”Wine is my life. I’m involved every day of the year. It’s a job that is very enchanting and involving. You must pay attention every day.” Frédéric Pourtalié
The Domaine de Montcalmès, a family property, is one of the most famous estates in Languedoc. Located about thirty kilometers from Montpellier, the cellar is located in the town of Puéchabon. It was in 1998 that Frédéric Pourtalié decided to take over the family’s vineyard and made it take an important turn. Wishing to produce under his own label, he decided to no longer deliver his grapes to a local cooperative but to vinify them himself. Rich in his previous experiences with renowned winegrowers such as Alain Graillot (CrozesHermitage), Allary family (Domaine Oratoire St Martin) or Laurent Vaillé (La Grange des Pères), he soon raised the Domaine de Montcalmès to the rank of one of the most famous and qualitative wines of Languedoc. In 2012 he started a conversion to organic farming.
Currently the property extends over 22 hectares divided into several plots located in the municipalities of Puéchabon, Aniane, St Jean de Fos as well as St Saturnin de Lucian. This multitude of places is a strength for the domain. It allows Frédéric to play with a wide range of terroirs, altitudes, micro-climates … The Domaine de Montcalmès produces around 60,000 bottles each year. The red wines (AOC Terrasses du Larzac) come from a blend: Syrah, Grenache Noir and Mourvèdre. The estate’s white wine, which is AOC Languedoc, is the result of a Roussanne and Marsane blend. Today he manages the estate in the hands of a master, alongside his sister Muriel.
Let’s introduce the Domaine…
Frédéric Pourtalié : In the beginning, I was oriented in production, my grandfather and father were both vignerons, they use to vinified directly into cooperative cellars. I started working here in 1997 after some experience in the Rhone Valley.
When my father left me the vines, there wasn’t a name of the Domaine. We had always been selling wine to the wine merchants. The first vinification in red took place in 1999, at that time only 5000 bottles were produced. The name of the
Domaine comes from the hamlet of Montcalmes located on the plateau of the same name which overlooks the valley of the Hérault. The surface nowadays is around 22 hectares spread in the terraces of the Larzacfor: Puéchabon, Aniane, St Jean de Fos and St Saturnin of Lucian. The land is 30 km far from the Nord-Ouest of Montpellier and generates sixty-thousand bottles each year.
What is the signature of your wine?
F.P.: It’s all due to the complexity of terroir. We have four hectares of Syrah, three of Grenache, two of Mourvèdre all spread out in four different areas rich in clay (Mourvèdre), limestone and lacustrine limestone (Grenache). In 2012, we started the conversion into organic farming in the entire Domaine. From the 2015 vintage in the field of Montcalmes, all our products will be certified organic The taste of the wines moves toward freshness and minerality. The vinification is looking for elegance and roundness. Speaking of the white wine I produce in small quantities, it comes from the gather parcels at Roussanne and Marsanne. Besides that I produce a very small quantity of Grenache and Mourvèdre 100 % depending on the harvest.
Some Keywords to define the Domaine
F.P.: Elegance, minerality, passion, vigneron.
Thank you to Frédéric Pourtalié for the warm hospitality. – J.C.C.
Domaine de Montcalmès
34150 Puéchabon (France)
www.domainedemontcalmes.fr
