Mas des Chimères - L'Hérétique 2018
Le Mas des Chimères is located in the town of Octon on the edge of Lac du Salagou, in the Terrasses du Larzac in Languedoc. The Dardé family worked the land in polyculture (sheep, olive trees, vines) for several generations until the 1960s when farming was abandoned in favour of the vines. From 1974, Guilhem Dardé worked with his father and uncle. The grapes were then brought to the Cooperative Winery of the village. He moved into a private winery in 1993 and created the Mas des Chimères. His wife Palma joined him in the vineyard in 1995, then Maguelone, his daughter, joined them in 2008. The vineyard is managed in certified organic farming.
L’Hérétique is a blend of Merlot (85%) and Cabernets Franc and Sauvignon (15%). The grape varieties are grown on Permian clay-sandy soil (250 million years old), very red because it is rich in iron oxide. It also presents blocks of basalt, this black stone resulting from the volcanoes surrounding the Salagou Valley. After the manual harvest, the grapes are destemmed. During the vinification, pumping over and punching down are carried out gently. The vatting lasts 4 weeks then the wine is aged for 12 months in barrels of several wines.
Grape varieties: 85% Merlot, 15% Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon