AOP Languedoc - PézenasLanguedoc - Pézenas
the magic triangle!
Welcome to the heart of Hérault, to an appellation area that is going places.
This is by no means a monolithic appellation – on the contrary, its strength lies in its diversity!
Foundation
2007
Territory
15
villages
Production
168 HA
Producers
34 independents wineries,
4 co-operatives.
Colours
Red
100%
Main grape varieties
authorized for the reds
syrah
grenache
mourvèdre
carignan
cinsault
for more information:
www.pezenasenlanguedoc.comTerrior
Diversity is one of the key descriptors of this appellation where elevations range from 20 to 300 metres and its geology reveals schist, gravel, limestone and sandstone, along with some basalt formations. You might think this variety of vineyard sites would undermine the consistency of the appellation and its wines, yet in fact it is an asset because it allows the winegrowers to adapt to the specific character of each vintage. Nowadays, around forty independent wineries and four co-operatives work hard to secure a share of the Languedoc limelight for the Pézenas wine region.
Long-standing properties, some of them nearly a century old, have been joined by more recent estates, either taken over or created, by locals or novice winegrowers from other climes. Some of them remain under the radar, whilst others can pride themselves on a reputation that goes beyond national borders even, which is only befitting of an appellation whose wines are increasingly sought-after by sommeliers and wine enthusiasts.
History
On top of the high potential of the soils, this part of Languedoc – where evidence of winegrowing dates back to the 7th century BC – is also energised by the men and women who make the wines. A lot has happened over some 27 centuries – the vineyards grew under the Roman Empire; the monastic orders took up the baton in the 4th century; large estates emerged at the end of the Middle Ages; the wine industry enjoyed a spectacular boom in the 19th century when vineyards covered nearly 80% of arable land; and then the fateful phylloxera episode occurred, from which the country recovered by extensively replanting its vineyards.