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Clos Centeilles
Patricia Boyer-Domergue’s Christmas 2001 newsletter entitled ‘Clos Centeilles and the whirlwind of fashion’ expressed a strong allegiance to ‘terroir and tradition’, an unwillingness to compromise by following fashion and a respect for the identity, quality and tradition of Languedoc wines - not just the ambition to make money from them.
Patricia, president of the first of the Languedoc’s ‘Cru’ to be recognised in 1999, La Livinière, is one of the heroes of the quality resurgence in the Languedoc. Her wines remain entirely traditional, with no new oak or over-extraction, just ripe naturally grown fruit that beautifully expresses the terroirs of the slopes of La Livinière in the Minervois . She is passionate about forgotten grape varieties and the diversity of vines that grew in the vineyards of the Midi before they were destroyed by phylloxera and has therefore planted a small vineyard of grape varieties such as Picpoul Noir, Oeillade, Riveyrenc and Terret Noir. Patricia's dedication and care doesn't end with her nurturing of forgotten vines but continues through her entire winemaking process. Many of her grapes are pressed by foot and the wine left to mature in the bottle until Patricia believes they are ready to be released.