Gourmet products local specialties and wines Saint-Polycarpe

Owned by the de Rothschild family and their children, this estate, founded in the ^17th century as a former tenant farm, has undergone extensive renovation of its vineyards and technical facilities. An impressive barrel cellar helps to further sublimate the wines produced from this promising terroir. Combining excellent working methods and Rothschild family know-how adapted to the Limouxin terroir, the estate produces three AOC Limoux wines, Domaine de Baronarques Grand Vin red or white and La Capitelle.

In the heart of the Haute Vallée de l'Aude and the Pays Cathare, near Limoux, lies Domaine du Grès Vaillant. Founded in the 13th century by the Benedictine monks of the Abbaye de Saint-Polycarpe, this estate is now farmed by Aigline de Causans and Laurent Maffeïs. On their 7 hectares of vines, surrounded by woods, meadows and streams, they practice organic viticulture. The vines receive no synthetic weedkillers or pesticides, and are worked with three draught horses to limit the effect of soil compaction. The vineyards are surrounded by woodland, which favours a high level of biodiversity and helps to control pests. The high altitude clay-limestone terroir, combined with Mediterranean sunshine and the coolness of the Pyrenees, gives the wines a unique aromatic complexity. Vinification is meticulous, with hand-picking and natural fermentation using indigenous yeasts. The estate also offers wine tours and an online boutique.