Name: Seigneurie de Peyrat
The people: Cecile Espada is the proprietor, but it’s been in her family since 1910, and the present chateau once hosted Louix XIV himself in the 17th Century.
The Story:
Cécile Espada (née Viennet, but she married someone Spanish, hence the non-French sounding name) manages this place beautifully. The emphasis on the wines is drinkability, and they are a charming, good value set.
The planting of sangiovese was a bit of a surprise, but I didn’t get to taste any. She explained,
“It’s an unlikely terroir for sangiovese. Some years, it does very well; other years, not at all.”
As with so many domaines, they had been hard hit by the frosts in 2021. Nonetheless, the whites I tasted (from 2020) were very good. The viognier (Price band A) was charming and a good expression of the grape; while the Tradition Blanc (Price band B), a viognier-sauvignon-vermentino blend was simply excellent, the round apricot of the viognier cut through with the thrust of the other two grapes.
For the reds, it helps if you like grenache. Both their basic ‘Grenache’ (Price band A) and Grande Reserve (Price band B) are 100% grenache, the latter with a touch more ageing. Both have luscious red berry fruit flavours, but not that much structure. Very enjoyable.
A step up is their range which comes under the IGP Pays d’Oc category. The Seigneurie de Peyrat, Tradition Rouge (Price Band B) is an easy going merlot-syrah-grenache blend, while the Seignuerie de Peyrat, Les Lucquiers (Price Band D) is a well aged syrah-grenache blend. When I was there (in 2022), they had the 2012 on offer: a complex, full, satisfying red wine.
Considering the prices, the quality on offer here is exceptional.
Where this domaine really comes into its own is in its tourism offer. Every weekday in summer, they offer a wine tasting with a tour of the vines at 11am, followed (if you like) by a sort of glamping picnic lunch, washed down by the domaine’s wines from 12 midday. The tables and chairs are laid out in the heart of their gorgeous, shaded 17th Century courtyard. Pretty irresistible. Cécile says somewhat ruefully that, while the lunch service technically stops at 4pm, sometimes people are still drinking at their tables until 6pm. She doesn’t mind too much:
“It’s their holidays. They are having a good time.”.
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Grapes planted (11):
Red: syrah, grenache, pinot noir, sangiovese, cabernet sauvignon, merlot
White: chardonnay, sauvignon, viognier, roussanne, vermentino
How many hectares: 85
Annual Production: 5000 hecto litres (c. 500,000 bottles; some bag in box)
Price range: €5.50 to €18
Places to purchase in UK: no UK distribution as yet.
Star buy: Tradition, Blanc €8
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How to visit:
The boutique is open from 10am to 6pm every day, Monday to Friday with their wines, and various james, chutneys etc. Consider this more: every day, Monday to Friday, at 11am, they offer a vineyard tour (in English and French) with a wine tasting, and every day they also offer a ‘pique-nique chic’ lunch in their vast courtyard, from 12 midday until 4pm (€22 for adults, €9 for children). This runs from June to September.
Contact details:
Seigneurie de Peyrat, Route de Roujan, 34120 Pezenas
Tel; 04 67 38 08 43
Email: info@depeyrat.com, www.depeyrat.com
