Fond Cyprès ‘Le Blanc des Garennes’ Blanc 2020

Location: France, Languedoc-Roussillon

Winemaker: Laetitia Ourliac & Rodolphe Gianesini

Grapes: Grenache Blanc, Viognier, Roussanne

Soil: Calcareous soil and blue marl, yet winds are just as important: the “vent Cers” from the northwest brings cold, dry weather as a counterpoint to the warm, humid air to the east, the Mediterranean “vent Marin”

Winemaking: Indigenous yeasts. De-stemmed and direct pressed then co-fermented for four weeks in concrete. Aged for 12 months in neutral French oak barrels. Bottled sans soufre. No Fining or Filtering.

From the Importer Super Glou: ‘Le Blanc des Garennes’ A co-ferment of Grenache blanc, Viognier and Roussanne from the Garennes parcel, all picked at the same time with different maturities to avoid the Southern French tendency toward “heavy” white wine, which Laetitia and Rodolphe personally don’t care for. They solve this issue by balancing the Viognier and Roussanne, which ripen at the same time, with the Grenache blanc which has yet to reach full maturity at time of harvest. All grapes are direct pressed, co-fermented and aged in barrels for 12 months, lending freshness and tension to the wine. Nothing added, nothing removed. A rich and deep texture, aromas of exotic fruits, spices and citrus. Hints of Iberico ham, porcini mushrooms, caramelized shallots, reminiscent of sherry. The finish is forever.

From the Brigitte Bardot of Corbières and her endearing husband come the wines of Fond Cyprès, a soulful, luscious lineup of Carignan, Syrah, Grenache, Grenache Blanc, Roussanne, Viognier, Muscat, Cinsault and blends thereof.

The couple, whose real names are Laetitia Ourliac & Rodolphe Gianesini, is intent on producing wines that express their sultry slice of the Languedoc — specifically, Escales, in the northernmost part of the Corbières AOC. Their domaine begins at the end of a road lined with Cypress trees and extends in either direction across 15ha of lush vegetation, a secret garden of olives, tomatoes, eggplants, wild herbs, and newly-born kittens.

We first met Laetitia and Rodolphe in the deep, damp recesses of Cave Ackerman on a February afternoon in the Loire, and even then their wines were singing. But when we pulled up to their home in August and were greeted by bowls of freshly grilled palourdes, mussels, garlic, and parsley cooked in the juice we were about to drink, we understood their wines had made it feel like summer all along.