Located in the town of Sommières, between Nîmes and Montpellier, Château l’Argentier has been run by the same family since 1937. Owners and winemakers Élisabeth & Francois Jourdan currently farm a total of 24 hectares of vines, producing a selection of AOP Languedoc wines, including 2 hectares classified under the Sommières cru and 6 hectares under the Grès de Montpellier cru. The AOP wines are made mainly from Syrah and Grenache, with a little Carignan and Mourvedre. The estate also produces a trio of excellent "varietal" IGP wines - reds from Carignan and Cinsault, plus an unusual (and quite delicious) rosé from (inter alia) Aramon. Many of the vines are very old (over 85 years) and are planted on clay soils rich in flint.What attracted us to Chateau l'Argentier is the fact that all of the wines are both fermented and aged in concrete vats, completely unfettered by the influence of oak. This refreshing approach to winemaking allows the resulting wines to fully express their fruit and terroir, which they do with great verve. Furthermore, the reds are aged in bottle for at least a couple of years before release, which means they are already very approachable, though undoubtedly capable of further ageing. With Chateau l'Argentier, we are pleased to have added yet another top-quality grower to our list of discoveries.
