This white wine is being “published” under the AOC Minervois label. It’s made from a majority of Grenache blanc and Vermentino grapes, complemented by Picpoul blanc and gris, Grenache gris and a little Muscat.

The quite intense bouquet, pure and mineral, shows pleasant aromas of citrus fruits and fennel. On the straight and medium-bodied palate, the mineral character fully developes through a clear and crystalline acidity and a surprising saltiness, while the citrus fruit aromas are divided into lemon and grape fruit. Both smooth and well structured by the acidity, this wine shows a rather “northern” character with quite a lot of power. Appreciate this wine for an aperitif, on shellfish and other fish, as well as on grilled vegetables.

A white wine with a warm, golden color. An expressive nose with smells of quince, white blossoms and spices. But its real flavours seem to explode on the palate: Apple, backed pears, pleasant smells of fresh barrique, a hint of smoke… Full-bodied and fresh, it has a creamy texture that makes me think of a fluffy vanilla and cinnamon sabayone.

This wine whets your appetite, asking for good food! But it also invites to far niente, lingering in an arm chair, sipping on a glass of wine, wasting time.
So tonight I’ll have to improvise, with some middle-aged goat cheese from the Cevennen, flavourful olive oil from Spain and fresh sesame bread. With the full glass in my right hand, the bread, cheese and olive oil in my left, I jump into the arm chair and wait for the night to come. Tasty waste of time…

Already known in ancient Greece, Muscat-Grapes have spread all over the Mediterranean area ever since. Like Gewürztraminer and Riesling, the fragile and delicate vine is part of what we call “aromatic grape varieties”, being part of the rare varieties fully showing their aromatic potential as well in the fruit, as in the wine made of it. Greatly prized due to its charming bouquet, you will find Muscat grapes in vineyards all over the world today, from Germany to South Africa, from Brazil to Italy and of coarse is France, where it plays an important role in Alsace and Languedoc. 

For the vigneron and wine maker, it is a real pleasure to work on Muscat. Early ripeness, small, compact grapes of yellow-reddish colour, you can actually make a multitude of wines with Muscat, all different in style – sweet and powerful fortified wines, fruity and crispy dry wines, or delicate and complex liquorish wines, made from over ripe, late picket grapes (vendange tardive).

At the Domaine de l’Arjolle, Muscat is a very important grape variety. Harvested in fresh nights towards the end of August, the Muscat grapes usually ring in the picking season. Fermented in different ways, this many-sided variety allows us to make our slightly sweet Allegria (35 g of residual sugar and only 10%vol. of alcohol), as well as our crispy, mineral and elegant Muscat Sec de l’Arjolle. Being also an excellent variety for blending, some of the Muscat grapes later join the flowery Viognier and the citric Sauvignon in our oak aged cuvee Équinoxe. Than again, usually mid-October, some over ripe Muscat grapes are last fruits we bring into the cellar. 

The syrupy, amber coloured must pressed off, will become our LYRE, a sweet, liquorish wine, after months of slow fermentation and barrel ripening. Marked by fresh apple and pear aromas in its youth, it will have developed typical aromas of dried fruits, figs and coriander by the time it will be bottled.

You are invited to join us at the cellar during harvest, to perceive the perfume of the new vintage !