picpoul de pinet

In 118 BC, shortly after the Roman victory in the Punic Wars against Hannibal's Carthage, general Gnaeus Domitius Ahenobarbus built the Via Domitia, a military road linking Italy with Rome's new Spanish possessions.  The road ran (and still runs) right through the vineyards of Pinet in the Herault Departement of coastal Languedoc.  Today, the region is known for its eponymous Picpoul de Pinet, a delightfully refreshing white grape variety that produces a crisp and elegant wine.

Picpoul (Piquepoul) de Pinet was first mentioned in the literature in 1618, but the variety is undoubtedly older than that.  Zazou Picpoul is produced by the Cave de l'Ormarine, which dates its origin to the original association of 53 growers who came together in 1922 to focus on the Picpoul grape and improve the quality of the region's wines.  Granted VDQS status in 1954, it was elevated to AOC Picpoul de Pinet in 1985.  Today, the AOC includes some 1400 hectares of vineyard just inland from the Thau Lagoon around the village of Pinet, in east-central Languedoc just inland from the Mediterranean.

Domaine reine juliette

Located in the hamlet of Castelnau-le-Guers, the Allies family has been making wine at the Domaine for 7 generations. The estate is immediately adjacent to the modern A9, which traces the line of the ancient Via Domitia, and which was once known as Via Reine Juliette for a queen who once passed along the road through the area.

The family produces a range of white and red wines from their vineyards on the eastern edge of the Bassin de Thau, a large coastal lagoon that provides cooling breezes that preserve the vibrant acidity of the Picpoul grape. Currently managed by Guillaume and his sister Marion Allies, they’ve recently been joined by Guillaume’s son, also Guillaume to continue the family tradition.

The soils are rocky alluvium covered in the local garrigue, giving herbal notes to the wines. Winemaking is fully organic with no additives or commercial yeasts. But perhaps the most distinctive thing about the wines of Reine Juliette is that they are 100% estate grown and bottled. Most Picpouls hitting the U.S shores these days come from a single “tank farm” co-op that custom labels different cuvées for a multitude of importers. It reminds one of a classic Simpsons sight-gag; at a tour of the Duff brewery you see a single giant tank with two spigots – one marked “Duff” the other “Duff Lite.” This Picpoul is made with the same perfectionist detail of wines two or three times its price.