OUR WINES
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GRAPE VARIETIES
The Saint Martin vineyards are home to no less than 18 varieties: 8 white and 10 red.
The situation is ideal for highlighting the “terroir” aspect of the wines, producing complex blends as a painter does with a palette of colours, harmonising them to achieve the most wonderful of compositions.
There are several reasons for such a wide diversity of grape varieties:
Certain of the longest-standing varieties, such as Carignan, Cinsault and Terret bourret, were planted in the 1950s. They are the mainstay of our AOC Tradition wines, full of fruit and freshness. In the 1980s, under the aegis of previous owners, a focus on varietal wines led to the planting of Chardonnay, Cabernet and Merlot. These varieties go into the make-up of our vins de pays. Since the 1990s, a comprehensive programme for restructuring the vineyards has facilitated an evolution in the main part of our output towards richer, more complex and characterful wines or cuvées. Our cuvées classed under the AOC Coteaux du Languedoc and our two Crus: Picpoul de Pinet and Grès de Montpellier, show the real hallmark of their Languedoc lineage.
This wonderful range of 18 grape varieties spread out over some fifty vineyard plots will soon be gathered together in one plot made accessible to our visitors through the creation at the heart of the estate premises of a Vine Collection. On a plot right beside the winery where 150 olive trees have already been established, 36 rows of vines will be laid out -two for each grape variety- where we invite you to join us for an informative stroll in a truly country setting.
At Saint Martin de la Garrigue the protection of all species takes pride of place. The wildlife, which is not hunted here, and the endemic plants multiply in this nature reserve. Here, the vines and their cultivation form part of the equilibrium and help nurture the ecosystem.
By our choices and our ecologically sustainable methods, we produce top quality grapes while at the same time safeguarding the environment and human health.
TERROIR
The estate, located at Montagnac in the Hérault département about ten kilometres inland from the Mediterranean, stands on top of a hill overlooking the Thau coastal lagoon.
The vines grow on slopes facing the sea and thus benefit from maritime breezes that carry in moisture to counter the effect of summer drought.
Spring frosts are rare, the mild temperatures favour good ripening of the grapes. The vines themselves are protected from the prevailing north and north-westerly winds (known locally as the cers and tramontane) which on occasion are violent enough to damage immature canes.
The fifty plots that make up the estate vineyards stand around the château in a typically Mediterranean environment. The smell of the pine woods intermingles with the pungent aromas of evergreen oak, almond, olive, thyme, rosemary and downy cistus that dominate the surrounding Mediterranean garrigue.
The terroir at Saint Martin spreads over several types of highly expressive terrain based on broken-down conglomerate rock from the Primary Era, deep and with good drainage. Most characteristic are two contrasting types:
- Light brown, fairly shallow limestone soils made up of sandy loam overlying soft, layered limestone bedrock. Such “white earth”, characteristic of a certain Mediterranean terroir, enhances the wines from white varieties.
- Reddy-brown sandstone soils with sand and gravel, loose and well-drained, meagre and shallow. This “red earth” endows the wines from such terroir with a keynote regularity in their aroma infused with hints of pepper, slightly smoky, with a touch of liquorice that is the hallmark of all the wines from Saint Martin de la Garrigue.
A certified organisation is currently involved in drawing up our carbon footprint and assessing our eco-environmental impact. The results will become available very soon : www.terravitis.com
Riche gamme de vins, une dizaine de références, dont un atypique picpoul et leur cuvée Bronzinelle, sur un Domaine splendide, au milieu des pinèdes.