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The Domaine20 km/12 miles north-west of Montpellier, and situated between Pic St Loup, Montpeyroux and St Georges d'Orques, Domaine du Poujol currently has 18 hectares of vines on south-facing hill slopes and terraces above the River Mosson. 10 hectares are classified as Appelation Controlée Coteaux du Languedoc, and 8 hectares are classified as Vin de Pays in the Val de Monferrand. The remainder of the 66 hectare Domaine is 'garrigue', the southern French name for dense evergreen shrubs and small trees, with numerous herbs and wild flowers. |
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The microclimate of the Domaine is cooler than average for the Languedoc. Cooling breezes from the Cevennes to the north moderate the warmer airflows from the Mediterranean 25 km/15 miles to the south-east.
Typical summer temperatures are 20°-33°C/68-91°F, with 40°C/100°F the hottest temperature experienced since we bought the Domaine in 1994. The lowest recorded temperature was -8°C/18°F, but most winters are mild, with some frosts and light snow. Rainfall occurs in all months of the year, but mainly in the autumn and spring, averaging about 900 mm /36 inches per year. |
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The limestone-derived soils are suited to making well-structured wines. The hillside location means that there is a range of soil-types helping to give complexity to the Domaine wines. There is a higher than usual concentration of magnesium in the nutrient balance of the soil, and this is thought to give wine freshness. White wines, in particular, benefit from this and from late ripening due to the relatively cool microclimate. |
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