DREAMS OF COLOUR AND RADIANCE

Discovering the vineyards of Faugères

Throughout my professional life, I have been surrounded by signs. Printing signs, because I was a printer.

And then a new sign appeared to me, a very different sign, a marvellous sign of chance or fate: the discovery of the vineyards of Faugeres. An immaculate first impression, bursting with colours and aromas.

The sign was too strong, the impression too powerful

The passionate printer of fine works was going to become a winegrower in this land. Faugères, a magnificent terroir with character. A character that was imprinted in me, as if it were obvious. A character that I want to express in all its range of nuances, olfactory and gustatory.

For decades in my profession, I have signed "bons à tirer" ... That is to say, taking the decision to go to press with a document judged to be perfectly laid out, an image or a poster with bright and harmoniously balanced colours. In creating Monthélys, I wanted to pursue my dreams of colour and radiance.

In 2018, I happily signed my very first "bon à dégustation" for the Domaine's brand new and very first vintage. I sincerely hope that this and the following vintages will give you as good an impression at the tasting as I did at their creation.

TREAT THE SOIL AND NATURE WITH RESPECT

Such a beautiful expression of the terroir

 The vineyards of Domaine de Monthélys are wonderfully situated around the medieval village of Cabrerolles, at the foot of the Cévennes and to the north of the Faugères appellation: five hectares of vines divided into five plots that hug the shape and slopes of the hills, from where the view extends towards the sea and as far as the Pyrenees.

Here in Monthélys, in the Haut-Languedoc Natural Park, at an altitude of 300 metres, the sun-drenched terroir reveals the multiple colours of the schist where it expresses its brilliant Mediterranean temperament. The climate brings the wind, which soothes the hot weather, and the schist soil contributes to the freshness of the estate's vines. We play with the harmony of the grape varieties, old carignan, syrah, mourvèdre, black grenache, white grenache and marsanne. We treat the soil and nature with respect, without weed killers or chemicals. The grapes are harvested by hand, in traditional crates, then vinified in stainless steel vats, at the winery located in Laurens.

In this way, the wines of Domaine de Monthélys express all the brilliance and subtle nuances of the Faugères appellation, with no ambiguity about the quality of the terroir or compromise on the winemaking process.

Like an impressionistic mosaic, the Monthélys crus reflect emotions, bring together colours, melt aromas of garrigue, spices and ripe fruit, unite freshness and strength of character.

Inspired by the beautiful chromatic nuances of schist - the soil that nourishes our vines - the labels of our wines already reflect all the gustatory promises to come.

SCHIST IS KING

A TERROIR OF EMOTIONS AND SUCH A BEAUTIFUL GEOLOGICAL SUPERIMPOSITION

The AOP Faugères  groups together seven villages on a surface area of nearly 2,000 hectares, representing one of the highest percentages of French PDO areas cultivated organically.

In this extraordinary wine-growing region, schist is king.

 The sea, present in the primary era 300 million years ago, has left alluvium, particles of mixed clay and sand. During the formation of the mountains, these marine deposits were subjected to very strong pressure and intense heat, and became schist, flaky rocks of various shades of ochre, turquoise, blue, grey and gold.

 This will allow water to go down deep into the faults, leaving a dry and apparently not very fertile soil; thus the roots of the vine will draw the water from deep down through the cracks in the rock, making it less sensitive to drought.

 This rock also releases the heat accumulated during the day during the night, favouring the ripening of the grapes.

 Another characteristic of schist is that it constitutes an acidic soil, producing wines with melted tannins, aromas of garrigue and an astonishing freshness.