Domaine de Baron´argues

The critic Jeb Dunnuck particularly appreciated the Domaine de Baron’arques wines presented to him at a tasting of Languedoc wines in January, writing up excellent tasting notes for them.

Domaine de Baron’arques 2013 : 91-93

“The 2013 Limoux offers serious notes of black raspberry, licorice, charcoal and toasted spice. It has remarkable purity of fruit, it leans more towards the fresher, more elegant end of the spectrum. Medium+-bodied, layered and silky, with high quality tannin, it should certainly be an outstanding wine.”

Domaine de Baron’arques 2012 : 93

“the 2012 Limoux knocks it out of the park with its Bordeaux-like bouquet of lead pencil shavings, toasted spice and sweet black raspberry and cassis-scented fruit. Medium to full-bodied, supple and elegant, it doesn’t lack for concentration or structure, and should age beautifully.This is an estate to watch!”

Domaine de Baron’arques 2010 : 91

“Looking at the 2010 Limoux, it’s a similar blend to the ’12], this beauty gives up lots of sweet blackberry and black currant like fruit intermixed with licorice, pencil shavings, toasted bread and spice. This all gives way to medium to full-bodied, ripe, nicely textured red that has a stacked mid-palate, high quality tannin and a great finish. It will have 10-12 years or more of longevity.”

Domaine de Baron’arques 2007 : 90

“The 2007 Limoux is aging gracefully and exhibits attractive notes of plum, cassis, leafy herbs and lead pencil shavings. Medium to full-bodied, with still ample fruit and depth, it should continue to drink nicely going forward.”

Le Chardonnay Domaine de Baron’arques 2013 : 91

“ A big white, the 2013 Limoux Blanc le Chardonnay has lots of toastiness in its apple blossom, white flower and brioche scented bouquet. This is followed by a medium to full-bodied, beautifully ripe, textured. Drink it over the coming couple of years.”

Tasting done by Jeb Dunnuck, the journalist specialist in Languedoc-Roussillon wines.

The estate is known as Domaine de Lambert. It belongs to the Abbey of Saint-Polycarpe, a village near Limoux in the Aude department of Southern France. During the French Revolution, the estate is sold at a public auction to a Mr. Estribaud-Gaure from Carcassonne for 19,300 livres. "Lambert Farm comprises of buildings, a yard, fields, vines, cultivated and uncultivated land", the whole covering just over 81 hectares (200 acres).

The estate is sold to Michel Tisseyre. According to the deed of sale, there were then "three pairs of oxen, three horses, a mare and 150 sheeps" at Lambert. The Tisseyre family stops rearing sheep and extends the vineyard. The Tisseyre family build themselves an attractive residence. The estate covers around a hundred hectares (250 acres), 48 of them (120 acres) planted with vines. 

In 1998 Baroness Philippine de Rothschild and her two sons, Philippe Sereys de Rothschild and Julien de Beaumarchais de Rothschild, acquire the estate and rename it Domaine de Baron’arques. They embark on a five-year project to renovate the vineyard and the winemaking facilities. The very high-quality 2003 vintage is the first produced by Domaine de Baron’arques. The estate is awarded the AOC Limoux rouge appellation, created by the Institut National des Appellations d’Origine (INAO). Domaine de Baron’arques takes its rightful place alongside the family's other estates.

Domaine de Baron’arques is located in Languedoc, in the commune of Saint-Polycarpe, near Limoux. The Domaine is a single 110-hectare (272-acre) estate, 43 hectares (106 acres) of which are planted with vines.

Located 400 km from the Atlantic Ocean and 100 km from the Mediterranean, the vineyard is subject to the climatic influence of both water masses, ensuring optimum sunshine and balanced rainfall. Also close to the Pyrenees, the parcels are at an altitude of 250 to 350 metres, tempering the summer heat.

The soil is mainly clay and limestone, except for a few parcels where there is more gravel and sand.

The vineyard is planted with 70% Atlantic varieties (Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc) and 30% Mediterranean varieties (Syrah, Grenache and Malbec) for the red wines and 100% Chardonnay for the white wine. Seeking the best possible quality, Domaine de Baron’arques has opted for high-density planting: 7500 plants per hectare on 10 hectares (25 acres) of the estate and 4600 plants per hectare on the other parcels (most vineyards in the region are planted with a density of around 3000 plants per hectare).

Like the vineyard, the wines receive the same meticulous care and attention as Baroness Philippine de Rothschild's other estates. The grapes are harvested by hand in 12-kilo open baskets, as in the family's Bordeaux vineyards.

The grapes are sorted above the vat room and thus fed into the vats by gravity, a process which helps to keep the fruit whole. The grapes are gently destemmed and lightly crushed, then fermented in stainless steel vats. Alcoholic fermentation lasts about eight days at a maximum temperature of 30° C. It is followed by a maceration period lasting two to four weeks depending on the wines and the grape varieties.

After malolactic fermentation, the premium red wine is matured for 12 months in oak barrels, either new (25-50% depending on the vintage) or one to three years old. La Capitelle du Domaine de Baron'arques, the Domaine's second wine, is oak-matured for up to six months.