2021 Domaine Astruc Carignan Vieilles Vignes

Jean Astruc, coachman in Limoux, has a dream: his own wine estate. The dream came true in 1862, with the acquisition of 12 hectares of vineyard in Malras. His son Jean Astruc has the same ideal and, despite the crisis and his departure to the battlefields of the First World War, continues to acquire land. In the fifties, his son Pierre inherits the Domaine Astruc. It then includes more than 30 hectares of vineyard and the means to exploit it. In 1977, after completing his studies, Pierre's son, Jacques Astruc, returned to Malras to continue building the Domaine Astruc with his father. The Domaine Astruc has continued to grow ever since and has grown into a modern winery, pressing the grapes from over 400 hectares of vineyard, harvested by about a hundred farmers. The annual production is 21,000 hectoliters. Jean-Claude Mas entered the picture in 2003: 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 – the main source of their Vin de Pays wines – for a long time 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, which is a prerequisite for producing wines that offer refinement and elegance. The Carignan grapes come from very old vines (hence the classification Vieilles Vignes or old vines). The yield of the sticks is very low. The Carignan grapes are fermented in stainless steel tanks at controlled temperature. The wine is then allowed to 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 currant 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.