Taste the wines direct from the cuvée and the compare with the finished item over a country lunch.

Why did you become a wine maker?

Jean François was brought up on his father's vineyard in the Minervois. Sadly his father died when Jean Francois was 12 and the estate had to be broken up. From then on he held a dream of owning and running his own vineyard. He started to learn about winemaking while at school and later (at the age of 27) went on to gain a diploma in viticulture. Jean François and Catherine have built up the Domaine les Deux Terres over the period since 1988, purchasing appropriate parcels of vines as they became available.

What is your winemaking philosophy?

The whole process of bringing the grapes from the vineyard to the cellar is handled with care and respect that starts with the careful tending which Catherine and Jean-François afford their vines.  The use of chemicals is kept to a minimum to ensure the maximum integrity possible for the wine.  Their overall aim being to strike a careful balance between the terroir, traditional winemaking methods and the need to make wine that appeals to a modern and discerning market.  Constant careful monitoring, backed up by frequent test tastings, appropriate blending and using specialist advice enables them to consistently produce high quality and frequently award winning wines.

Wine making Facilities

Les Deux Terres has a dedicated wine making facility just outside the village of Azille. Jean-François and Cathy have a range of fermentation and ageing tanks with some large traditional reinforced concrete cuves - which are still the predominate vehicle for making wine in the area - large and small stainless steel and glass fibre cuves for small quantities of wine.

The grapes are gravity-fed into the tanks and both traditional fermentation and carbonic maceration are used in making the wine. The grapes are sorted when they arrive at the vineyard and put into the tank whole. Once the naturally pressed ‘first run juice’ is drained off, the still whole grapes are gently crushed using a pneumatic press.

The chai (winery) also has storage facilities for fûts de chêne (oak barrels) and for the bottling plant which, like with most vignerons, is hired when the wine is ready for bottling.

How large is the Domaine?

The total Domaine is 23 hectares with all the land under vine.

Grape varieties (Cépages)

The Domaine has a particularly wide range of varieties and is planted to the following cépages

Syrah: 7 Hectares, Grenache: 2 Hectares,

Carignan: 2.5 Hectares, Pinot Noir: 1 Hectare

Merlot: 3.5 Hectares, Cabernet Sauvignon: 2 Hectares

Chardonnay: 3 Hectares, Viognier: 2 Hectares

The age of the vines varies between 3 and 50 years old.

Classification of Vines

Just over 8ha are classified as AOC Minervois and the balance as Vin de Pays d’OC.

Yields

Yields vary depending on the wine between 20-60 hectolitres per hectare.

Cultivation

The vines are planted to c 4000 plants per hectare with the majority trained on wire for mechanical harvesting. While the older Carignan, Grenache and Syrah vines are trained as goblets.

Soil characteristics and vineyard exposure

The Domaine is composed of a number of parcels around the village of Azille with two principle soil types.  The vines for the AOC Minervois are grown on acidic, schistous terraces with a large number of round stones (galets roulés). This poor soil makes the vines work hard for their living, forces them to push their roots deep conferring drought resistance and helps to naturally reduce yields.  The vin de pays wines are grown on clay-limestone soils.

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