Fronton

The wine

Some thirty kilometres north of Toulouse, Fronton is the 'wine of the Toulousans' — a vineyard clinging to the three alluvial terraces carved by the Tarn and Garonne across seven hundred hectares straddling Haute-Garonne and Tarn-et-Garonne. AOC since February 7, 1975 under the name Côtes du Frontonnais, the appellation was simplified to Fronton in 2005, and its secret lies in a rare native variety: Négrette, ancient and genetically rich, which must account for at least forty percent of the finished wine — and which is found almost nowhere else. On varied soils (pale boulbènes, ferruginous rougets, gravels), this variety yields elegant reds with velvety tannins and aromas of dark fruit, violet, and spice, and especially rosés that sommeliers describe as 'gastronomic', both aromatic and structured. Thirty-five thousand hectolitres divide almost equally between red and rosé. Serve with duck breast, cassoulet, or simply a grilled Toulouse sausage.