Found at: http://www.lamadura.com/en/index.php/article/articleprint/19/-1 |
The estate |
Domaine LA MADURA is a small wine estate in the SAINT-CHINIAN appellation that has something of a patchwork quality due to the great diversity of its soils, grape varieties, altitude and microclimates. It is this diversity that is one of the estate's great assets.
This type of estate is known in the area as a "bien de village" (village property), as the cellars are in the village and the vineyards are broken up into small plots around the outskirts.
These plots were generally formed in the past by employees from the large wine estates on the plain that made their fortune in those days by producing huge quantities of table wine. The workers cultivated a few plots here and there that were of no interest to the rich estate owners, as they were on slopes that were difficult to work and produced very little. These great "terroirs", which, in a more distant past, had established the reputation of Languedoc wines, are now being worked once again and are producing the regions best wines.
Nadia and Cyril BOURGNE were convinced of the high quality of the Domaine LA MADURA terroirs and left Bordeaux to come and exploit their potential.
THE VINEYARDS
Domaine La Madura is broken up into a series of small plots, which is typical of the estates in the Languedoc hinterland, where the region's best "terroirs" are to be found.
It is currently made up of plots that belonged to the previous owner, who used the opportunities available to him to put together a patchwork of vineyards that reflected his views on wine-growing. They are fascinating for the great variety of "terroirs", i.e. combinations of soil types, grape varieties and microclimates.
The landscape, too, plays a crucial role. Altitude varies considerably from one plot to another (150 to 300 metres), which means that the harvest can be spread out; the grapes are picked at peak ripeness and in less of a hurry.
This variety is one of the estate's key assets, producing a wide range of wines whose complementary qualities are used to make some very interesting blends.
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