Domaine de la Réserve d'O - Terrasses du Larzac La Réserve d'O 2020

A lovely, fairly full-bodied wine that has managed to retain its freshness.

La Réserve d’O is a vineyard spanning about ten hectares, located in Arboras on the heights of the Terrasses du Larzac. Founded in 2004 by Frédéric and Marie Chauffray and managed according to biodynamic principles, it quickly rose to become one of the region’s most recognized estates. The estate’s namesake wine boasts a rich, elegant style; it has evolved significantly and, since 2011, has held a prominent place among the Languedoc’s leading wines. Bilbo and Hissez-O are fine examples of the Terrasses du Larzac appellation, offering a more full-bodied style.

Located at high altitude on the Arboras plateau, the vineyards (12 ha) here find their roots beneath the stones. Having settled here in 2005, Marie, the new president of the Terrasses du Larzac winegrowers’ association, and Frédéric Chauffray practice biodynamic viticulture and use gentle winemaking methods (minimal SO₂, no added yeast, and no fining or filtration) to craft wines from harvests in which each grape is meticulously selected.

La Réserve d'O rounds out a superb 2020 vintage, offering a more vibrant and floral profile with lovely notes of violets. More robust, yet supported by refined tannins and pleasant bitter notes, it deserves a few years of aging.

Frédéric Chauffray has two passions: rock music and wine. Between his Gibson guitar and winemaking, he ultimately chose the latter. Starting out as a wine merchant alongside his wife Marie in 1990, he founded his own winery in 2004 in the Terrasses du Larzac region, in the town of Arboras, at an elevation of about 400 meters. Thanks to this cool geographical location—in the foothills of the Larzac Plateau, beneath the Col du Vent—and a highly respectful, minimally interventionist approach to viticulture, the couple quickly began producing open, joyful wines, a far cry from the more austere styles of some wines in the region. Their star is firmly on the rise, and the Réserve shows no signs of running dry.