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Located in a valley between the two dazzling limestone cliffs of Pic Saint Loup and Montagne de l’Hortus, this almost-40-year-old vineyard produces highly drinkable wines indicative of the finesse and personality that forms them.

The domain is a 24-kilometre drive north of Montpellier, located among the cooler plots of the Pic Saint Loup AOC—which was granted appellation classification in February 2017, and is a sub-zone of the Languedoc AOC.

Vigneron Jean Orliac and wife Marie-Thérèse bought 50 hectares of wooded, garrigue-dense slopes in 1978, tending the old scrub vines back from disrepair. Jean had been a professor of agriculture at the University of Montpelier, but slowly left teaching to establish his own domain among the staggering limestone cliffs that he once scaled as an avid mountain climber.

Initially the grapes were all sold to the local co-op. But in 1990, a decade later, the Orliacs bottled their first vintage, and soon after built their own winery. Today, their children, Yves, Martin, Francois, and Marie are all involved in running the domain.

Time and experience has lead Jean to understand the soil structure down to the minutiae, despite the estate comprising a patchwork of small parcels of various sun exposures and differing soils. Cooler climate varietals such as Syrah, Chardonnay, and Sauvignon Blanc have been planted on north-facing slopes, while Grenache and Mourvèdre (Jean’s favourite) have been granted full southern exposure. The vineyards are farmed with respect for nature.

During harvest, grapes are picked in the cool of night before being fermented in temperature-controlled tanks (except for roughly 50% of the Chardonnay, which is fermented in barrels to become the Grande Cuvée Blanc).

Domaine de L’Hortus was once the only estate in the valley. But this untouched terroir has gained a handful of new producers in recent years, who have recognised the potential of the region.