Move Over Pic Saint Loup

Wineries visited: Castel Barry and D’Archimbaud

I’ve been to Pic Saint Loup, and I’ve enjoyed some of the reds, whites, and rosés from there. The reds stand out for their inky fortitude, prepared to fight a gallant battle with seared prime rib steak. That’s probably why, in addition to the region only in the past 10 years focusing on higher-end wine, they’re not well known by the average American wine consumer. Even less-known than Pic Saint Loup is the region encompassing St. Guilhem-Le Désert, Montpeyroux, St. Saturnin-de-Lucian, and Mourèze. The wines of Montpeyroux and St. Saturnin are subtler while still relying on the same varietals as Pic Saint Loup: Carignan, Syrah, and, Mourvèdre.

My friend and guide, Manu, has a car. That’s the only way to get to wineries in the Montpellier region. He used to live in a town in the area, and he’s a frequent customer of the local wineries—particularly Castel Barry and D’Archimbaud. We visited Castel Barry first, and they are a large cooperative of the Montpeyroux wine growers. The day we visited was a banking holiday, so some of the other wineries we visited were closed, but Castel Barry was open, and we were fortunate to be served by the master winemaker himself (everyone else was taking the day off).

I entered the tasting room convinced I wanted to taste a wine with lots of Mourvèdre, so we didn’t bother with whites or rosés. What surprised me was the wines without Mourvèdre had more body and staying power than those with it. They also had a selection of four organic wines, which were also tasty — again, all Carignan and Syrah.

The next stop was a family-owned small lot producer, Domaine D’Archimbaud. We walked into the tiny tasting room in St. Saturnin-de-Lucian, there was nobody there. According to Manu, the grandparents run the store and watch the grandkids while the parents run the winery operations. I heard a television coming from upstairs, so I walked up a few steps and said “hello?” The grandmother apologized and came downstairs to let us try their well-known “Infant Terrible” blend and their premium blend.

All of the wine we tasted was 14% alcohol content, which is California level. You’ll be hard pressed (!) to find a California red with 12.5% alcohol. Part of why I like French wines is they don’t intentionally pump up the alcohol level, but I honestly didn’t notice the higher alcohol with these wines. I bought wine at both places, but I had to choose which ones to bring home. Based on Manu’s recommendation, I’m taking the two bottles from D’Archimbaud and leaving the rest for Manu and Charlotte to enjoy.