Domaine de Cantalauze lies just within the Minervois Appelation of the Languedoc wine region, adjoining its southerly neighbour of Corbieres. The Languedoc-Rouissillon wine producing area is not only the largest in France, but also the world.
It spreads from the Pyrenees to the Rhone valley, encompassing some 300,000 hectares (750,000 acres) of planted vines, making it several times larger than either the Bordeaux or the Australian wine regions.
The annual regional harvest is approaching 20 million hecto litres , enough to produce some 2 billion bottles of wine each year. Wine has been produced in Languedoc for more than 2,000 years, with first the Greeks and then the Romans establishing colonies to produce wine here. During the early part of the 20th century there was extensive new planting to meet increasing demand, but sadly mainly of high yielding low quality wines which were mixed with North African imports to produce basic cheap table wine. The 1960's saw widespread replanting with the high yielding and strong but mainly undistinguished Carrignan vines which still predominate in the region.
The 1970's saw the emergence of even cheaper Italian, Spanish and new world wines resulting in the infamous European wine lakes. As French domestic consumption also started to decline, the Languedoc failed to move with the changing times. The long established co operative system generally rewards quantity over quality and this added to the prevailing reputation of the Languedoc as a producer of cheap poor quality wines.
Technically the Languedoc is one of the best parts of France to produce wine, with reliable long hot summers, adequate winter rainfall, almost constant winds to reduce disease and less risk of spring frost than its northern neighbours. 
Although many vineyards are currently suffering severe financial difficulties, and many hectares of vines have been and will continue to be dug up for ever, there has been a gradual but significant shift in attitude of many Languedoc producers. This has been particularily visible in the growing band of new (mostly foreign) buyers of vineyards who, like many larger established producers from all over the world, have recognised the enormous and largely untapped potential in the region.
These new arrivals, and many of the more enlightened existing owners, now realise that the only way forward is to produce lower yielding higher quality Domaine botled wines, whilst moving away from the bulk sales of the co operative sytem.
The end result is significant investment in estate owners own vinification and bottling facilities, extensive digging up of the older grape plantations and replanting with more modern varieties such as Syrah (Shiraz) and the introduction of traditionally Bordeaux cepages such as Merlot and Cabernet.
Although still predominantltly a red wine producing region (over 95 %), there has been a realisation that excellent white wines can be produced and of course the current trend for lighter summer wines such as Rose can be accomodated too.
In the search for quality producers are reducing yields through harsher pruning, the removal of immature grapes in early summer and the erecting of higher and more modern trellis sytems. This has of course extended into the vinification process with introduction of the latest maceration techniques as well as increasing use of the more traditional oak cask ageing processes.
Although it is still early days, the improvements have already started to be recognised by the wine world in both awards won by Languedoc wines, prices achieved, and an improved perception of the potential quality of the region.
At Cantalauze we have embarked on a similar journey to produce ever improving wine, and though the bulk of our production still passes through the co operative system, it is our intention to increase annually the percentage of the harvest that is bottled. The 2005 vintage of Merlot and Syrah being the first ever commercial wine produced on the estate.
Although part of the estate is classified as AOC Minervois, Chateau bottled wine will have to wait till the new Syrah plantations in the classified part of the state are mature enough to provide the missing element in a Minervois blend, which comprises Carrignan, Sryah and Grenache, with a maximum allowed percentage of 40% Carrignan.
The 2005 vintage was bottled under the Vins de Pays de la Cite de Carcassonne label, reflecting our proximity to this world famous Medieval city.
Although a relatively small production of some 650 cases or 7, 500 bottles the response has been excellent and little stock remains from our virgin production, though we have kept a reserve at Cantalauze to meet anticipated demand from visitors there.
In 2007 we hope to be able to produce our first white wine with a hand picked Sauvignon and another first with a Rose from our Syrah, which has responded magnificently to its new trellissing.
When the estate was acquired in 2004 it was over 60% Carrignan based with the balance being Merlot, Syrah and Caladoc (a modern Grenache hybrid).
Nearly 3 years of major changes later, the estate has a much wider and interesting range of grape varieties many of which will start to produce in 2007. One of the more interesting projects being the experiment of grafting Sauvignon Blanc onto young but established Caladoc vines (which are of little commercial interest, but have a fine rootstock). This latter being so successfull we will be grafting all the Caladoc with white varieties over next 2 years.
The table below shows the changing face of Cantalauze:
Cantalauze Grape varieties
| 2004 | 2007 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hectares | % | Hectares | % | |
| Red | ||||
| Carrignan | 20.0 | 61% | 10.1 | 32% |
| Syrah (Shiraz) | 3.0 | 9% | 6.4 | 20% |
| Merlot | 4.9 | 15% | 4.9 | 15% |
| Caladoc | 4.1 | 13% | 1.7 | 5% |
| Cabernet Franc | 1.9 | 6% | ||
| Cabernet Sauvignon | 1.5 | 5% | ||
| Grenache | 0.7 | 2% | 0.7 | 2% |
| 32.7 | 100% | 27.2 | 86% | |
| White | ||||
| Sauvignon blanc | 2.1 | 7% | ||
| Viognier | 1.7 | 5% | ||
| Chardonnay | 0.8 | 3% | ||
| 4.6 | 1 | |||
| TOTAL | 32.70 | 100% | 31.80 | 100% |
With so many new changes and plantations the annual harvest is currently well below its potential but by 2007 we should be back up towards 2,400 hecto litres or a potential 300,00 bottles.