Northwest of Montpellier, perhaps 30 kilometers from the Mediterranean coast of France, you arrive at ground zero of great Languedoc wine production. Here, you are in a place that has produced wine for millennia —... Read More

Northwest of Montpellier, perhaps 30 kilometers from the Mediterranean coast of France, you arrive at ground zero of great Languedoc wine production. Here, you are in a place that has produced wine for millennia — certainly since Roman times and maybe even earlier. More recently, it is here that you find producers like the great Mas de Daumas Gassac and Grange des Pères.

Today, we zero in on a village here called Montpeyroux, and, more specifically, an 18-hectare vineyard called d’Aupilhac. The domaine that owns and farms the vines here, and makes the wine, is the Domaine d'Aupilhac.

It is a special site, consisting of a series of volcanic terrasses, facing mostly southwest, filled with limestone scree and marl. Some vines are 70 years old, and they dig deep into these rough soils. They produce the usual mix of Southern French grapes, like Carignan, Mourvèdre and Syrah.

While this is not the most famous name in French wine, it is certainly well known among many American wine lovers. This is because, as long ago as the 1980s, the Domaine d’Auplihac, under the watchful eyes of new proprietor, Sylvain Fadat, embarked on a mission that now seems almost commonplace: he introduced natural farming and hands-off wine production, eventually getting certified both organic and biodynamic. Kermit Lynch took note of the fantastic set of wines that started to emerge from the domaine and has been bringing them to Americans ever since.