Gourmet products local specialties and wines Saint Chinian

In 1623, Pierre Mercadier planted the first vines. The estate, handed down from mother to daughter, was enriched with schist terroirs under the direction of Christine and Luc. The Clos Bagatelle coat of arms, a woman in armor, foretells an adventurous history. Today, Luc manages the vineyards, Christine, his sister, the marketing and Françoise looks after the estate and exports. A place where challenges are met in a spirit of complicity to offer fine, quality wines: AOC Saint-Chinian red and rosé, a white and Muscat de Saint-Jean-de Minervois.

Domaine La Madura, a vineyard in the Saint-Chinian appellation, boasts a wide diversity of soils, grape varieties and microclimates. Nadia and Cyril Bourgne moved here from Bordeaux in 1999. The multiple terroirs, with their varied schist, sandstone and clay-limestone soils, create a unique mosaic. The relief and fluctuating altitude allow for staggered harvests for optimal ripening. Respect for the environment is at the heart of our work in the vineyards, which have been awarded the Haute Valeur Environnementale (HVE) and Agriculture Biologique (AB) labels.

It was in this house that Charles Trenet's father once held his office as a notary. Today it is the property of the Saint-Chinian wine syndicate and houses a rather remarkable producers' shop: more than 300 references of AOC Saint-Chinian are present there. What a treat! The house also offers introductory tasting courses and discovery tours of culture, tourism, vineyards and gastronomy ... Quite a programme!

To the west of Béziers, the 80-hectare organically farmed Domaine de Saint Cels extends over schist, clay-limestone and pebble soils. This environment offers a great diversity of grape varieties: Grenache, Syrah, Mourvèdre, Cinsault, Carignan, Chardonnay, Roussanne, Colombard, Vermentino... for a clear, coherent range of wines. These include Les Étincelles and Les Naturelles in red and white, and Les Intemporelles and Les Confidentielles in Saint Chinian.

The Etienne family carefully cultivates the 52 hectares of a former royal manufacturing site, handed down through six generations. This terroir now offers quality wines to be enjoyed in a restored cellar. Pays d'Oc wines, both red and rosé, are exported all over the world. In AOC Saint-Chinian, a rosé de saignée is made from syrah, grenache and cinsault, offering a fresh, heady nose, harmonious and thirst-quenching. Cuvée Elise, made from Syrah and Grenache, is a remarkable red. A superb tasting experience!

The Domaine des Pradels Quartironi, organically farmed for 3 generations, covers 14 hectares in the Saint-Chinian appellation. The hillside vines, facing south and southeast, benefit from a schist terroir at an altitude of 300 m, offering low yields favoring subtle aromas and characteristic freshness. Some of the reds are aged in vats, oak foudres, oak demi-muids or stoneware jars before bottling.

The Saint-Chinian cooperative winery, founded in 1937, is run by a hundred passionate winegrowers. Since 2013, it has been combining exceptional cuvées with works by contemporary artists, an original concept called l'Art en Cave. Great names in art have already collaborated on this project, including painter Laura Chaplin, granddaughter of Charlie Chaplin, and Breton artist Eric Fleury in 2019. The paintings created on the vats are reproduced on the vintage bottle labels. A combination of art and wine that we love!