Château Fontanès
Cyriaque Rozier, the highly acclaimed winemaker and vineyard manager at Château La Roque, makes his own wine under the label Château Fontanès in Pic St-Loup in the Languedoc. A charming man with a strong sense of vocation and relentless drive, Cyriaque often works sixteen-hour days between the two domaines. He first started his domaine in 2003, and undertook the ultimate labor of love in the Languedoc—planting a vineyard. For many years, this plot of land was best known for olive trees, until the great frost of 1956 decimated groves by the hundreds. The land is hard as a rock, quite literally, and composed primarily of limestone and clay. To plant a vineyard here is a game of patience and incredibly hard work. Over the last few years, Cyriaque has been slowly building stone terraces to better protect this challenging terrain from erosion. In addition, he has taken to farming biodynamically, a noble task that forgoes the shortcuts that most vignerons have at their disposal today in favor of producing organic grapes in a rich, healthy soil. In total, he works 4.5 hectares, which are planted with forty-year-old Cabernet Sauvignon vines, as well as Syrah, Grenache, Mourvèdre, Carignan and Cinsault. He cannot help but love his plantings, as the original cuttings for his vines were all selected from his favorite domaines in Côte-Rôtie, Châteauneuf-du-Pape, and Bandol.
Though Cyriaque is within the boundaries of the appellation Pic St-Loup, the lion’s share of his production is Cabernet Sauvignon, a grape varietal that is outside of the constraints set for the A.O.C. in the Languedoc. This means that in lieu of getting an A.O.C. cru status, he must take a Vin de Pays d’Oc designation. The trade-off for Cyriaque is that he gets to make his wines his way, and we, in turn, get an incredible price—a mutually beneficial trade-off. Being rebellious seems to come naturally to a man of such innate talent, and the elegance of his wines are proof enough in a region where bigger is often considered better. Make no mistake, raw terroir and spicy garrigue abound in these wines, with rich, juicy fruit and silky tannins.

Cyriaque Rozier, the highly acclaimed winemaker and vineyard manager at Château La Roque, makes his own wine under the label Château Fontanès in Pic St-Loup in the Languedoc. A charming man with a strong sense of vocation and relentless drive, Cyriaque often works sixteen-hour days between the two domaines. He first started his domaine in 2003, and undertook the ultimate labor of love in the Languedoc—planting a vineyard. For many years, this plot of land was best known for olive trees, until the great frost of 1956 decimated groves by the hundreds. The land is hard as a rock, quite literally, and composed primarily of limestone and clay. To plant a vineyard here is a game of patience and incredibly hard work. Over the last few years, Cyriaque has been slowly building stone terraces to better protect this challenging terrain from erosion. In addition, he has taken to farming biodynamically, a noble task that forgoes the shortcuts that most vignerons have at their disposal today in favor of producing organic grapes in a rich, healthy soil. In total, he works 4.5 hectares, which are planted with forty-year-old Cabernet Sauvignon vines, as well as Syrah, Grenache, Mourvèdre, Carignan and Cinsault. He cannot help but love his plantings, as the original cuttings for his vines were all selected from his favorite domaines in Côte-Rôtie, Châteauneuf-du-Pape, and Bandol.
Though Cyriaque is within the boundaries of the appellation Pic St-Loup, the lion’s share of his production is Cabernet Sauvignon, a grape varietal that is outside of the constraints set for the A.O.C. in the Languedoc. This means that in lieu of getting an A.O.C. cru status, he must take a Vin de Pays d’Oc designation. The trade-off for Cyriaque is that he gets to make his wines his way, and we, in turn, get an incredible price—a mutually beneficial trade-off. Being rebellious seems to come naturally to a man of such innate talent, and the elegance of his wines are proof enough in a region where bigger is often considered better. Make no mistake, raw terroir and spicy garrigue abound in these wines, with rich, juicy fruit and silky tannins.
Technical Information
Wine | Blend | Vine Age | Soil Type | Vineyard Area* |
---|---|---|---|---|
Vin de Pays d’Oc Blanc “Les Traverses de Fontanès” |
40% Rolle, 40% Chenin Blanc, 20% Clairette | Planted in 2005 | Limestone | 1 ha |
Languedoc Pic Saint Loup Rosé |
50% Mourvèdre, 30% Cinsault, 20% Syrah | Planted in 2003 | Marly Limestone | 1 ha |
Vin de Pays d’Oc Rouge “Les Traverses de Fontanès” |
Cabernet Sauvignon | Planted in 1970 | Clay, Limestone, Marl | 5 ha |
Pic Saint Loup Rouge “La Petite Sérine” |
95% Syrah, 5% Mourvèdre and Cinsault | 10 years | Limestone | 2 ha |
Languedoc Pic Saint Loup Rouge |
40% Syrah, 20% Grenache, 20% Mourvèdre, 10% Cinsault, 10% Carignan | Planted in 2003, 2004 | Limestone | 4 ha |
Vin de France “Aleatico” |
100% Aleatico | 10 years | Clay, Limestone Terraces | .5 ha |
* "ha" = hectares; one hectare equals roughly two and a half acres |
VITICULTURE / VINIFICATION
Vin de Pays d’Oc Blanc “Les Traverses de Fontanès” :
• Grapes are pressed after a short skin maceration
• Fermented in stainless steel
• Wine is aged for 6 to 8 months in foudre
Languedoc Pic Saint Loup Rosé :
• Hand-harvested and all fruit is de-stemmed
• All fruit is de-stemmed before grapes are pressed
• Made by 80% direct press, 20% saignée
• 48-hour cold maceration takes place before fermentation
• Natural yeast fermentation, in stainless steel
• Wine undergoes malolactic fermentation
Vin de Pays d’Oc “Les Traverses de Fontanès”Rouge :
• Hand-harvested and all fruit is de-stemmed
• Natural fermentation takes place at low temperatures in concrete tanks
• Punch downs and pump-overs take place regularly
• Wine is aged for 6 months to one year in stainless steel
Languedoc Pic Saint Loup Rouge “La Petite Sérine”:
• Hand-harvested
• 60% de-stemmed, 40% not de-stemmed
• Natural yeast fermentation lasts 3 weeks
• Fermentation in cement tanks
• Aged in cement tank and foudre that have aged 2, 3, and 4 wines
• Aged for 3 to 6 months
• Neither filtered nor fined
Languedoc Pic Saint Loup Rouge:
• Hand-harvested and all fruit is de-stemmed
• Natural yeast fermentation lasts 2 weeks
• Punch downs and pump-overs take place regularly
• Wine is aged in stainless steel (80%) and demi-muid (20%) barrels for 6 months to one year
Vin de France “Aleatico”:
• Hand-harvested
• Natural carbonic maceration for 8 days in conical foudre
• Aged in cement tank for 6 to 8 months
• Neither filtered nor fined
General Information
- Country
- France
- Region
- Languedoc-Roussillon
- Appellation(s)
- Vin de Pays d’Oc, Languedoc, Languedoc Pic Saint Loup
- Producer
- Cyriaque Rozier
- Founded
- 2003
- Annual Production
- 3,750 cases