This small domain of thirty or so hectares has been handed down from father to daughter since the mid-19th century. The fifth generation, represented by Agnès de Volontat, is currently in charge. It was always the idea of her great-grandfather, Désiré Estève (1873-1954) – who produced these little treasures – to keep back vintage cuvées for his descendants. The vineyards consist of an exceptional schist terroir at altitude (800 metres), at the foot of the Cathar cathedral of Quéribus. The cellar nestles below, at the entrance to the village of Maury, on the road to Cucugnan.

This Maury is vinified from Grenache noir which evolves on shaly soils. In the cellar, the winemaking process is traditional in that the wine is made by mutage, an old technique that dates back to the 13th century. The fermentation is in fact arrested by adding liquor leaving residual sugars which are unprocessed in alcohol. The wine produced has a deep garnet colour, a fruity nose that finishes with roasting notes. The tannins are silky. It is a complex wine, of meditation which pairs beautifully with marbled cheeses or chocolate desserts.