The grapes for this wine come from two terroirs: the Causses (hamlet of Fauzan), a high-altitude area known for its cool temperatures and the Canal du Midi, an area where the Syrah grape thrives due to high temperatures and precipitation that is evenly spaced throughout the year.

Grapes are handpicked and completely destemmed. In the aim of giving added complexity to the wine, some of the grapes are vinified according to the Bordeaux method with pumping over of the must, while the rest is vinified according to Burgundian tradition with punching of the cap. Though there is a 14-day minimum, the exact duration of maceration is determined by daily tastings.

The wines are racked at the end of alcoholic fermentation and are transferred into tanks or 225-litre barrels where they undergo malolactic fermentation. The press wine is added to the free-run wine. Ageing is 9 months: 60% in oak barrels (40% new oak, 15% one-year-old barrels, 15% in two-year-old barrels) while 40% stay in stainless steel tanks to retain some fruit.

Laurent Delaunay is a passionate winemaker who has become a recognized specialist in Languedoc wines through his wine-merchant business, Badet Clément & Cie, which he founded in 1995. He represents the fifth generation of a Burgundian family of producers and negociants.

Enjoy with stewed wild boar, beef rib steak, game pies and chocolate mousse.