Le Mas des Agrunelles Les Mauves 2022
Le Mas des Agrunelles Les Mauves 2022
Les Mauves is pure Cinsault on clay-loam soil. The parcel of Cinsault, facing north, was planted in the 70s by Stéphanie’s mother Geneviève. For this variety, which has a very thin and fragile skin, the grapes are harvested in table grape trays. The whole bunches are put into vats and left to macerate for a fortnight or so. Here again, cellar work is minimal or non-existent in some years. This delicate variety is raised in containers that are as neutral as possible, partly in stainless steel vats and partly in earthenware jars, in order to ensure maximum respect for the fruit and purity of the wine. The cool microclimate gives the wine the acidity it needs to stand up to the test of time. Balance, finesse and silkiness that often bring to mind wines from Beaujolais or Burgundy. The wine is bottled without fining or filtration on a fruit day with a waning moon and the only sulphur added is at this time is 2gr/litre..
After studying wine and oenology, Stéphanie and Frédéric met in Montpellier in 1999. The training that followed, with winemakers involved in biodynamic viticulture such as Didier Barral and Olivier Jullien, encouraged them to combine their passions and go even further. By dint of their convictions and experiments, they quickly turned to organic and then biodynamic farming. Farming that respects the soil and winemaking that uses no intervention or oenological products enable them to produce lively, subtle wines: expressive wines that are described as lively and natural.Situated in a particularly cool part of the Languedoc, in Argelliers and Murles, they have been growing organic grapes since 2003 and biodynamic grapes since 2010 on around 25 hectares of vines.
The estate lies to the north-west of Montpellier, on the Terrasses du Larzac, a terroir that experiences significant temperature variations between day and night.
Historically a land of sheep and charcoal, its austere climate makes it difficult to grow large yields. This climate, combined with our fractured limestone, harmonious viticulture and hands-off vinification, means that they can produce deep, light and balanced wines.