Les Volets Pinot Noir, 2019

Grapes are sourced from the wild, rugged landscape of Pays Cathare that surrounds the towns of Carcassonne and Limoux with its argilo-calciare sub strata and home to the AOP Languedoc and Limoux but the vineyards do not stop with the AOP geographical limits. It is from these outskirts that we have sourced some exceptionally interesting wines. One of the great advantages of the region is that it benefits from enviable geographic and climatic conditions allying the warm Mediterranean sunshine which is tempered by the altitude and the cooler nights so characteristic of the foothills of the Pyrenees. These are ideal conditions allowing for the longer, slower ripening of the grapes, providing a superb base for the elaboration of wines that offer intensity, complexity and finesse. The traditional 'noble' grape varieties of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir have a natural affinity here in the Haute Vallée de l'Aude, as does the less widespread Malbec (originally known in France as Cot). Made from mostly hand-picked grapes, the wine has been vinified in large, old oak barrels which impact texture and intensity.