Domaine de Clovallon - The Indigenous People 2017 200-year-old vines, pre-phylloxera, blends of old grape varieties.
Cinsalt, Pinot noir, Muscat, Terret, Clairette, Alicante, Merlot, Noah, Syrah, Bourboulenc, Cabernet sauvignon, Grenache, Mourvèdre
Catherine ROQUE, architect, made her dream come true and in 1989 acquired a 3 hectare estate on an unknown and little prized terroir. The Languedoc grape varieties do not reach maturity easily on the cold Bédarieux terroir. Of the important vineyard, there are only 2 estates in private cellars and a few winegrowers, fewer and fewer, who bring their grapes to neighboring cooperatives. Indeed, Bédarieux, an important town, does not have a cooperative, a situation that is rather rare in Languedoc. Catherine Roque is convinced that this terroir is better suited to more northern grape varieties and that a grape variety gives the best of itself when it reaches the limit of its climatic zone of cultivation.
The vineyard, sitting on dolomitic limestone for the most part and schists, takes the form of an amphitheater facing due north. Installed at the outlet of a valley, the latter brings cold air from the Monts de L'Orb which peak at more than 1000m above sea level and from the Causse du Larzac. A limestone cliff to the south isolates the vineyard from the hot air masses of the coast and marks the end of the Faugères vineyard. The estate now has 12 hectares and Mme ROQUE has just acquired the 4 hectares of Mas d'Alezon on the Faugères terroir.
Mrs. ROQUE pleads the cause of Pinot Noir with ONIVINS which accepts, after conclusive experiments, to authorize this grape variety in the wines of the Pays d'Oc. The vines are located between 250 and 400m above sea level on dolomitic limestones, rare geological formations in this region and very rich in magnesium. This variety is very sensitive to water stress. The limestone cliff to the south plays an important role because it is a kind of gigantic reservoir. The water then flows over the bedrock at a depth of 7-10m and allows the vines to be fed regularly.
