Mamie Picuepoul Noir 2023, Pierre Cros

Pierre Cros, an ex rugby player, is a genuine maverick winemaker from the Languedoc wine region. Above all he is a great character. His domaine is situated in the small village of Badens in the Minervois, surrounded by the Canal du Midi to the South and the Montagne Noire to the North. It is here in the intense heat of the southern sun that little else grows except the vine and olive tree…and it is here that Pierre Cros cultivates his 20 hectares of vines including the classic Southern French varieties of Grenache, Carignan and Syrah as well as some very interesting Touriga Nacional and Nebbiolo. Low yield and vines dating from 1905 contribute to the production of some extremely fascinating and popular wines which are deep and structured and very enjoyable. “I neither pretend to teach you how you should taste my wines… nor when… or why… or (even worse) with whom. I would just like to outline certain reflexions and ideas, which in my opinion are important for today’s wine world. I would like to tell you, for example, that above all I am a peasant, a hillbilly if you like, with all my knowledge and all my doubts. And I am surely a full man, proud about his roots and proud to rrrrrole the R’s like people do in my country.” Pierre Cros