Pays d'Hérault Grange des Pères Laurent Vaillé 2020

Lot presentation

Pays d'Hérault Grange des Pères Laurent Vaillé 2020

The wine

An absolute icon of the Languedoc, this wine appears on many enthusiasts’ ‘must-try’ lists. Enough to make this bottle the subject of many record-breaking bidding wars. But why are people going mad for this one in particular? Since its first vintage in 1992, this cuvée has enticed and impressed with its totally different style. The vines are grown between 250 and 300 metres of altitude in the Arboussas massif. The atypical blend of Syrah and Mourvèdre with Cabernet Sauvignon and Counoise means it is necessarily categorised as a ‘vin de pays’. This cuvée has a notably intense and expressive nose with aromas of red and black fruit, earth and spices. Its palate is powerful, ample, dense and persistent. To taste it with your eyes closed is to take a trip to the northern Rhône Valley.

Grange des Pères is Languedoc's greatest success story: it is the most famous domain, as well as the most sought after. To be fair, Laurent Vaillé is an extremely talented grower. The Vaillé family settled in the region in 1963, and Laurent took over the family business in 1992 after a training from Eloi Dürrbach at the Domaine de Trévallon, as well as Jean-François Coche-Dury. He has expanded the domain to an area of 11 hectares. The soils are worked without any use of chemical products. Although not certified as such, the domain seeks to adhere to biodynamic principles. The wine is vinified in parcels (in 50-hectolitre stainless steel tanks), and élevage is conducted in barrels over 24 months, with one-third new wood. The remarkable quality of the wines of Grange des Pères was recognised from the very first vintage. Prized by serious connoisseurs and collectors, its wines are now almost impossible for the average wine-lover to track down… except here at iDealwine ;).