2017 Domaine Astruc Carignan Vieilles Vignes

Jean Astruc, coachman in Limoux, has a dream: his own wine estate. The dream became reality in 1862, with the acquisition of 12 hectares of vineyard in Malras. His son Jean Astruc has the same ideal and continues to acquire land despite the crisis and his departure to the battlefields of the First World War. In the 1950s, his son Pierre inherited the Domaine Astruc. It then covers more than 30 hectares of vineyard and the resources to exploit it. In 1977, after completing his studies, Pierre's son, Jacques Astruc, returns to Malras to continue building the Domaine Astruc with his father. The Domaine Astruc has continued to grow since that time and has grown into a modern winery, which squeezes the grapes from over 400 hectares of vineyard, harvested by about a hundred farmers. The annual production amounts to 21,000 hectoliters. In 2003 Jean-Claude Mas comes into the picture: owner and winemaker of Les Domaines Paul Mas, a successful and independent family business in Pezenas, also in the Languedoc. He had been working with Astruc for a long time - the main source of their Vin de Pays wines - and decided to buy the Domaine. The d'A series is the first fruit of this purchase.

The Carignan vineyards of Domaine Astruc are also located at the foot of the Pyrenees and this makes this part a lot cooler than the rest of the Languedoc region and that is a condition for producing wines that offer refinement and elegance. The Carignan grapes come from very old vines (hence the Vieilles Vignes classification or old vines). The yield of the sticks is very low. The Carignan grapes are fermented in stainless steel tanks at a controlled temperature. The wine can then mature in American oak (70%, a mix of new, one and two year old barrels) and French oak (30%, one and two years old), for six months. This wine is deep purple in color with a ruby red hue and has aromas of cocoa, black currants followed by impressions of strawberries and toast. Full, rich in taste with soft tannins and a long finish. Excellent to serve with various types of red meat, game and cheeses.