Picpoul specialist at Castelnau-de-Guers, the only estate vinifying Piquepoul in all three colours (Picpoul Blanc, Picpoul Gris and Picpoul Noir), housed in an 18th-century restored stable.
Signature wines: grangette-la-part-des-anges, grangette-l-enfant-terrible, grangette-blanc-bleu
Tip: La Part des Anges (oak-fermented Picpoul) is the connoisseur's bottle; the rare Picpoul Noir red is a curiosity worth tasting at the cellar.
Address: 305 Chemin du Picpoul, 34120 Castelnau-de-Guers, France, Languedoc
Picpoul de Pinet estate at Castelnau-de-Guers less than 10 km from the Mediterranean, exporting widely to the UK, US and Canadian markets and one of the most-distributed Picpoul names on the international shelf.
Tasting: Cellar tastings at Castelnau-de-Guers year-round
Signature wines: reine-juliette-picpoul-de-pinet, reine-juliette-terres-rouges
Tip: The basic Picpoul de Pinet is the export workhorse; the Terres Rouges Picpoul shows the cellar-aged style.
Picpoul de Pinet estate at Castelnau-de-Guers less than 10 km from the Mediterranean, exporting widely to the UK, US and Canadian markets and one of the most-distributed Picpoul names on the international shelf.
Tasting: Cellar tastings at Castelnau-de-Guers year-round
Signature wines: reine-juliette-picpoul-de-pinet, reine-juliette-terres-rouges
Tip: The basic Picpoul de Pinet is the export workhorse; the Terres Rouges Picpoul shows the cellar-aged style.
Limoux estate founded in 2004 by Marie-Claire and Pierre Fort at Roquetaillade in the Aude valley south of Carcassonne, working still Limoux Chardonnay and Cremant de Limoux from the Pyrenean foothills.
Tasting: Cellar tastings at Roquetaillade by appointment
Signature wines: mouscaillo-limoux-blanc, mouscaillo-cremant-de-limoux, mouscaillo-rouge
Tip: The still Limoux Chardonnay at altitude (Roquetaillade vines around 400 metres) cellars for 8 to 12 years; the Cremant is a smaller-production bottling.
Limoux family sparkling-wine house at Domaine de Flassian near Limoux, producing both Blanquette de Limoux (Mauzac-led) and Cremant de Limoux (Chardonnay-Chenin-Mauzac-Pinot Noir) under the Antech label.
Tasting: Cellar tour and tasting at the Flassian cellar Monday to Friday 8am to 12pm and 2pm to 6pm
Signature wines: antech-cuvee-francoise, antech-cuvee-eugenie, antech-expression
Tip: Cuvee Francoise (Cremant) is the volume export; Cuvee Eugenie (Blanquette) is the traditional Mauzac sparkling that defines the appellation.
Limoux's largest sparkling-wine cooperative, founded in 1946 and now representing roughly 1,200 hectares of vineyard across 270 grower members, producing Blanquette de Limoux, Cremant de Limoux and the auction-only Toques et Clochers terroir-Chardonnay range.
Tasting: Cellar tour and tasting at the Limoux cooperative cellar year-round
Signature wines: sieur-darques-premiere-bulle, sieur-darques-toques-et-clochers-chardonnay, sieur-darques-aimery
Tip: The Toques et Clochers terroir series (auctioned annually in spring) is the cellar's prestige Chardonnay range; Premiere Bulle is the volume Cremant.
Limoux estate at Cepie south of Carcassonne run by the Dutch-British Panman family, certified organic and bottling the three Limoux white grapes (Chardonnay, Mauzac, Chenin) as single-variety wines under the Trilogie series (Odyssee, Occitania, Dedicace).
Tasting: Cellar tastings at Cepie by appointment
Signature wines: rives-blanques-odyssee-chardonnay, rives-blanques-occitania-mauzac, rives-blanques-dedicace-chenin
Tip: The single-variety trilogy (Odyssee Chardonnay, Occitania Mauzac, Dedicace Chenin) is the clearest tasting flight of the Limoux still whites.
Limoux estate at Roquetaillade in the Pyrenean foothills, founded by Jean-Louis Denois in the 1980s, then owned by Antonin Rodet, then acquired by Gerard Bertrand in 2007, with biodynamic certification on the wines under the current ownership.
Tasting: Cellar tastings at Roquetaillade in the Gerard Bertrand visit programme
Signature wines: aigle-aigle-royal-chardonnay, aigle-pinot-noir, aigle-blanc
Tip: Aigle Royal Chardonnay is the upper-tier still Limoux Chardonnay and a Decanter-favoured cool-climate Languedoc white.
