CLOS MARIE - Les Métairies du Clos Vieilles Vignes - Pic Saint Loup 2019
Clos Marie is located in Languedoc, within the Pic-Saint-Loup appellation. The wine estate was created in 1995 by Christophe Peyrus and Françoise Julien, his wife. They inherited plots of vine from Françoise's grandmother, Marie Julien, who gave her name to the estate. The twenty-hectare vineyard is cultivated using biodynamic farming. They have planted numerous indigenous grape varieties, while retaining the traditional Languedoc grape varieties.
Les Métairies du Clos is a blend of old Grenache (50%) and Carignan (30%), complemented by younger vines of Syrah (20%). After partial destemming, the wine is vinified and then matured for 18 months in barrels.
The 2019 vintage at Clos Marie was complicated. After a rather classic start, heavy morning frosts in spring force the domaine to light several fires at the bottom of the slopes to avoid burning the buds. The rest of the spring goes well, with a rather cold month of June, which allows the fibers of the young twigs to strengthen. But at the end of the month, a fire broke out on the Mediterranean coasts with temperatures reaching over 46°C for 3 days. Luckily, Clos Marie did quite well and the grapes were healthy and tasty when harvested.
Grape varieties: 50% Grenache, 30% Carignan, 20% Syrah