About this WINE
Domaine d'Antugnac
Jean-Luc Terrier, owner of Domaine des Deux Roches in the Maconnais, bought Domaine d'Antugnac 4 years ago. It is situated just south of Limoux in the Languedoc region and one of the appeals for Jean Luc was that Chardonnay and Merlot vines had already been planted there 24 years previously. There are 50 hectares of vineyards,with a high average vine age of 30 years, well situated at altitudes of up to 500 metres above sea level. The extra elevation is crucial as it lengthens the ripening period of the grapes thus ensures more rounded fruit characteristics in the wines.
Both black and white grapes are grown, though being the true Burgundian he is it is Chardonnay that Jean-Luc really excels at producing elegant smooth examples, which combine richness and intensity of fruit with marvellous poise and balance.
Southern Rhône Blend
The vast majority of wines from the Southern Rhône are blends. There are 5 main black varieties, although others are used and the most famous wine of the region, Châteauneuf du Pape, can be made from as many as 13 different varieties. Grenache is the most important grape in the southern Rhône - it contributes alcohol, warmth and gentle juicy fruit and is an ideal base wine in the blend. Plantings of Syrah in the southern Rhône have risen dramatically in the last decade and it is an increasingly important component in blends. It rarely attains the heights that it does in the North but adds colour, backbone, tannins and soft ripe fruit to the blend.
The much-maligned Carignan has been on the retreat recently but is still included in many blends - the best old vines can add colour, body and spicy fruits. Cinsault is also backtracking but, if yields are restricted, can produce moderately well-coloured wines adding pleasant-light fruit to red and rosé blends. Finally, Mourvèdre, a grape from Bandol on the Mediterranean coast, has recently become an increasingly significant component of Southern Rhône blends - it often struggles to ripen fully but can add acidity, ripe spicy berry fruits and hints of tobacco to blends.
Buying options
Add to wishlist
wine at a glance
Delivery and quality guarantee