Corbieres-Boutenac AOC and Corbieres AOCCarignan, Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre, CinsaultFounded 1971Laboucarie familyWinemaker Bruno LaboucarieCorbieres-Boutenac
Corbieres-Boutenac family estate at Boutenac, founded in its modern form in 1971 by Yves Laboucarie and run since 1993 by his son Bruno Laboucarie, with Clos du Centurion and Reserve La Demoiselle as the cellar reds.
Tasting: Cellar tastings at Boutenac year-round
Signature wines: fontsainte-clos-du-centurion, fontsainte-reserve-la-demoiselle, fontsainte-gris-de-gris
Tip: The Gris de Gris (Grenache-Cinsault blush) is one of the Corbieres' best-known light-pink wines for hot-summer dinners.
Corbieres AOCCarignan, Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre, Cinsault10 haJon and Elizabeth BowenWinemaker Jon BowenORGANIC CERTIFIEDCorbieres-Boutenac
Welsh-owned Corbieres organic estate at Fraisse-des-Corbieres on the southern Languedoc border, 10 hectares in the rocky Hautes Corbieres on the edge of the Roussillon, run by Jon and Elizabeth Bowen for more than two decades.
Tasting: Cellar tastings at Fraisse-des-Corbieres by appointment
Signature wines: sainte-croix-le-fournas, sainte-croix-magneric, sainte-croix-celeste
Tip: Le Fournas and Magneric are the cellar reds; the estate's natural-leaning approach gets it picked up by UK and US natural-wine importers.
Minervois-La Liviniere AOC and Minervois AOCSyrah, Grenache, Carignan, Mourvedre, Cinsault45 haFounded 1997Robert EdenWinemaker Robert EdenDemeter CertifiedECOCERTMinervois-La Liviniere
Minervois-La Liviniere biodynamic estate purchased in 1997 by British-born Robert Eden, certified organic by Ecocert in 2002, Biodyvin in 2004 and Demeter in 2008, with B Corp certification awarded in 2016.
Tasting: Cellar tastings at La Liviniere by appointment
Signature wines: maris-la-touge, maris-les-planels, maris-old-vine-grenache
Tip: Les Planels is the upper-tier Syrah-Grenache bottling; the on-site hemp-cellar building is a sustainability case study in its own right.
Minervois AOC and Muscat de Saint-Jean-de-Minervois AOC and IGPCarignan, Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre, Muscat a Petits Grains, Terret BourretJohn and Nicole BojanowskiWinemaker John BojanowskiORGANIC CERTIFIEDMinervois-La Liviniere
Minervois organic estate on the high limestone plateau of Saint-Jean-de-Minervois, founded by Franco-American couple John and Nicole Bojanowski, working both dry Minervois reds and AOC Muscat de Saint-Jean-de-Minervois fortified Muscats.
Tasting: Cellar tastings at Saint-Jean-de-Minervois by appointment
Signature wines: gravillas-l-inattendu, gravillas-lo-vielh, gravillas-muscat
Tip: Lo Vielh is the old-vine Carignan; the Muscat de Saint-Jean-de-Minervois bottling is an age-worthy Languedoc fortified white that holds for a decade in cellar.
Minervois-La Liviniere AOC and Minervois AOCCarignan, Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre, CinsaultMichel Escande familyORGANIC CERTIFIEDMinervois-La Liviniere
Minervois-La Liviniere estate at Felines-Minervois run by the Escande family, working biodynamic principles and an old-vine focus inside the Minervois-La Liviniere cru.
Tasting: Cellar tastings at Felines-Minervois Monday to Saturday, 9am to 12pm and 3pm to 6pm
Signature wines: borie-de-maurel-la-feline, borie-de-maurel-sylla, borie-de-maurel-belle-de-nuit
Tip: La Feline is the affordable old-vine Syrah-Carignan; Sylla is the cellar-worthy upper-tier La Liviniere.
Minervois AOC and IGP AudeCarignan, Alicante Bouschet, Cinsault, Grenache, SyrahPierre CrosWinemaker Pierre CrosMinervois-La Liviniere
Minervois old-vine specialist at Badens west of Carcassonne, run by Pierre Cros with a deep focus on rare Languedoc varieties (Alicante Bouschet, pre-phylloxera Aramon) bottled separately.
Tasting: Cellar tastings at Badens by appointment
Signature wines: pierre-cros-vieilles-vignes, pierre-cros-cuvee-2017, pierre-cros-alicante
Tip: The Alicante Bouschet varietal is the rarity bottle in the cellar; the Vieilles Vignes is the heritage Carignan-Grenache.
