More than twenty years ago, Nicolas and Miren de Lorgeril searched for vineyards high in the foothills of the mountains of southern France without knowing that climate change and global warming existed. At the time, they opposed the tide in their region. Languedoc as a region known for its reasonable wines and stigma persisted even when manufacturers were making high-quality wines, but at the time I thought that if winemakers made very mature and concentrated wines with a lot of density, they would be taken seriously. But Miren and Nicolas were young and withdrew from other opportunities to help with the vineyards of Nicholas’ circle of relatives because their mother was tired and the dream of their father, who had died 15 years earlier, had not been fully realized.
Nicholas’ father’s dream would not fully come true, but that dream would be taken to heights he might never have imagined.
Lorgeril’s circle of relatives have been the custodians of a valuable Languedoc property, the Château de Pennautier, since 1620, so their roots run deep into this region of southern France. But like many other wine regions in Europe in the mid to late 19th century. , the devastating phylloxera plague destroyed Languedoc’s vineyards, forcing its local economy to collapse. And despite his storied circle of relatives, which is an excellent landmark for the region, known as the Versailles of the South, times were incredibly difficult for the locals. and Lorgeril’s circle of relatives. So other people may just not plant vines on the hillside anymore, because quantity was more important than quality because the locals drank only during those desperate times to gain enough calories to work, and as a result the vines were left relegated to the vega baja. “My husband’s grandmother sold land on the hillside to buy land on the plain to tame vines,” says Miren de Lorgeril, because the mentality is probably the opposite today, the hillside being much more valued.
When Miren and her husband, Nicolas de Lorgeril, married for the first time, he pursued another career outside of viticulture and she applied for another manufacturer in the Rhone valley, not far from Languedoc, then Nicolas gained a note from his mother who had reached a time when it was too vital to oversee Maison Lorgeril’s family property circle and that he had to take over. Miren immediately followed her husband to the Languedoc and his precedence to produce new and sublime wines. Immediately, they went to all the farms to warn the winemaker, to his disbelief, that the novelty and elegance of the brand new liked the intense concentration.
Miren and Nicolas worked hard to make sublime wines from their vineyards that were managed with sustainable practices while seeking sales in other countries around the world rather than continuing the culture of promoting through a local wine merchant, as the wine merchant is all about taking the simple direction. of promoting wines as bargains completely ignoring the captivating sense of belonging that their wines showed. During this time, Nicolas pursued his other career helping to fund the significant adjustments needed to take his family’s vineyard to the next level.
After many years of seeking to penetrate various European and Asian markets, Miren and Nicolas made the decision that they needed to buy more estates in Languedoc, as well as in the neighbouring Roussillon region. Many distributors from other countries were inspired by their wines at the time, however, they needed a wider diversity of styles, grape types and terroirs to have a chance to enter foreign markets. And this has become the motivation for the Lorgerils to buy more vineyards in other regions, vineyards that were high-altitude sites in Languedoc-Roussillon than diverse between 400 and 1,200 feet above sea level. If they did everything they could to make the world stand still and appreciate the brightness and elegance of their region, they would go to great lengths and decide which vineyards they thought represented the most productive. And then, in 2000, they launched the first antiquity of their wines classified “Terroirs d’Altitude”, emphasizing their sites with cooler climates that opposed the wonderful and physically powerful wines on which Languedoc had built its reputation.
Now, as many parts of the world revel in unprecedented heat waves, as parts of the Western world did last summer, the Lorgerils couldn’t be happier than the possible choices they made so long ago, when they had no knowledge of the weather. change. It benefits them today and promises a long term for their children.
There are many European wine regions where locals resent foreigners buying property and making wine. And although Nicolas de Lorgeril is part of his circle of relatives that dates back to 1620 in the Languedoc, he and his wife like that there is no overvaluation of their land because it allows other young people to buy wineries in the Languedoc to pursue their dreams, bringing with them a lot of creativity and dynamism that have contributed to making a giant component of the biological winery, and Lorgerils went organic ten years ago. Miren de Lorgeril said it was a great contrast to their arrival in Languedoc, as it seemed highly unlikely that the world would take them seriously as a wine region. Since winemakers find an ideal balance between adulthood and freshness in high-altitude locations, it’s incredibly simple to be organic there and the costs are very reasonable.
Languedoc in the south of France at sunset
All those years ago, Nicolas de Lorgeril’s father believed that Languedoc could become a top quality French wine region, even in the shadow of Bordeaux and Burgundy, and he wrote exact orders that his wife should follow to make premium wine in case of her death. And in a way, this document has become the greatest treasure he can leave to his circle of relatives, as it gave him hope for a greater future: he decided that his beloved region would not be forgotten. , with many vineyards abandoned for other crops.
But you may not believe that your son and daughter-in-law would sell the family’s wines all over the world and that other people from elsewhere would settle in Languedoc because they saw the possibility of becoming Europe’s next exciting wine region. . Or maybe, just maybe, you can believe all this, and more to come, while sitting hunting on his magnificent estate of Château de Pennautier, knowing that even though the locals lived from day to day, which like his excellent palace, the most productive vineyards were waiting to be discovered by the global. And once they were, the global would be absolutely fascinated by the good looks that came from home.
Bottle of Château de Caunettes
House Lorgeril Languedoc Rosé
2021 Maison Lorgeril, Ô de Rosé, Languedoc, France: 60% Grenache, 35% Syrah and 5% Viognier harvested from 3 other estates in Languedoc and vinified together. Beautiful notes of white cherry and rainy stones with a touch of raspberry at the end.
Wines from the Domaine “Terroirs d’Altitude” of Maison Lorgeril
2020 Marquis de Pennautier, Chardonnay, Cabardès, Languedoc, France: one hundred percent Chardonnay from his historic estate Pennautier on top of the hill of the city of Carcassonne in Languedoc. At a north-facing site that rises 750 to 1,200 feet above sea level. Lemon creamy flavors with notes of minerality and creaminess on the middle palate with spices and lively acidity. And this Chardonnay is one of their most popular wines, which would possibly appear given that Chardonnay’s religious home, Burgundy, lies just north of them. But the balance between the right ripening of the fruit with a lively acidity and minerality at a moderate price has made this wine a great seller.
2019 Château de Caunettes, Cabardès, Languedoc, France: Red 60% Syrah and 40% Grenache. Earth raised with turmeric powder and cardamom pods balanced through juicy black cherries.
2019 Château de Ciffre, Saint-Chinian, Languedoc, France: Red 50% Syrah, 40% Grenache and 10% Mourvèdre. Fresh blackberries with a touch of leather and bacon fats with finely engraved tannins.
2019 Domaine de los angeles Borie Blos angelesnche, Minervois los angeles Livinière, Languedoc, France: Red blend of 70% Syrah, 20% Mourvèdre and 10% Grenache. Red blend of Syrah (of which 50% is grown in shale soils and 20% go through carbonic maceration) and the rest Mourvèdre and Grenache. Notes of pepper blos angelesck on the nose with wild mushrooms and wild flowers in the background and an intelligent weight in the mouth with brand new culmination of angelesckberry blos and blos angelesck cherry ending in silky tannins.