Domaine de la Souterranne, Languedoc, France

Domaine de la Souterranne is a small family owned property in the Minervois region of the Languedoc. Owned by Jim and Sarah Pearce, they use an award winning Australian-French wine-making team, with a philosophy of quality not quantity, something that aligns Edward Parker Wines with them. Flying wine-makers David Morrison and Raphael Genot were awarded the overall winners of the Wines of Chile 2007. As well as Chile, they also work on Georgia, La Mancha in Spain, Bordeaux and Southern France giving them an excellent breadth of experience.

The property is sited on an ancient river bed and is very similar in terms of the rockiness as that of Chateauneuf-du-Pape. The terroir is excellent. The stones retain the heat of the day, warming the vines by night. This gives a longer growing season allowing more time for the fruit to develop. The stones also act as a shade to the soil, so there is less evaporation, and hence less disease as the humidity is lower. The vines have to work hard for the water due to the drainage and so have enough stress to ensure good concentration to the fruit.

Wine to Watch: Chardonnay Viognier, Vin de Pays d'Oc 2008    £6.95