THE VINEYARD

The Domaine des Pensées Sauvages is based in the small village of Albas, deep in the Corbières, - spectacular hilly country that borders the Mediterranean to the east, and the Aude river valley with the cities of Carcassonne and Narbonne to the north. The area is full of reminders of Cathar history with the precipitous castles of Queribus and Peyrepertuse, and prehistory in the remains of Tautavel man, as well as dinosaur eggs found within walking distance of the vineyard.

The vineyard comprises of 10 1/2 hectares (25 acres) of hillside vineyards surrounded by holm-oak, juniper and rosemary scrub; mediterranean climate attenuated by an altitude of 225-325 meters; impressive array of soils: schist, various stony and sandy marls, and lacustrian limestone clays; grape varieties: 48% Carignan (from 40-90 years old), 24% Syrah, 18% Grenache, 10% Cinsault.

Although all our wines regularly pass the tasting examinations required to gain AOC status, only the very best is put into bottles. The entire harvest is handpicked and destalked prior to being put into the vats. The grapes are steeped for 3-4 weeks with daily remontage. The wine is matured in demi-muids and small tuns. We do not concoct or doctor our wines: apart from minimum levels of anti-oxydant suiphites no additives are used, either during vinification, or at the bottling, which takes place on the premises and under our supervision.

Being at a relatively high altitude, with cool summer nights and late harvests, means that our grapes retain the freshness of their primary aromas. Because our yields per hectare are low - around 30 hectolitres on average - we vinify from a basis of finely concentrated juice. Long and carefully worked steeping of the destalked grapes encourages maximum extraction of those elements which make for intense and lingering flavours.

Our wines are not vins de cépages but a combination of very old Carignan (planted at the beginning of this century) and younger vines of Syrah, Black Grenache and Cinsault. We make a regular Corbières, normally consisting of 30% Syrah, 20% Black Grenache and 50% Carignan, and, in exceptional years, a Reserve, consisting of 50% Syrah and 50% Carignan aged in relatively new oak.

We do not sell to large-scale distributors or supermarkets, but rather to individuals who visit our cellars, to restaurants all over France, and to specialised importers of fine wines in the UK and Europe.