La Croix Gratiot - Picpoul de Pinet Bréchallune 2024

Bettane & Desseauve

About the wine:

Don't miss Bréchallune, a Picpoul aged slowly on the lees that breaks from the appellation's classic style.

About the estate:

This 35-hectare estate in Montagnac is known for its Picpoul de Pinet. Yves and his daughter Anaïs run it using biodynamic methods and are experimenting with new containers, including terracotta, ceramic, and stoneware dolias. Don’t miss Bréchallune, a Picpoul aged slowly on its lees that deviates from the appellation’s classic style, or Le Chant des Dolia, a stunning Languedoc that far exceeds the standard of this regional appellation.

Guide Hachette des vins

About the estate:

Originally focused on melon cultivation and supplying grapes to a cooperative winery, the estate took a major turn in 2004 with the creation of its own winemaking facility. In 2009, Anaïs Ricôme joined her father Yves at the helm of a 35-hectare organic vineyard, launched a new wine line, and expanded sales.

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

About the wine:

The wine portfolio has been expanded to include a single-vineyard selection, showcasing a superb terroir that no one had previously highlighted. The wines display luminous, golden-yellow hues, indicating careful extraction and aging on the lees. This is the case with Bréchallune, aged in stoneware amphorae in pursuit of something more than just the typical Picpoul reserved for oysters: lemon, kumquat, ginger, and vibrancy!

About the estate:

Anaïs Ricôme is the leading name in Picpoul de Pinet, producing wines of great purity from this beautiful clay-limestone terroir. The appellation is home to some of the Languedoc’s finest white wines, characterized by the influence of the sea breezes—clean and briny—and made from the Picpoul grape variety. After studying viticulture and oenology and gaining experience at a New Zealand vineyard, her father, Yves, offered her the opportunity to take over this estate near Marseillan. Shortly after settling in, she made some drastic decisions: reducing the vineyard’s size to better control quality, converting the estate to organic farming, and adopting certain biodynamic practices. Aging is very light, with a focus on stainless steel, stoneware, and old oak casks. The result is brilliant, expressive, and energetic wines of great precision. Quality is once again the hallmark.