one of the longest-lived Terrasses du Larzac reds; the blanc (Roussanne-Marsanne) is a small allocation that is heavily back-vintaged.
Languedoc Gres de Montpellier AOC and Languedoc Saint-Georges-d'Orques AOC and IGP Pays de l'HeraultSyrah, Mourvedre, Grenache, Carignan, Roussanne, Marsanne, Chardonnay, ViognierFounded 1997Thierry and Francoise HasardWinemaker Thierry HasardBiodynamic PracticingECOCERTTerrasses du Larzac
Languedoc estate at Murviel-les-Montpellier created in 1997 by Thierry and Francoise Hasard, organic from the outset and biodynamic since 2003, certified by Ecocert and Biodyvin.
Tasting: Cellar tastings at Murviel-les-Montpellier by appointment
Signature wines: marfee-les-gamines, marfee-frissons-d-ombelles, marfee-les-vignes-qu-on-abat
Tip: Les Gamines is the Gres de Montpellier flagship; Frissons d'Ombelles is the rare white that punches well above its Languedoc price band.
Picpoul de Pinet AOC and Languedoc Gres de Montpellier AOC and IGP Pays d'OcPicpoul Blanc, Vermentino, Grenache Blanc, Roussanne, Marsanne, Syrah, Grenache, Mourvedre, CarignanORGANIC CERTIFIEDPicpoul de Pinet
Picpoul de Pinet and Languedoc estate at Montagnac inland from the Bassin de Thau, with both a single-variety Picpoul de Pinet and the cellar-aged Bronzinelle flagship.
Tasting: Cellar tastings at Montagnac year-round
Signature wines: saint-martin-picpoul-de-pinet, saint-martin-bronzinelle, saint-martin-chateau-rouge
Tip: The Picpoul de Pinet is the appellation reference; Bronzinelle is the upper-tier Languedoc white that goes beyond the Picpoul style.
La Clape AOC and IGP Pays d'OcSyrah, Grenache, Mourvedre, Carignan, Bourboulenc, Grenache Blanc, Marsanne, Roussanne96 haSaint-Exupery familyLa Clape
La Clape historic estate at Salles-d'Aude on the limestone massif between Narbonne and the sea, 96 hectares run by the Saint-Exupery family across five generations, with both reds and Bourboulenc-led whites under the La Clape PDO.
Tasting: Cellar tastings and on-site accommodation at the chateau at Salles-d'Aude
Signature wines: pech-celeyran-la-clape-rouge, pech-celeyran-la-clape-blanc
Tip: The La Clape blanc is the bottle to taste here, a Bourboulenc-led coastal white with the iodine signature unique to the massif.
La Clape AOC and IGP Pays d'OcSyrah, Grenache, Mourvedre, Carignan, Bourboulenc, Roussanne, MarsannePaux-Rosset familyLa Clape
La Clape estate at Fleury directly facing the sea on the limestone massif, building a reputation for concentrated Syrah-Mourvedre reds and old-vine Bourboulenc-led whites under the Paux-Rosset family.
Tasting: Cellar tastings at Fleury by appointment
Signature wines: negly-la-cote, negly-la-falaise, negly-l-ancely
Tip: L'Ancely (old-vine Carignan) is the cellar bottling that demonstrates La Clape's old-vine Carignan potential; La Falaise is the upper-tier red.