If Kermit were to publish Adventures on the Wine Route today, I wouldn’t be surprised if, instead of the southern Rhône’s Dentelles de Montmirail, he chose for the cover the breathtaking mountain called Pic Saint-Loup, north of Montpellier. After all, this limestone formation, which rises out of the land like a massive, rocky shark fin, gives its name to the appellation where we work with not one or two, but three different domaines (putting it in elite company with a handful of other AOCs including Chablis, Meursault, Bandol, and Barolo).
      Our love of Pic Saint-Loup is rooted largely in its terroir. Wines from here course with an incredible freshness thanks to the cooling Cévennes mountains, the abundant rainfall it receives during the winter, and its limestone soils that retain water supremely well, allowing the appellation’s older vines to stay hydrated and healthy during the hot southern summers.
      But our dedication to Pic Saint-Loup is also thanks to a handful of inspiring vignerons who have been on the vanguard of progressive farming for decades. Take the trio of Ravaille brothers of Héritage du Pic Saint Loup, for instance. Not only have they continued to make wine in family harmony for three decades, but they have done so following biodynamic practices for nearly as long.
      Composed of nearly 100-year-old vines and named for the first known steward of this land, a 13th century sharecropper, the Ravailles’ Guilhem Gaucelm is their masterpiece and one of the finest reds of the south. Blended from equal parts Syrah and Grenache, it showcases beautiful notes of dark fruit, tapenade, and spice.