2021 Domaine Fond Cyprès - Cyprès de Toi Blanc

From the Brigitte Bardot of Corbières and her endearing husband come the wines of Fond Cyprès.  The couple, whose real names are Laetitia Ourliac & Rodolphe Gianesini, is intent on producing wines that express their sultry slice of the Languedoc — specifically, Escales, in the northernmost part of the Corbières AOC. Their domaine begins at the end of a road lined with Cypress trees and extends in either direction across 15ha of lush vegetation, a secret garden of olives, tomatoes, eggplants, wild herbs, and newly-born kittens.

In 1998, they bought a forgotten 18 hectare vineyard in Escales, in the Corbières appellation.  Their vineyard has calcareous soils (high levels of magnesium carbonate and calcium reduce soil acidity), and is influenced by cold northwest “vent Cers” winds, and the humid air brought in by the vent Mediterranean.  Over the next six years, the two trained as winemakers and slowly began to re-work their land in the old way, building terraces and planting vines, and getting to know their terroir. By 2004, Domaine Fond Cyprès was born.  In the 16 years since, Laetitia and Rodolphe have continued to experiment and evolve as winemakers. They’ve gained a deeper understanding of their land, grapes, and style.