At the gateway to Montpellier
Thomas Jefferson used to love wines from this area.
Since then, plenty of water has flowed under the bridge spanning the river Hérault, but the appellation has not lost any of its potential for producing fine wines.
Back in the days, Saint-Georges-d’Orques was a long way from Montpellier. Now, this charming wine region embracing five villages – Juvignac, Lavérune, Murviel-lès-Montpellier, Pignan and Saint-Georges-d’Orques – forms part of the green belt edging the city.
1985
5
villages
42 HA
9 independent wineries,
2 wine merchants.
Red
100%
syrah
grenache
mourvèdre
carignan
cinsault
plus d'infos :
www.saint-georges-d-orques-en-languedoc.comFrom the valley floor to the low-lying limestone plateaux, the vineyards climb over beautiful rolling hills in tiers from 50 to 250 metres above sea level where they bask in a hot climate with gentle sea breezes. The locals describe them as two groups, referred to as ‘down below’ for the stony plateau, and ‘at the top’ for the clay-limestone terrain punctuated by abundant flint. Though different, the two soil types share the same iron oxide that is so precious in these hot climes and era of global warming – it lends wines natural acidity and therefore substantial freshness.
The appellation’s wines – reds and rosés – fully reveal their complexity in the blend of both soil types, ‘down below’ and ‘at the top’, and of at least two of the leading local grape varieties – Grenache, Mourvèdre and Syrah. And just like in the Middle Ages, wines by its most judicious winegrowers travel much farther afield than the appellation’s boundaries! And their success is undeniably well-deserved.
The creation of the appellation in 1985 was by no means the starting point for Saint-Georges-d’Orques to establish its reputation outside the region and even the country. Back in the Middle Ages, its wines had already got enthusiasts’ tongues wagging. By the 17th and 18th centuries, imbibers were enjoying them from England to Russia via Scandinavia. And even today, the fact that Thomas Jefferson – the American statesman and third President of the United States, from 1801 to 1809 – waxed lyrical about them in his travel log and facilitated exports of them to his home country, is still a topic of conversation