Languedoc-Rousillon has become a haven for many winemakers wanting to produce quality wines, free from the shackles of French appellation controls and restrictions.

From the border of Spain to the Costieres de Nimes, the region’s southerly, hot, mediterranean climate and dry growing conditions have encouraged a lot of organic and biodynamic winemaking practices, with disease pressure close to non-existent.

There are a range of grape varieties grown here, producing very affordable whites and easy-drinking reds with concentration and character. Around the towns of Carcassonne and Narbonne are villages Minervois, Fitou and Corbieres, producing rustic, earthy reds with brambly fruit flavours from Syrah, Grenache Mouvedre and Carignan, whilst St Chinain and Faugeres to the north of Bezier produce lighter, fresher, reds from similar blends. Towards the town of Sète lies Picpoul de Pinet, an increasingly popular dry white wine with zesty, green apple flavours. International grapes such as Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Sauvignon Blanc, Viognier and Chardonnay are also grown here, but tend to be made in higher volume production for table wine consumption. All in all, there is excellent value to be had from the Languedoc, with the red blends in particular offering much real personality and charm.

The reputable Domaine des Creisses lies in the heart of the village of Valros, located in the Languedoc region, halfway between Pézenas and Bezier.
The domaine dates back to the 19th century and started to make wine in 1904.
Philippe Chesnelong has run the property since 1998.
Soon after his arrival, he made changes to the vineyards and the winery to make the domaine more sustainable and took a particular interest in the work of the soils.
Philippe is supported on the winemaking side by his cousin, Louis Mitjavile, an outstanding producer and wine consultant from Bordeaux who brings his talent to the vinification.
Together they contribute to the success of the Domaine and its two wines les Creisses and les Brunes deserve particular attention

Today, the estate has over seventy acres which are pruned in such a way to keep as much old wood, adding complexity and character to the wines. Working as organically as possible is critical for Les Creisses, who have recently been certified as a property with high environmental value. By only weeding every other row and regularly applying organic matter to the soil, natural biodiversty is restored whilst the vines have to work harder to draw up water and nutrients. This results in more concentrated and complex, flavoursome fruit from healthy vines.

A range of grape varieties are grown on two very different soil types to produce Les Creisses wines.
Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah and Mourvèdre are grown on a clay-limestone base which gives the wine a fresh and silky mouthfeel, whilst Grenache, Carignan and Cinsault are cultivated on a sandy, free draining gravel site, producing wines with delicacy and sweetness of fruit.
The harvested grapes are always de-stemmed with a long maceration of up to 25 days on skins to gain succulent flavours and generous tannins.
Following fermentation, the wines spend over a year in tank to harmonise before being bottled.
Les Creisses’ other label, Les Brunes, is quite different, owing to the more volcanic “brown” soil (hence Les Brunes) where the vines are grown. Cabernet Sauvignon is cultivated on a more gravelly soil with a clay-limestone plateau whilst Mourvèdre and Syrah are grown on a basalt soil, both of which give power and richness to the wine. All grapes are de-stemmed at harvest, and fermentation takes place over 25 days at high temperatures to extract plenty of tannin and flavour. The wines then spend around a year and a half in new french barrels to mellow, producing lots of sweet spice flavours in the wine within a polished structure.