Domaine Les Aurelles - Languedoc Aurel rouge 2018

Bettane & Desseauve

About the estate:

Near Pézenas, about thirty kilometers from the Mediterranean, the Domaine des Aurelles, covering just under ten hectares, boasts a dreamlike terroir, one of a kind, blending basalt and gravel in a breathtaking landscape that stretches all the way to the Cévennes. Solen, the first cuvée, surpasses most Languedoc wines. Aurel is the flagship wine. Both cuvées are released after a significant period of bottle aging and are aged entirely without oak. Aurel Blanc is unique, released after several years in the cellar: this is a truly great wine for fine dining. Recently taken over by Matthieu Gufflet (Château Guiraud in Sauternes), a new chapter is beginning.

RVF - La Revue du Vin de France / Guide des Meilleurs Vins de France

About the wine:

With Aurel 2018, a rich bouquet of Mediterranean aromas fills the glass: complexity, intensity, youthfulness, and character.

About the estate:

Over the past 30 years, the estate founded by Basile and Caroline Saint-Germain has become a standard-bearer for the Languedoc’s revival and a driving force for Pézenas. In late 2022, the estate was acquired by Bordeaux entrepreneur Matthieu Gufflet, owner of Château de Callac in the Graves, Château Guiraud in the Sauternes region, and Château des Bachelards in Fleurie. Two years later, Basile Saint-Germain officially handed the reins to Sandrine Garbay, director of the Gufflet estates, who continues the collaboration with winemaker Margarethe Chapelle. The 8.5 hectares of vineyards, cultivated biodynamically without certification, are planted on Quaternary terraces covered with rounded pebbles and scattered with basalt flows from the volcanoes of Auvergne. The grapes are then vinified in a bioclimatic cellar, whose energy efficiency enhances the aging process. The harvest, subjected to rigorous sorting and aged for 4 to 5 years, yields a small selection of wines of rare purity.