Minervois

The wine

Between Narbonne and Carcassonne, on the foothills of the Montagne Noire, Minervois occupies a naturally tiered vineyard — from plains at fifty metres of altitude up to slopes at five hundred metres, where the air turns cooler and the wine more taut. AOC since 1985 after its VDQS phase in 1951, the appellation covers two thousand six hundred and seventy-four hectares straddling Aude and Hérault, animated by a Mediterranean climate of two thousand one hundred and sixty-nine hours of annual sunshine. Soils — limestone, gravelly, or schistous depending on the zone — host the classic Languedoc varieties: Grenache Noir, Mourvèdre, and Syrah for the reds that make up eighty-six percent of production, Grenache Blanc for rarer whites. The wines offer aromas of dark fruit, cooked prune, violet, and sometimes cinnamon. Serve at sixteen degrees with cassoulet, grilled red meats, or an aged sheep's cheese.