Abbaye de Fontfroide
Domain: Abbaye de Fontfroide
Winegrower: Nicolas de Chevron-Villette
Town: Narbonne
Region: Languedoc
Appellation(s): Corbieres, VDP d’Oc
Cultivated space: 36 ha
Production: 70 000 btles
Soil(s): sandy clay soils …
The philosophy of the domain:
The vineyard, located in Fontfroide, has been in existence for more than 900 years when the Cistercian religious order planted vines to make wines. The Rule of St. Benedict, which governed the life of the community, allowed them to drink wine. Slowly, over time, the monks selected the best plots, learned the “terroir”, chose the best grape varieties, and developed their winemaking methods. Their wine became quite famous. Nicolas de Chevron-Villette’s philosophy of the “new winegrower” is to make wines with a history! A highly diverse but little-known wine appellation, this winegrowing couple’s achievements makes them stand out from the rest and the beauty of a place which bears the marks of the centuries – that’s how you could sum up the originality of the wines of Abbaye de Fontfroide Abbey.
Mode of driving of the vineyard, wine-making and ageing:
Yields are controlled and maintained voluntarily within the limits of the appellation. The practice of sustainable agricultural practices allows us to respect our heritage and work in harmony with the environment; being an artisan with the goal to do well. Since 2002, we are engaged in a program of sustainable agriculture, to confirm our desire to always offer a product with very good organoleptic quality and respecting the health of consumers, the producer and the environment. The three “Fs” of Fontfroide (“freshness, fruitiness, and finesse”) sum up our house style, the result of slow and patient maturing, surprisingly atypical of Corbières wines and closer to current consumer tastes – the quintessence of the shady terroir of Fontfroide.