“La Chevalière,” or “the knight’s lady,” is a reference to “Mas La Chevalière,” literally the “farmhouse of the knight’s lady,” the Laroche winery in southern France that was created by Michel Laroche. Surrounded by a wall, just like the “clos” enclosures in Burgundy, Mas La Chevalière is a place of history and character where the “jardins à la française” offer a Mediterranean accent.

The Pinot Noir grapes come from our vineyard partners in two distinct regions of the Languedoc: the Cévennes foothills in the Northern Gard region (The Cévennes is a maze of deep valleys with winding rivers of clear waters, steep slopes covered in forests and jagged rock cliffs and ledges. More than a mountain chain, the Cévennes are in fact a multitude of many-sided open spaces which form the southern part of the Central Massif as it veers towards the Languedoc.); and from Limoux, in the hills south of Carcassonne in the western Languedoc, where the influence of a maritime climate provides cooler, fresher conditions. The soils are varied, with clay and limestone predominant.

This year, the grape varieties benefited from good weather conditions: dry spring and summer. August was particularly nice and yielded a slow, regular ripening. The cool evenings enhanced the aromatic potential of the grapes. The result of all being a perfectly balanced vintage with fruitiness and minerality.

Appearance: Bright ruby hue
Aroma: Ripe and pulpy cherry aromas
Taste: Juicy mouthfeel combined with supple, velvety tannins
Aging Potential: 2 years