Merlot-Cabernet 'Equilibre' Rouge , Côtes de Thongue, Domaine de l'Arjolle 2019

Domaine de l’Arjolle can be found in the north of the tiny Côtes du Thongue appellation in southern central Hérault, the département in the middle of the Languedoc-Roussillon area.

Although family-owned for many years, it really came to life in 1974 at the hands of Prosper and Louis-Marie Teisserenc. Two of the Languedoc’s biggest characters, they set about replanting and renewing the vineyards here around the town of Pouzolles. Eager to experiment, they were determined to plant international grape varieties, and were some of the first to plant sauvignon blanc. A passion for claret means they also planted cabernet sauvignon and merlot; the result is that they now have some vines that are over 30 years old, adding gorgeous complexity and producing some of the region’s finest cabernet-merlot blends.

The Teisserencs bottled their first vintage in 1978, and throughout the 1980s they continued to grow and to learn. In 1985 they hired two expert viticulturists, Charles Duby and Guilhem de Fozières, both of whom still manage the vineyards today. Furthering the family affair, Prosper’s son Roland began working in the vineyards in 1986, followed by Roch and François Teisserenc in 2002, who assist in the vineyard and the cellar respectively.

Always eager to discover the full potential of the vineyards and winemaking, the estate has been practising sustainable viticulture since the early days, and is accredited by Terra Vitis. This means zero herbicides, minimum intervention, and using harvesting machines that have been specially adapted so as to minimise damage to the environment.

The domaine’s 60 vineyards stretch across a varied landscape, littered with the olive trees and irises that typify the region. On the plateaus, well-draining gravel soils are home to cabernet sauvignon and grenache; the white grapes (sauvignon blanc, muscat, chardonnay and viognier) are spread across the pebbly hillsides made up of light, sandy limestone soils. Down by the river, well-hydrated alluvial soil is favoured by merlot and cabernet franc.

The family also goes in for more obscure plantings, such as carmenère, the ancient Bordeaux variety, now enjoying a new lease of life in Chile, but perhaps most notable is the estate’s championing of zinfandel. Louis-Marie began experimenting with this variety after a visit to the States, and recent vintages of their 100% zinfandel '‘Z de l’Arjolle’ have proven the grape can be at home in the Midi.

The eight-week-long harvest usually begins in late August, after a selection of grapes has been lab tested to check they are at their optimum ripeness. The first wave of picking is done by hand to select the best grapes for the domaine’s premium wines, after which the specially adapted gentle harvest machinery takes over.

The family’s new cellar is also a point of pride. A marker of the domaine’s success through the latter part of the twentieth century, the cellar was opened in 2001 and has a capacity of 800 barrels. Having experimented since 1988, one of the Teisserenc family’s best assets is its mastery of barrel ageing. Around 40% of the domaine’s 20 wines now undergo careful ageing in oak for six to twelve months, and of the remaining 60% the reds all age in larger oak vats, imparting a smooth complexity to the wines. The whites age in stainless-steel tanks for a lighter, fresher result, however they are aged on their lees for added texture and flavour.