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.
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.
Address: Clos du Gravillas, 34360 Saint-Jean-de-Minervois, France, Languedoc
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 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.
Minervois family estate in a 12th-century chateau at Oupia, taken over in 1969 by Andre Iche and run since 2007 by his daughter Marie-Pierre Iche, classic old-vine Carignan-led Minervois.
Tasting: Cellar tastings at the 12th-century chateau in Oupia, by appointment
Signature wines: oupia-tradition, oupia-les-barons, oupia-nobilis
Tip: The Tradition is the value Minervois rouge that punches above its price point; Les Barons is the upper-tier old-vine bottling.
Minervois family estate at Felines-Minervois run by Philippe and Maguy Chabbert, working both AOC Minervois-La Liviniere reds and standard Minervois.
Tasting: Cellar tastings at Felines-Minervois by appointment
Signature wines: petit-causse-cuvee-andrea, petit-causse-tradition, petit-causse-blanc
Tip: Cuvee Andrea is the La Liviniere cru flagship; the Tradition is the entry-level Minervois.
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 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.
Minervois family estate in a 12th-century chateau at Oupia, taken over in 1969 by Andre Iche and run since 2007 by his daughter Marie-Pierre Iche, classic old-vine Carignan-led Minervois.
Tasting: Cellar tastings at the 12th-century chateau in Oupia, by appointment
Signature wines: oupia-tradition, oupia-les-barons, oupia-nobilis
Tip: The Tradition is the value Minervois rouge that punches above its price point; Les Barons is the upper-tier old-vine bottling.
Minervois family estate at Felines-Minervois run by Philippe and Maguy Chabbert, working both AOC Minervois-La Liviniere reds and standard Minervois.
Tasting: Cellar tastings at Felines-Minervois by appointment
Signature wines: petit-causse-cuvee-andrea, petit-causse-tradition, petit-causse-blanc
Tip: Cuvee Andrea is the La Liviniere cru flagship; the Tradition is the entry-level Minervois.
Terrasses du Larzac pioneer founded in 1985 by Olivier Jullien at Jonquieres west of Montpellier when he was barely 20, now 18 hectares of varied-soil parcels worked biodynamically without certification (the estate held organic certification until 2006, then renounced it).
Tasting: Cellar tastings extremely limited; mailing-list allocation only
Signature wines: mas-jullien-autour-de-jonquieres, mas-jullien-etats-d-ame, mas-jullien-carlan
Tip: The bottles are scarce: mailing-list only, and Autour de Jonquieres is the most-allocated bottle; Etats d'Ame is the upper-tier cellar release.
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.
