Frédéric Agneray
| Vigneron | Frédéric Agneray |
| Location | Sabran (Gard) |
| Size of Domaine | 3 ha |
| Terroir | Mediterranean climate. Sandy limestone. North-facing terrace at 200m altitude. |
| Viticulture | Certified organic (Ecocert) |
| View Frédéric Agneray wines ↓ |
It was thanks to the cavistes of Paris that Frédéric Agneray discovered a passion for wine, while a literature student he became an ardent regular at La Cave des Papilles (14th arrondissement) among others. He then spent five years working at various domaines including La Grange-aux-Belles, Clos Rougeard, Georges Vernay and finally Mas de Libian, before prospecting sites for his own project in 2013.
Looking at Ardèche first, he eventually found his dream vineyard in Margelet (Gard) just north-west of Tavel, it comprises of a 3ha north-facing terrace on calcareous sand, secluded from nearby vineyards by an oak forest teeming with wildlife. In 2018 he bought a 7ha organic property in Sabran just 20km north of Margelet where the soils are mostly sandy with some clay.
Like Cyril Fhal of Clos du Rouge Gorge in the Roussillon, it seems that Frédéric Agneray’s time in the Loire had a profound effect on his winemaking style and, in fact, his wines bear more than a passing resemblance to those of Cyril. They are very precise and elegant for the region, but at the same time, don’t shy away from their Mediterranean roots.
Frédéric Agneray Wines
Frédéric Agneray
This cuvée takes its name after the natterjack toad (crapaud calamite) Frédéric found while working the soil with a pickaxe. The vines are 40yo for the cinsault and 20yo for the grenache, grown on calcareous sand in Margelet. About 70% of the wine is vinified in a ‘millefeuille’ alternating layers for wholebunch and destemmed grapes, while the rest goes through a semi-carbonic maceration. The extraction is very gentle, no pigeage or remontage, just one wetting of the cap per day with a bucket. Cuve aged for 15 months Kalamite feels very close to the grapes and is very precise and aromatically expressive with notes of succulent plums, fennel and wild herbs.
Frédéric Agneray
Mitan comes from the two best parcels in Margelet, one exposed to the north-east on a steep slope with very stony limestone soils, and the other one tilting north in a clearing in the middle of the woods on sandy soils. Despite the vines being just 30yo, yields here are a low 25hh. Destemmed and vinified in stainless steel, the wine spent 30 days infusing on the skins with no extraction other than wetting the cap with a bucket. 60% was aged in cuve and 40% in demi-muids, and it was bottled in June 2018. This is a very elegant example of grenache with floral aromatics, crunchy fruit and beautifully fine tannins.