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Technical Information

Wine Blend Vine Age Soil Type Vineyard Area*
Saint-Chinian blanc “Montmajou”
80% Grenache Blanc, 20% Marsanne Planted 1991 Jurassic limestone n/a
Saint-Chinian “La Pierre Plantée”
34% Cinsault, 33% Grenache, 33% Syrah 30-70 years old Molasse (conglomerate) with galets roulés (rounded riverbed stones) 5 ha
Saint-Chinian “Cebenna”
65% Grenache, 30% Syrah, 5% Mourvèdre 20-60 years old Red sandstone, Lias limestone, Jurassic limestone 2 ha
Saint-Chinian “Sortilège”
55% Mourvèdre, 40% Syrah, 5% Grenache 20-40 years old Jurassic limestone 4 ha
* "ha" = hectares; one hectare equals roughly two and a half acres

VITICULTURE / VINIFICATION

• Vines are mostly gobelet-trained
• High-density planting (6,000-7,000 vines per hectare) to create shade
• Diverse exposures from south-facing, with the sea visible in the distance, to north-facing
• Grapes are hand-harvested
• Fermentation takes place in stainless steel and concrete tanks
• Fermented with indigenous yeasts
• Reds wines: no punchdowns, only light pumpovers during vinification
• Wines are not fined
• “Les Eminades” is one of the lieux-dits within the parcels Patricia and Luc bought in 2002. Intrigued by the name, they did some research and found the origin in a text from Provençal poet Frédéric Mistral. Mistral wrote of an Emina—an ancient measure of wheat used to sow an Eminade, or a plot defined as a small clos sitting high and well-exposed. This term is of Italian origin and crossed the south of France, as it can also be found in the Pyrénées Orientales. Their respective grandfathers made the same journey, so they chose this word as the name of the domaine.

Saint-Chinian blanc “Montmajou”
• Vineyards face south at 250 meters elevation
• Grapes are raised in 400L barrels for 10 months sur lie
• Montmajou is a lieu-dit that means mont majeur (large mountain) in Languedocian dialect, because it is the highest point of the village

Saint-Chinian “La Pierre Plantée”
• Vineyards face south at 150-170 meters elevation
• Grapes are 80% destemmed with 20% whole clusters
• Maceration lasts 15 days
• Aged for 10 months in concrete tank
• Named for a lieu-dit where a large vertical rock formation (pierre plantée) once served to demarcate the borders of three neighboring villages

Saint-Chinian “Cebenna”
• Vineyards sit at 200-260 meters elevation
• Grapes are 40% destemmed with 60% whole clusters
• Maceration lasts 10 days
• Aged for 10 months in stainless steel and concrete tanks
• Cebenna is the mythological name of the Carroux, a granite mountain 15 km away that is visible from their north-facing vineyard sites

Saint-Chinian “Sortilège”
• Vineyards sit at 260-270 meters elevation, with Mourvèdre facing south toward the sea
• Grapes are 70% destemmed with 30% whole clusters
• Maceration lasts 12 days
• Aged for 20 months in 228-600L barrels (10% new wood on larger formats; barriques are 1-7 years old)
• Sortilège refers to a nearby area of Jurassic limestone once home to wild truffle oaks; the name was chosen because this cuvée evokes notes of black truffle after 8-10 years in bottle

General Information

Country
France
Region
Languedoc-Roussillon
Appellation(s)
Saint-Chinian
Producer
Patricia & Luc Bettoni
Founded
2002
Annual Production
5,500 cases
Farming
Organic (certified), Biodynamic (certified)
Website
http://www.leseminades.fr
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