In Caux, within the Pézenas appellation area in Languedoc, the timeless setting of Font des Ormes and its valley sides clad with two basalt flows belies the estate’s ongoing transformation. The overriding ambition is to capture the elegant, tranquil energy of the landscape in the wines.
Descending upon the small valley of Sallèles, swept along by a welcome breeze, they immediately recognise a scene from childhood, an uncannily well-preserved haven. It may well even hark back to a more distant past, ancient history, tinged with the elation of the Romans who planted the first vines here. Stunned by the silence, broken only by bird song, and by the unfurling landscape reminiscent of times long gone, before the phylloxera revolution put paid to the vast swathes of vineyards now superseded by the tranquil harmony of meadows and olive groves ringed by oaks and blossoming almond trees. It is as if this long, gentle apse-like valley caressed by the wind beneath the benevolent skies, had remained untouched by modernity yet left no room for nostalgia.
Come here as custodians, maybe, but to take ownership of its heritage and ensure its future, the journey is infinitely longer…
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