The Faugères appellation was created in 1982 and covers around 1800 hectares of rolling hills and valleys. As with the best sites in neighbouring Saint-Chinian to the west, the soil base consists almost exclusively of primary schist (see picture - left), a layered/crumbly metamorphic rock which resulted from excessive pressure on clay deposits during the Paleozoic Era and the formation of the Massive Central.
Schist is characterised by its capacity to retain large amounts of water (up to a third of its volume) and its heat-storing properties, whereby it absorbs heat during the hot summer days and releases it at night.
The majority of the region's vineyards have full southern exposure and lie on rugged slopes, with some hills in the northern part of the appellation reaching altitudes higher than 500m above sea level (although the highest vineyards are a bit lower, at around 300m).
The long(er) growing season associated with vines grown at altitude result in Faugères wines of great breed and finesse - rich and rounded, yet elegant and complex, with ripe red and black fruits and scents and flavours of the garrigue, not to mention a good deal of minerality. Of course, great winemakers can make all the difference - and we believe that in Brigitte Chevalier, we have one of the very best.
