Domaine de la Grange des Peres
Near Aniane in Languedoc, Domaine de la Grange des Pères transformed austere limestone ground into a modern chapter of southern French wine. Laurent Vaillé founded the estate in 1989 after training with Coche-Dury, Gérard Chave and Domaine de Trévallon; the first vintage followed in 1992. Preparing parcels filled with hard limestone boulders and glacial scree required exceptional work.The south-facing vines grow in poor limestone soils, trained in gobelet and cropped at about 20 to 25 hectolitres per hectare. The red IGP Pays d’Hérault combines Syrah, Mourvèdre, Cabernet Sauvignon and Counoise; the white is based on Roussanne, Marsanne and Chardonnay. Fermentation takes place in stainless steel. Red varieties are vinified and aged separately in 228-litre barrels before blending; the white completes malolactic conversion in wood and matures in demi-muids. Distinctive blends and site expression take precedence over appellation convention.
