GRAPE VARIETAL
A blend of Syrah and Grenache, with Syrah taking the lead. The combination brings together structure, spice, and depth from Syrah with Grenache’s rounder fruit and warmth.
APPELLATION
AOC Pic Saint Loup, one of the most distinctive subzones of the Languedoc. Located north of Montpellier, it benefits from cooler nights and higher elevation, producing wines with freshness and tension not always found in the region.
TERROIR
Vineyards sit on limestone and clay soils at the foot of the Pic Saint Loup mountain. The elevation and proximity to the Cévennes foothills create a microclimate with wide diurnal shifts, helping preserve acidity and aromatic complexity.
VINIFICATION
Grapes are harvested by hand and fermented with native yeasts. Maceration is extended to extract texture and depth, followed by aging in a mix of concrete and neutral barrels to maintain purity and balance.
TASTING NOTES
Espérance shows dark berry fruit layered with savory herbs and a touch of smoke. The palate is structured but not heavy, with fine tannins and a mineral edge that reflects its limestone roots.
FOOD PAIRING
Pairs well with grilled lamb, duck breast, or lentil and mushroom stew. For a more inventive match, try it with charred eggplant and tahini, or a rosemary-infused beet tart. Its balance of fruit and earthiness makes it flexible across seasonal menus.
Pic Saint-Loup sits at the northern edge of the Languedoc, where vineyards climb into limestone foothills between the Pic itself and the Montagne de l’Hortus. The setting is stunningly dramatic—Jurassic limestone, dolomitic scree, and garrigue scrub. Of course, there’s the classic climate swings between hot Mediterranean days and cooling night air spilling down from the Cévennes. Red wines dominate production here, using the usual Rhône suspects of Syrah, Grenache, and Mourvèdre, occasionally joined by a smidge of Carignan.
Château de Valflaunès farms parcels on these clay-limestone slopes, with vines ranging from young to several decades old. The estate’s Pic Saint-Loup “Espérance” is a cuvée of the appellation’s core grapes: 60% Syrah, 20% Grenache, 10% Mourvèdre, and 10% Carignan. The blend is fermented with a short, cool maceration and aged ten months in stainless to keep oak influence in the background.
Chateau de Valflaunes — Whenever I roll up to a winery that looks like this, I know I’m in the right place!
Photo courtesy of Chateau de Valflaunes
The Domaine is located in the village of Valflaunès, and its cellars are tucked beneath the old stone château. Winemaker Fabien Reboul has steered the estate toward fresher, more lifted expressions over time—moving away from the heavier Languedoc styles of the past to highlight freshness and terroir. That evolution is clear in Reboul’s cellar choices that focus on shorter macerations and stainless élevage.
“Espérance” is a superb introduction to the Domaine’s wines and the wines of Pic Saint-Loup. It’s truly old-skool Languedoc in the bottle, thanks to its hand-harvested fruit from clay-limestone soils, roughly two weeks of maceration with gentle extractions and pigeage rather than heavy pump-overs, and aging in concrete or stainless steel rather than barrels. Vintage to vintage, the cepage may vary somewhat, but Syrah usually sings lead, with Grenache, Mourvèdre, and Carignan providing background harmony of spice, structure, and grip.
Importer Jason Tippetts of Barrique Imports with Vigneron Fabien Reboul
Photo courtesy of importer Jason Tippetts and Barrique Imports
When you pull the cork on the 2017 Espérance, you’ll immediately realize that bottle age is part of the pleasure. In your glass, a perfectly cellared red opens with primary notes of blackberry, black cherry, and a touch of wild herbs, giving way to complex, layered tertiary tones of leather, dried thyme, black tea, a whisper of cedar and olive tapenade, and that subtle ferrous/mineral twist you get from limestone terroir. Fine, resolved tannins flow through the mid-palate and through the savory finish. Serve just below room temp or with a very brief chill to sharpen the edges.
At the table, you won’t go wrong with daube Provençale, herb-rubbed lamb with roasted garlic, grilled sausages over lentils, or roast chicken with thyme, lemon, and olives. Then color outside the lines with mushroom shawarma with tahini and pickled onions, pepper and herb crusted pork loin, or duck and white bean chili. The wine’s mature savory layers love umami, slow-cooked textures, and dishes that echo the garrigue without the heat.