Wine lovers often do a double-take when they meet us at wine fairs or tastings as they ask us if our wine is 'really Albarino from France?' Most people know, and have grown to love, Albarino for the white flower, citrus and peach aromas and bright, zesty character of the wines, but they're most familiar with the Spanish version of the grape. Some are sceptical, some reluctant, but we pour with confidence, knowing that Laurent's signature elegant, fresh wines will win them over.
The wine lovers we meet on our travels aren't the only ones who were sceptical about Laurent's vision. When Laurent announced that he'd found the perfect site to plant Albarino in the Languedoc at the high-altitude estate of Château Auzines, most fellow winemakers thought he was mad, and he didn't even tell his father Henri, who would never have believed it would work! It wasn't the first time that Laurent has encountered resistance to his innovative ideas either. Following an encounter with a winemaker from Bordeaux, who stated categorically that he would never invest in our region because the Languedoc could never produce wines of finesse, Laurent has made it his life's mission to prove otherwise. Laurent always felt that with the right approach, the Languedoc could compete with the best in the world and produce wines of finesse and elegance that reflect their unique homeplace, He started with small steps of improvement in the vineyard over the years and the quest for elegance and finesse in his wines has been at the heart of every decision Laurent has made since. This spirit of Kaizen - small daily steps to always do better - has seen Laurent work steadily and tenaciously to show the world the extraordinary variety and quality of the Languedoc through our wines. He is now recognised as one of the best white winemakers in the Languedoc.
We have two wine estates - 150 hectares of vines in the family homestead of Château Cazal Viel in St-Chinian, where we grow old vine Syrah and Viognier, and 50 hectares of vines planted at Château Auzines in the Corbières appellation. Our Auzines estate totals 270 hectares but the vast majority of this land is left wild in order to promote biodiversity and soil health. (You'll find lots of garrigue as well as wild boar roaming around.) The majority of planting is to Albarino (initially Laurent planted 29 hectares of Albariño in 2009, with the first vintage released in 2013, and we have extended plantings by 8 hectares since then), with some Chardonnay, Grenache and Syrah also planted. We are the biggest French producer of Albarino and its success is down to our unique location in the foothills of the Pyrenees at an altitude of 350-400m, on limestone-clay soils. The grapes benefit from the cooling morning fog and constant mountain breezes and our winemaking approach is low intervention, meaning we let nature lead the way with as little interference as possible.
We like to think that we got the last laugh on that Bordelais wine snob. A couple of years ago Albariño was officially approved for inclusion in Bordeaux wines, as a move against global warming and climate change. Now who's chasing who for quality?!
Albarino grapes in early summer
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