Antech, M le Mauzac, Brut Nature, Languedoc

Antech Limoux

Maison Antech is a family-owned winery based in the Limoux appellation of Languedoc-Roussillon in the South of France. Antech is known particularly for its sparkling wines, notably for its Crémant de Limoux, the local traditional method sparkling wine.

In the early 20th century, Eugénie Limouzy became one of the first women in the Languedoc to manage a vineyard. In 1931, her niece Marguerite married Edmond Antech, whose efforts made the estate’s wine more widely and commercially known.

Edmond’s sons Georges and Roger succeeded him, maintaining their father’s winemaking philosophy and preserving the estate’s history while introducing new technology. The brothers created new storehouses and modernised the winery. Georges devoted his professional life to developing Antech’s sales and marketing, while Roger enthusiastically took on the technical aspects of running the vineyard.

Since 1995, Georges’s daughter Françoise has dedicated her energy to the family property. She was joined in 2020 by her son Baptiste, representing the seventh generation of the Antech family here.

Languedoc-Roussillon

Over the last 25 years, the fortunes of Languedoc-Rousillon have been transformed largely due to the introduction of the Vin de Pays classification in 1979. This led to extensive replanting on more suitable sites, a drastic reduction in permitted yields and, crucially, reducing the dependence of red wines on the ubiquitous Carignan grape.

The new classification enabled producers not only to experiment with other grape varieties, but also to pick up the gauntlet thrown down by the New World – to give the customers what they wanted, namely clearly-labelled international varietals like Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon.

Despite a sometimes deserved reputation for its contributions to the European wine lake, this exciting region continues to see a flow of investment from the Bordelais and others, which has enabled the evolution of the qualitative pyramid to continue. Perhaps the most striking improvements have been seen in Minervois La Livinière and Pic Saint Loup, but not far behind are the wines of St.Chinian and Cabardès.

Regardless of the financial influx and the wonderful terroir of the different appellations, the increase in quality is also allied to some extraordinarily-gifted winemakers, including Jean-Luc Terrier and Jean-Louis Denois.

Mauzac

The Mauzac grape is prolific in the Limoux region, but almost non-existent elsewhere, and produces a rustic wine with distinct aromas of fresh cut grass and apple-peel flavours reminiscent of apple cider.

The grape is the dominant component in Blanquette de Limoux, the Languedoc sparkling wine that can contain three grape varieties: Mauzac with a minimum of 90% of the blend, the balance with Chardonnay and Chenin Blanc.