Clos Marie
Pic Saint-Loup
Revue du Vin de France, June 2003
“Perfection is never found in man, sometimes it can be found in his intentions.” With premonition, this phrase graces the back label of the 2000 Clos Marie wines. Christophe Peyrus is a hero of the (2002) vintage. In the worst possible conditions, he has succeeded in producing wines of unequaled quality among his colleagues in the Pic Saint-Loup. The cuvée Simon has great body with excellent balance. The Métairie du Clos, from old vines, shows notes of cooked figs, beautiful freshness with a rich, lacy body. The perfect response of a great winemaker to horrible climatic conditions.
Christophe Peyrus took over his family’s vineyards in 1991. Prior to this, his father had sold the grapes to a local cooperative. From that point on, he sought council with some of the greatest winemakers in France (Didier Dagueneau, Clos Rougeard, Grange des Pères, etc) and now the French wine press considers his winery to be at the top of the appellation. The twenty hectare (50 acres) property is situated in and around the village of Lauret, north of Montpellier and the vineyards are scattered around the terraces that rise from the village up to the sharp cliffs that form part of the plateau of the Hortus mountain. The soils are clay and chalky limestone, and all of the vineyards are continuously plowed to force the vines’ roots to seek nourishment deep down in the limestone bedrock. The domaine has been farmed using biodynamic principles since 2000, and no pesticides or herbicides have ever been used. The harvest is done manually. Yields for the various cuvees vary between 15-35hl per hectare.
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