Clos Bagatelle

– Saint-Chinian

Let’s go back to the south of France… 1623… and some bloke called Pierre Mercardier decides he’ll clear all the rocks and boulders and trees out of around 20ha of wild, overgrown, hilly, rocky terrain around the village of St Chinian so he can plant some vines.

Now I’ve been there, I’ve actually stood in amongst some of the remaining uncultivated plots of land and a couple of things strike me. Firstly Clos Bagatelle would have been a hell of a lot smaller if it had been me back in 1623, secondly I can’t help but worry about Pierre’s back… this is tough, tough land… and finally I’m really grateful that he did it… Clos Bagatelle make some very beautiful wines from this wild and special terrain; intense yet calm, polished but still energetic and characterful, quite ‘grown up’ and above all very ‘drinkable’ (and no I don’t know what the bloody hell I mean by ‘grown up’ and ‘Drinkable’… they just are, ok?)