Notify me
2020 Saint-Chinian Rouge “Sortilège”
Les EminadesMainly Mourvèdre from the domaine’s highest-elevation sites, on a soil of pure limestone. Full of freshness and detailed elegance, with not a hint of rusticity.
—Anthony Lynch
Wine Type: | red |
Vintage: | 2020 |
Bottle Size: | 750mL |
Blend: | 55% Mourvèdre, 40% Syrah, 5% Grenache |
Appellation: | Saint-Chinian |
Country: | France |
Region: | Languedoc-Roussillon |
Producer: | Les Eminades |
Winemaker: | Patricia & Luc Bettoni |
Vineyard: | 20-40 years old; 4 ha |
Soil: | Jurassic limestone |
Farming: | Biodynamic (certified) |
Alcohol: | 14% |
More from this Producer or Region
2021 Languedoc Blanc “Les Cocalières”
France | Languedoc-Roussillon
One of five or six most outstanding dry whites of the Mediterranean rim, vintage after vintage and worth every centime!
2019 Corbières Rouge “Campagnès”
France | Languedoc-Roussillon
100% Carignan from very old vines with immense depth but the immediate drinkability of a Cru Beaujolais.
2021 Saint-Chinian Blanc “Montmajou”
France | Languedoc-Roussillon
The Jurassic limestone soil and high elevation lieu-dit where the name “Montmajou” springs from lend this blanc a lean elegance.
2019 Faugères “Valinière”
France | Languedoc-Roussillon
Valinière is a monumental demonstration of what happens when respectfully working the earth is not just a job, but one’s whole life.
2022 Collioure Rouge “Puig Ambeille”
France | Languedoc-Roussillon
A stony, spicy cuvée full of Mediterranean sunshine, aromatic garrigue, and a hint of salinity that offers a perfect match for grilled rosemary lamb chops.
2022 Pic Saint-Loup Rouge
France | Languedoc-Roussillon
Maybe it’s the biodynamic farming, but these wines always seem to have an extra gear when it comes to aromatics and sheer deliciousness.
2021 Terrasses du Larzac Rouge
France | Languedoc-Roussillon
This wine marries the sunny influence of the south with chewy mountain tannins and a fresh streak of cool stone.
Vin de Pays Memoire “d’Automnes”
France | Languedoc-Roussillon
With its aromas of toasted almonds and butterscotch, the resulting bone-dry wine is nothing short of enthralling.
Cap de Creus “Ranci Sec”
France | Languedoc-Roussillon
Evaporation over time has concentrated the wine, giving it considerable strength to go with its trademark rancio aromas of walnuts and brine.
2021 Banyuls “Rimage”
France | Languedoc-Roussillon
Imagine a red, Grenache-based Sauternes, full of earth and spice, and you’ll have a decent idea how delicious this Banyuls tastes.
About The Producer
Les Eminades
In 2002, Luc Bettoni and his wife Patricia purchased twelve hectares of vines, primarily in limestone-rich sites where the grapes would retain good acidity levels despite the baking Mediterranean climate. The young vignerons first replanted five hectares, and then gradually added additional plots over the years, including some very old plantings, seeking out vineyards at higher elevation where grapes ripen later, to preserve freshness and balance. Patricia and Luc now farm thirty small parcels across three communes. They obtained organic certification in 2008 and converted to biodynamics ten years later. Winemaking at Les Eminades is gentle and straightforward, with the goal of expressing the nuances found within Saint-Chinian’s diversity of terroirs through the lens of traditional Languedocien cépages such as Cinsault, Grenache, and Carignan. Fermentations in their small cellar occur spontaneously, and sulfur doses are kept very low to achieve a seductive aromatic and textural quality in the wines. Their cuvées yield a range of expressions of this undervalued appellation, yet they share a striking purity of fruit, intoxicating aromatics, and suave tannins rarely seen this far south.
About The Region
Languedoc-Roussillon
Ask wine drinkers around the world, and the word “Languedoc” is sure to elicit mixed reactions. On the one hand, the region is still strongly tied to its past as a producer of cheap, insipid bulk wine in the eyes of many consumers. On the other hand, it is the source of countless great values providing affordable everyday pleasure, with an increasing number of higher-end wines capable of rivaling the best from other parts of France.
While there’s no denying the Languedoc’s checkered history, the last two decades have seen a noticeable shift to fine wine, with an emphasis on terroir. Ambitious growers have sought out vineyard sites with poor, well draining soils in hilly zones, curbed back on irrigation and the use of synthetic fertilizers and pesticides, and looked to balance traditional production methods with technological advancements to craft wines with elegance, balance, and a clear sense of place. Today, the overall quality and variety of wines being made in the Languedoc is as high as ever.
Shaped like a crescent hugging the Mediterranean coast, the region boasts an enormous variety of soil types and microclimates depending on elevation, exposition, and relative distance from the coastline and the cooler foothills farther inland. While the warm Mediterranean climate is conducive to the production of reds, there are world-class whites and rosés to be found as well, along with stunning dessert wines revered by connoisseurs for centuries.
More from Languedoc-Roussillon or France
2020 Faugères “Jadis”
Leon Barral France | Languedoc-Roussillon
Cap de Creus “Ranci Sec”
Domaine La Tour Vieille France | Languedoc-Roussillon
2022 Languedoc Blanc “Aupilhac”
Domaine d'Aupilhac France | Languedoc-Roussillon
2019 Faugères “Valinière”
Domaine Leon Barral France | Languedoc-Roussillon
2021 Languedoc Blanc “Les Cocalières”
Domaine d’Aupilhac France | Languedoc-Roussillon
2021 Corbières Blanc
“La Bégou”
Maxime Magnon France | Languedoc-Roussillon
2020 Gard Rouge “Clausus”
Ludovic Engelvin France | Languedoc-Roussillon
2020 Collioure Rouge “Puig Ambeille”
Domaine La Tour Vieille France | Languedoc-Roussillon
2019 Corbières Rouge “Campagnès”
Maxime Magnon France | Languedoc-Roussillon
2019 Faugères
Domaine Leon Barral France | Languedoc-Roussillon
2021 Languedoc Rouge “Lou Maset”
Domaine d’Aupilhac France | Languedoc-Roussillon
Banyuls “Reserva”
Domaine La Tour Vieille France | Languedoc-Roussillon
2020 Faugères “Jadis”
Leon Barral France | Languedoc-Roussillon
Cap de Creus “Ranci Sec”
Domaine La Tour Vieille France | Languedoc-Roussillon
2022 Languedoc Blanc “Aupilhac”
Domaine d'Aupilhac France | Languedoc-Roussillon
2019 Faugères “Valinière”
Domaine Leon Barral France | Languedoc-Roussillon
2021 Languedoc Blanc “Les Cocalières”
Domaine d’Aupilhac France | Languedoc-Roussillon
2021 Corbières Blanc
“La Bégou”
Maxime Magnon France | Languedoc-Roussillon
2020 Gard Rouge “Clausus”
Ludovic Engelvin France | Languedoc-Roussillon
2020 Collioure Rouge “Puig Ambeille”
Domaine La Tour Vieille France | Languedoc-Roussillon
2019 Corbières Rouge “Campagnès”
Maxime Magnon France | Languedoc-Roussillon
2019 Faugères
Domaine Leon Barral France | Languedoc-Roussillon
2021 Languedoc Rouge “Lou Maset”
Domaine d’Aupilhac France | Languedoc-Roussillon
Banyuls “Reserva”
Domaine La Tour Vieille France | Languedoc-Roussillon
Kermit once said...
Kermit once said...
Great winemakers, great terroirs, there is never any hurry. And I no longer buy into this idea of “peak” maturity. Great winemakers, great terroirs, their wines offer different pleasures at different ages.
Inspiring Thirst, page 312