Clos du PrieurMarie Orliac1999MarieJean OrliacPic St. Loup Domaine de lHortus
Marie OrliacSaint-Jean-de-BugesLarzacSellePic St. LoupMarie4.5GrenacheSyrahGrenacheSyrah

AOP Terrasses du Larzac

Languedoc (Coteaux du Languedoc)

7

10% – 20% 150m200m

60% Grenache, 30% Syrah, 10% Carignan

1824

Grenache Grande Cuvee Domaine de lHortus Red

Clos du Prieur was found by Marie Orliac, the daughter of Jean Orliac in 1999. Jean Orliac was one of the first independent wine growers in the Pic St. Loup who created Domaine de lHortus.
Marie was fascinated by the terroir of Saint-Jean-de-Buges, that laid between the hills ofLarzac and Selle, the forgotten corner of Languedoc. This high valleyis humid and even cooler than Pic St. Loup due to the mountain breeze,the grapes ripen very slowly. She restored4.5 hectares of ancient Grenache and Syrah vines in the beginning, which established on terraced plots with brown limestone gravel.
The wine is made in a renovated cellar, which abandoned for three generations. Using natural yeast, and aged in restored concrete tanks for the Grenache and oak barrels for the Syrah.

Region:
AOPTerrasses du Larzac

Country of Origin:
Languedoc (formerlyCoteaux du Languedoc), France

Type:
Red/Rouge (Still)

Vineyard area:
7 hectares

Soil:
Brown soils formed on scree from the Cretaceous. Slope of 10 to 20% incline. Vineyard located from 150m to 200m high.

Grape varieties:
60% Grenache, 30% Syrah, 10% Carignan

Vinification:
Vinified in a traditional way: hand picking, treading with the feet, minimum simplified cellar equipment. The high concentration of the wines allows a long ageing in French oak, between 18 and 24 months, half in new barrels and half in one-year old barrels.

Tasting Notes:
Very aromatic nose of guarrigue, dried herbs, black fruits, chalk and sweetness coming out. Round and spicy on the palate, pure expression of the Grenache grape. A bigger, in the face wine than the Grande Cuvee Domaine de lHortus red, yet with a dry and much precised finish.