Château de Cazeneuve - Pic Saint-Loup Les Calcaires 2020

The Château de Cazeneuve is an old estate whose origins date back to the 9th century. The vineyards, which had fallen into disuse in the early 20th century, were revived by André Leenhardt, who cultivates 25 hectares in the Pic Saint-Loup region. André produces lovely white wines. Good news: the small 2017 “Les-Calcaires” cuvée signals a shift for the estate toward wines that are at once dense, energetic, and refined. Highly successful, it is a perfect expression of the minerality that this type of soil brings to the classic Languedoc grape varieties. We were thoroughly impressed.

The Château de Cazeneuve, an old 9th-century building, stands at the heart of the estate purchased by André Leenhardt in 1988 after he completed his studies in agronomy. Through replanting, leaving the cooperative, and converting to organic farming (certified in 2010), André Leenhardt is now one of the iconic winemakers of Pic Saint-Loup, at the helm of a beautiful 35-hectare vineyard on clay-limestone soils.