Domaine La Croix Gratiot Desir Blanc IGP Pays d'Herault 2024

Domaine La Croix Gratiot Desir Blanc IGP Pays d'Herault 

Region: Languedoc, France

Vintage: 2024

Bottle size: 75cl

Grape: Viognier, Roussanne, Chardonnay, Muscat

ABV: 13%

Pale lemon in colour. On the nose, perfumed aromas of apricots, peaches and ripe lime leap out of the glass. This concentration of flavour follows through on the palate and is well-balanced with bright acidity and a lingering finish.

`Désir Blanc` is a blend of Viognier, Roussanne and Sauvignon Blanc. The vines are planted on soils of loam and limestone, situated near the village of Montagnac, which is near to the Mediterranean Sea. The vineyard benefits from cool maritime breezes, which allow the grapes to ripen slowly and retain good levels of acidity, resulting in fresh and vibrant wines.

The varieties were all vinified separately, with fermentation taking place in temperature-controlled, stainless steel tanks at low temperatures to preserve fruit purity. The Viognier was aged on fine lees for two months before blending. The blend varies depending on the vintage in order to maintain consistency.

For over 30 years Domaine La Croix Gratiot, which comprises 35 hectares in Montagnac, has been owned by brothers Yves and Hugues Ricome. After years of selling to their local co-operative, Yves started bottling his own wine in 2005 and bought his brother’s share of the domaine in 2009. His daughter Anaïs, who worked in New Zealand with Matt Thomson (co-owner of Blank Canvas), has since taken over managing the estate. Anaïs has driven a transition to biodynamic farming and gained organic certification from the 2021 vintage. She makes wonderfully pure, unoaked wines reflecting the potential of the local varieties. Her work and vision have resulted in the recognition of La Croix Gratiot as ‘the pinnacle of Picpoul de Pinet’ by French publication la Revue du vin de France.

https://croix-gratiot.com