Wine Faugères

The Faugères appellation dates back to the 5th century

The vine was introduced by the Greeks to the Faugères region in the 5th century BC, but it was the Romans, great connoisseurs in terms of viticulture, who really developed it. It was thanks to their know-how that it became so important to the economy of Languedoc. Nevertheless, it was not until the end of the French Revolution that it really began to flourish.

The construction of the Canal du Midi in the 17th century, then that of the railway in the 19th century, contributed to the commercial expansion of these regional wines. Even if the phylloxera crisis may have slowed down this beautiful expansion for a while. The French vine is thus grafted on American feet, insensitive to the misdeeds of the insect. And in 1883, the entirety of the vines of the Hérault was grafted. In 1945, the INAO (Institut national des appellations d'origine) decreed the first VDQS (Vin de qualité supérieure) appellations

The wines of Faugères benefit from a Mediterranean climate

The climate is Mediterranean and mountainous in the Faugères region. Winters are mild and summers can be very hot. On the other hand, springs and autumns are often very wet, and there are many storms. There is a lot of sunshine, little rainfall overall and the wind is mild, but often present. Faugères, the majority of whose production is vintage in red, comes mainly from the grapes carignan, cinsault, grenache, mourvèdre and syrah.

The soils are schistose and surrounded by garrigue, hence the relatively low yield. Not very fertile, they have the particularity of draining water and allowing the vine to resist the very high summer heat. The shales and clays from the marine deposits of the primary era give the wines a very recognisable mineral note.

The Faugères AOC dates from 1982

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The AOC dates from 1982 for reds and rosés, and 2005 for white wines. Close to Saint-Chinian, the soil is composed of schist. There are also clays from marine deposits from the primary era. Since 1996, a large number of winemakers in Faugère have engaged in organic farming. The black grape varieties of the Faugères appellation are: Syrah, Grenache, Carignan, Lledoner Pelut, Mourvèdre and Cinsault. The white grape varieties: Roussanne, Grenache Blanc, Marsanne, Vermentino (Rolle), Clairette, Viognier.

These reds have aromas that could evoke coffee, liquorice and spices. Rosé wines are fruity, with aromas of red fruits. The white wines are very fresh wines with citrus and exotic fruit notes, with good ageing potential. Red Faugères represents 80% of production, rosé about 17% and white wine 3%. In 2016, the average yield was 31.5 hectolitres/hectare and around 70,000 hl. Good to know, the first regulated wine brandy in the region: the Fine Faugères, is included in the AOC designation.

Faugères, one appellation for 3 colours

The Faugères red has a dark garnet colour with slightly purplish highlights in its younger years. The nose opens with aromas of ripe red and black fruits, the second nose reveals notes of coffee, spices, incense, black pepper, and thyme. As it evolves, the nose will open up to notes of venison, cigar box and leather. The palate reveals itself with a powerful attack, a dense, deep and fleshy material, the tannins are present, firm, but noble, they have grain. On the finish the notes of liquorice, peppermint, fruit in brandy are dominant. This is a wine that deserves to rest in the cellar for at least 5 years. It will be happily associated with roasted game or stews. Its serving temperature is 16°C.

The Faugères rosé wine has a pale pink colour, brilliant, bright. The nose will reveal floral notes mixed with red fruit aromas. On the palate, roundness and crunchy fruit are present. It will be very appreciated with cold meats, or as an aperitif. Its serving temperature is 10°C, it can be drunk young.

The white Faugères wine is rarer. Its colour is golden yellow, the nose is very marked with notes of citrus fruits, grapefruit, lemon, flowers, lime and verbena, and some touches of honey and wax. The palate is racy, full and round, offering freshness and minerality. The finish is long with aniseed notes. It can be served with grilled sea bream and fennel. It is served at a temperature of 11°C. It is best drunk young.

How to pair Faugères?

Red Faugères can be paired very well with aperitifs, starters, main courses or cheeses. It goes perfectly well with the specialities of the region. With its well-presented tannins, the red Faugères goes very well with typical meats such as guinea fowl or game. The white Faugères will be wonderful with all white meats. The Faugères rosé, for its part, will be perfectly appropriate with seafood or as an aperitif.

2005, a very good year for Faugères

The Faugères appellation can pride itself on having provided some excellent vintages. The best are 1988, 1998 and 2005. But more recently, 2010, 2012, 2013, crowned very good vintages, were years to mark with a white stone.

Emblematic domains of the Faugères appellation

Domaine de Cébène

The Cébène estate favours high altitude vines, mostly facing north. In addition, a cellar has been dug, buried under the schist, in the middle of the vines. There are both vintage wines (Ex Arena,, Les Bancèls, and the Belle Lurette) and wines aged in 500-litre barrels (cuvée Felgaria).

Domaine Alquier

Jean-Michel Alquier took over the estate created by his father. The latter was the first winemaker in the Faugères appellation to have planted Syrah in 1960, from massal selections. They are renowned for their powerful and well-balanced wines, among the best known, the Bastides or Maison Jaune, famous bottles.

L'Ancienne Mercerie

Agricultural engineers, Nathalie and François Caumette both took a 360° turn when they decided in 1996 to invest in Nathalie's grandmother's old haberdashery in Autignac (AOP Faugères and Languedoc). With two winegrowing grandfathers, François could not escape this vocation passed on by his ancestors. Respecting the organic farming while respecting a traditional know-how, Nathalie and François accumulate successes, vintage after vintage.