La Clape, France

Paul and Line Maury might be our youngest producers but winemaking runs in the genes.

Paul’s grandparents and great grandparents were winemakers specialising in single varietal wines, and we list his fine examples of Vermentino, Chardonnay and Viognier.

In 2008 Paul came across the opportunity to buy vines on La Clape and create his own domaine. His vineyard near the sea is surrounded by pine and oak trees and the soil is characterised by grés rouge (red sandstone) hence the name given to his unoaked red La Clape.

La Clape (a "heap of pebbles" in the old Occitan language of the south) was a mountain surrounded by the sea (east of Narbonne) when the Romans first spotted its potential and planted it with vines.

Sediments from the river Aude attached it to the mainland in the 14th Century. Maximum ripeness is ensured by 300 days of sunshine per year, making it is one of the sunniest spots in France but it is also amongst the windiest with a particularly violent Tramontane from the plateau to the north.It's a special spot to make wine.