2005 Saint Chinian Hecht et Bannier, Languedoc-Roussillon, France, Saint Chinian

On both sides of the Orbet Vernazobre with the Monts du Caroux and Espinouse backdrop, the vineyards of Saint-Chinian wrap themselves around twenty villages northwest of Béziers. The wines of Saint-Chinian, one of the largest growths in the region is an AOC (Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée) since 1982 for its red wines and rosés and since 2004 for its white wines. An extraordinary geological and climatic diversity gives the Saint-Chinian the special character that gives each wine its own originality.

The area of the Saint-Chinian appellation is located northwest of Béziers and has twenty municipalities. It extends over 3,300 hectares of declared parcels and the altitude varies between 100 and 400 meters. Between sea and mountain, located under a mediterranean influence and sometimes exposed to a microclimate, the appellation has created its distinctive terroir.

This Saint Chinian is drawn from a selection of primarily Syrah, with a touch of Grenache and Mourvèdre. Syrah offers a rich variety of mineral and floral expressions using the three soil types from which it originated: shale, sandstone and clay-limestone.

Hecht and Bannier is a trading house focused on red wines from the South of France. It was created in 2002 under the name of the two initiators of the project. The goal is to present a unique range of appellation wines as a qualitative reference region. It is also to promote the qualities of the vineyards of Languedoc Roussillon, which remains still relatively unknown today. Each year, the two men visits hundreds of domains to choose the best wines.

They mature 35% of the wine in inert vats, 20% in half hogsheads (wooden barrels of 1 or 2 wines) and 45% in barrels of 225 liters and 500 liters (containing 1 or 2 wines) .