Domaine de L’Hortus is one of the pioneers of the new generation of Languedoc wine making. In 1980, Jean Orliac and his wife Marie-Thérèse bought 50 hectares of abandoned scrubland in the valley between the Pic and Montagne d’Hortus. After clearing it, they set about planting vines, each grape variety carefully selected to complement its terroir – Syrah on the cooler slopes of Pic Saint Loup, Grenache below and Mourvèdre on the warmer Montagne d’Hortus. They produce two cuvées of each colour. Their whites must be sold as Vin de Pays du Val de Montferrand because of the choice of grape varieties but are every bit as good as the reds. We have chosen the Grandes Cuvées in each case. The style of the reds is restrained and concentrated and the whites are exotic and lush.