In 1998, Frédéric Pourtalié left his local co-operative to found Domaine de Montcalmès. He had already studied under the most demanding of producers: Alain Graillot at Crozes-Hermitage and Olivier Jullien (Mas Jullien) and Laurent Vaillé at La Grange des Pères. To explain, Montcalmès, La Grange des Pères and Mas de Daumas Gassac are all sited around the village of Aniane in the Terrasses du Larzac – an enormous terroir whose profile these three domains have succeeded in raising. Located some thirty kilometres north-west of Montpelier, the operation covers 22 hectares of Terrasses du Larzac-appellation vines. The wines of Montcalmès have grown continually in precision and balance, and are now ranked among the finest wines of the Languedoc.

As its name suggests, this cuvée is a varietal wine produced with grapes from different terroirs around Puechabon and Aniane. The wine is aged in third-fill oak barrels for 24 months and is not filtered. It exudes aromas of red and dark fruit (cherry, blackberry, blackcurrant) with notes of spice and the garrigue. The palate is powerful, although the tannins are nicely delicate, and the texture is refined and elegant.