The Jourdan family has farmed here since the 1930s, their special old vines are herbicide-free and creating incredible wines. Current winemaker François Jourdan trained in Santenay, and he brings a Burgundian elegance and freshness to the Languedoc. This is properly old-vine Carignan (planted in 1935), delicately managed. Harvested by hand then raised in large concrete tanks, where it ages for 18 months before bottling. There's a rich underbelly to this, but bereft of the sort of gratuitous oomph that clumsier, hot-climate reds can carry.
Rob and Nik only stumbled across the wines of Château l'Argentier when trying François' Cinsault in a Montpellier wine bar, so enticing that the next day they were in the vineyard. Le reste est l'histoire...

 

Sommières | Languedoc-Roussillon | FRANCE

Carignan