Our cooperative was created in 1921 and since then has continued in its quest for quality and perfection. Being innovative and audacious we move forwards with the times but always outside the box of which we are very proud.
In the seventies, Castelmaure took a difficult and determined decision: to concentrate on quality and excellence rather than quantity and our winegrowers made a lot of sacrifices. Castelmaure strategy remains exactly the same 50 years later: to create a beautiful expression of our magnificent terroir, but always very drinkable wines, for all budgets.
This involves hard, meticulous work, from the vineyards to the bottling line. We make a very careful choice of the grapes for each particular wine.
Applying winemaking processes ever more innovative, breaking with usual cooperative traditions Castelmaure has created five distinct ranges.
Les Remarquables
These are the top three of the cellar, known and trusted by our loyal clients for a long time.We have been maturing wine in oak since the eighties, beginning with Pompadour, our “trademark”.The wines come from the best of our vineyards. Some vines, nearly 100 years old, are planted on our hillside slopes. Winemaking is precise and sharp and the wine is then aged for 12 months in French oak barrels.
Une Autre Route
Wines are bottled early without oak ageing and stacked for two years in our cellar. This process allows us from the start of fermentation to capture the volatile aromas. Time will then bring complexity and a soft evolution of the tannins.
L’Esprit du vent
Each grape harvest has its own character. This range, the ephemeral wines of Castelmaure, a successful concept which has existed now for more than 10 years. These wines are releasedevery year in mid-June and are celebrated like the birth of Summer! These wines are a pure expression of the last vintage, one being bolder and predominantly Carignan, the other one being softer and predominantly grenache!
Les Désaxées
This is the rock’n roll range from Castelmaure. Here the wines come and go as we wish, based on vintage opportunities. Exploring new paths, new techniques, this is our “lab”, atypical and surprising wines.
Les fondamentaux
Les Fondamentaux, C’est un retour aux sources de Castelmaure, des vins sur le fruit, intenses et gourmands, déclinés en Rouge, Blanc, Rosé et un Ancien qui est assemblé de vieux millésimes. Cette gamme non passée en fûts respecte la tradition de Castelmaure, sa vendange manuelle, sa macération carbonique et son Carignan pour les rouges.
Horizon
Our winemakers have loved and celebrated their land since time immemorial (at least 100 years). Today, they have come together to harmonize their strengths and convictions and present a truly genuine, honest, and pure range here (100% organic). These blends transport us to remote areas where nature reigns supreme, where nature is everything.
They are around 60 winegrowers working at the cooperative. The vineyard is cultivated with family since many generations.
La coopérative de
c’est…
Since 1921, the cave stands out proudly in the heart of the village.
In 2007, the famous architects Lacaton & Vassal modernized the cellar with a new extension. New technologies have been following ever since: new press, temperature control, solar panels… Of course, the environment is important for everyone now but Castelmaure has already been in this ecological spirit for 15 years, showing great respect for the biodiversity, the planet and mankind…
Hand picking all our grapes is the key to our quality.
Once harvested, the grapes are carried in small crates, and mechanically raised above the tanks. They are then moved by gravity to the fermentation vat to undergo carbonic maceration. Using this process, the grapes are not damaged or crushed from the field to the tank. They remain intact up until inside the vat, rendering the best of their fruit.
Castelmaure has always worked with the environment, harvest is 100 % handpicked. We already have the High Environmental Value certification for half of the vineyard, reducing treatments in the vineyards to a minimum. Also, nearly a third of the vineyard is on its way to being organic.
Encircled with stones and rocks, Embres-et-Castelmaure nestles deep in the Corbières, between scrubland and maquis. There are two roads leading to the village, on the border of France and the ancient country of Aragon, at the feet of the Pyrenees mountains.
And the other side of the mountain range lies the Mediterranean Sea.
In the middle of vineyards one finds the ruins of a castle which has given us our name, Castelmaure. And following the path lined with the wise Montpellier Maple trees we come to the romane chapel, St Felix, surrounded by pointed cypres and green oaks.
Hand picking all our grapes is the key to our quality. Once harvested, the grapes are carried in small crates, and mechanically raised above the tanks. They are then moved by gravity to the fermentation vat to undergo carbonic maceration. Using this process, the grapes are not damaged or crushed from the field to the tank. They remain intact up until inside the vat, rendering the best of their fruit.
Castelmaure has always worked with the environment, harvest is 100 % handpicked. We already have the High Environmental Value certification for half of the vineyard, reducing treatments in the vineyards to a minimum. Also, nearly a third of the vineyard is on its way to being organic.
In 1985, Castelmaure signed a commercial partnership with maison Jeanjean. A famous winegrower and distributor from the south of France. The winery is vinifying a specific range of wine exclusively distributed by Jeanjean to supermarkets and export.
You will find in this portfolio, very fruity wines like the Castelmaure red and rosé, in bottle or in Bag in Box, original wines like “les deux crêtes” but also serious wines aged in oak or wooden vat like les Hauts de Castelmaure or l’Extrême.
Vintage 2022
Years may follow one another, but they are not alike. 2022 feels like a relief after the 2021 harvest.
It all began with a rather short and relatively mild winter. At Castelmaure, we were fortunate to have small regular rains throughout the growing season. As luck would have it, these rains fell at the right time, and flowering went very well with a good rate of fruit set.
From late June, the rain ceased. Apart from a small storm during the summer, the weather remained very dry and exceptionally hot, with August breaking all records. Nevertheless, the soil’s water reserve and the vine’s good health prevented any water stress or sunburn.
By grace, we had a light rain shower the day before the harvest, which helped the top selections ripen nicely.
We ended up with a very balanced vintage, with Grenache and Syrah showcasing their fruity character and a lot of smoothness on the palate. The Carignan grapes are very lovely this year and relatively rich. Overall, the wines are beautiful, with a sought-after drinkability! This vintage will be ready quickly and easily enjoyable!
Contact
The wine-tasting cellar is open from 10.00 am to Noon and from 3.00 to 6.00 pm
7 days a week (closed: december 25th, january 1st & may 1st).
Tasting free.
