Montcalmès is an domaine viticole organic estate run by Frédéric Pourtalié and located in Aniane in the Languedoc. Across 21 hectares, it produces red AOP Terrasses du Larzac wine from Grenache, Syrah and Mourvèdre, as well as white wine, available to buy online from the stocks we mature throughout the year.

Which wines from Domaine de Montcalmès should you buy?

To discover the domaine, the discerning enthusiast should focus on the two main cuvées of the domaine, produced with each new vintage.

- The red ORGANIC, in AOP Terrasses du Larzac. This is a blend of 60% Syrah, 20% Grenache and 20% Mourvèdre, which can be enjoyed in its youth, but can also be kept for 10 to 20 years in a good cellar. Even if it is too young, the new vintage should be bought as soon as it is released, as all Montcalmès wines are produced in limited quantities and availability varies from year to year.

Like all blends of noble southern grape varieties crafted by the finest winegrowers, a red Montcalmès wine shows, even in youth, aromas of red fruit (blackcurrant, cherry), garrigue and spices (sweet or more assertive, such as Sichuan pepper), and above all stands out for its extremely fine, delicate tannins. Complexity on the palate increases with time, and as the ageing potential of a red Montcalmès wine is considerable, it is best not to drink them too young (under 5 years). But how hard it is to resist!

- The white, in AOP Languedoc, is a blend of 50% Marsanne and 50% Roussanne, and is very rare as it represents only 5 to 10% of Montcalmès production. It too has significant ageing potential, although unlike the red, it is no crime to enjoy it young. This great white has a lively, taut profile that becomes more mineral with time, with the richness of the grape varieties as its underlying thread, harvested at perfect ripeness but not overripe, bringing body and length to the wine.

Each year, Frédéric Pourtalié offers other cuvées that are more or less ephemeral, depending on the vines, the climat, plantings… and of course his own inspiration! Various cuvées sometimes return, new ones appear, others disappear… according to the winegrower’s inspiration. They are generally more approachable and immediately accessible than the main cuvées of the domaine, and to avoid constraints, the winegrower remains free and most often declares them as “Vin de France”. Among others, we have seen a cuvée “100% Grenache”, “100% Chardonnay”, “100% Chenin”, “100% Mourvèdre”, “Le Geai” (a blend that varies according to the year: Grenache, Syrah, Mourvèdre, Cinsault). You should absolutely buy these cuvées if you find them: they are so rare, and never disappoint!

What are the characteristics of the wines from Domaine de Montcalmès?

The terroir: The Montcalmès vines are ideally situated and oriented:

- The Mourvèdres face north-west and south in Aniane on a terroir of rolled pebbles reminiscent of Châteauneuf-du-Pape. The vines are neighbours of La Grange des pères, Bergerie de l'Arcade and Mas Daumas Gassac.

- The Syrahs and Grenaches (35 years old on average) face north, in Puéchabon, on a plateau of lacustrine limestone.

- The Roussannes and Marsannes are planted on a clay-limestone hillside in the commune of Puéchabon

The vines of the domaine are meticulously tended: ploughed and short-pruned, with tiny yields (20 to 25 hl/ha) thanks to manual green harvesting.

The domaine is certified organic and the harvest, always carried out by hand, is destemmed and crushed, then gravity-fed into vat.

Winemaking: the winegrower’s methods are exemplary in every respect:

For the red wine, maceration lasts around one month, with punching down only for the three grape varieties, which are vinified separately using indigenous yeasts.

Ageing takes place for 2 years in used Romanée Conti barrels that have held one, two or three wines.

The grape varieties are blended and returned to tank 2 months before bottling, which takes place without filtration during the waning moon.

For the white wine, the different grape varieties selected for the vintage (most often Marsanne and Roussanne, but not exclusively) are pressed and vinified together. Direct pressing. Cold settling (24 to 48 hours). Vinification with indigenous yeasts.

Fermentation and ageing take place in barrels and demi-muids, followed by blending in tank four to six months before bottling during the waning moon, as with the red wine.

Who is the Montcalmès Domaine enthusiast?

Lovers of great Languedoc wines, of course, but also fans of the Southern Rhône (Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Cairanne, Gigondas, etc.) will find at Montcalmès everything they love elsewhere.

More broadly, Montcalmès is highly sought after by all lovers of great wines for laying down who have the patience to let the wines blossom in the cellar over the years.

It is also highly prized by collectors, who see Montcalmès as an excellent investment given its accessible price for a long-ageing wine and the rarity of the cuvées.

How should you taste a wine from Domaine de Montcalmès?

The reds should be served at around 16°C, with decanting at least one hour before tasting for young vintages. This is not necessary for older vintages, although they should still always be opened one hour in advance to allow the wine to oxygenate before tasting.

The whites should be served at around 10-12°C, opened one hour beforehand, and without using an ice bucket (or if so, filled with cool water, but no ice cubes)

Use glasses of the “tulip” type, which concentrate the aromas towards the taster’s nose.

What food and wine pairings for Montcalmès?

The red will pair perfectly with grilled red meat (Aubrac rib of beef), rack of lamb or any slow-cooked dish: tajine, Catalan fricandó, pouteille du Gévaudan (lamb and potato stew) 

The white is an ideal match for all cooked seafood, such as grilled fish or fish in sauce, grilled prawns...

What service mistakes should be avoided with Montcalmès wines?

As with all red wines, Montcalmès should not be served too warm, which would bring out the alcohol, nor too cold, which would harden the tannins.

As red Montcalmès is mainly made from Syrah, a reductive grape variety, avoid serving it immediately after opening. A slight reduction could disappoint the taster. 

Opening a red Montcalmès too early, especially in a great vintage built for ageing, is strongly discouraged, as you miss the wine’s full potential. You may also be disappointed, as the wine can be closed and show little if tasted too soon.

What is the history of Domaine de Montcalmès?

Winegrower Frédéric Pourtalié trained at La Grange des Pères, with the late Laurent Vaillé, and in Crozes-Hermitage with Alain Graillot.

1990s: Creation of the domaine (“limestone hill” in Occitan) with his sister Muriel, followed by the arrival of Vincent Guizard, the winegrower’s cousin, to help them. The wines are in AOC Coteaux du Languedoc (which would become AOC Languedoc a little later).

2010: Vincent Guizard leaves to create his own neighbouring domaine Saint-Sylvestre (one to watch very closely!)

2014: The red wine officially obtains the newly created AOC Terrasses du Larzac.

2015: Organic certification received for all wines from the domaine

2020s: there is talk of a white AOC Terrasses du Larzac, but for now the white wine remains in AOC Languedoc.

In less than thirty years, Montcalmès has become a major benchmark for the Languedoc wine region.

What are the grape varieties of Domaine de Montcalmès?

The red grape varieties are vinified separately and then blended, as their profiles are very different. The white grape varieties are vinified together because they are fairly close in character.

Grenache: aromas of garrigue, ripe red fruit (blackcurrant), rounded tannins

Syrah: structure, spice

Mourvèdre: depth, length on the palate and a key factor in long ageing

Roussanne and Marsanne: density and structure in the white wines, with fine ageing capacity and notes of white truffle as they mature.

Chenin: freshness and acidity for greater tension and minerality in white blends

Chardonnay: citrus notes and ageing capacity thanks to a low pH.

Where is Domaine de Montcalmès located?

The vines of Domaine de Montcalmès are located around the villages of Puéchabon and Aniane, north-west of Montpellier, in the Hérault department in the Languedoc region. The red wines are in AOP Terrasses du Larzac, whose distinctive terroirs and climat were recognised by the Institut National des Appellations d'Origine (INAO) in 2014.

The proximity of the Larzac plateau moderates the Mediterranean climat on soils with very rich and varied characteristics (clay-limestone, rolled pebbles, marl and basalt scree). The temperature difference between day (very hot) and night (very cool) is a key factor in the elegance and freshness of Terrasses du Larzac wines. The strong, persistent wind between the valleys of the two main rivers cleanses the air and limits the presence of diseases and fungi harmful to vine health and therefore to production quality.

Why buy wines from the domaine Montcalmès?

Because we love them, and because we believe these wines fully deserve a place in your cellar! But as some customers have told us, “we are not objective, since we have tasted and chosen them in order to sell them: we have a vested interest”. That is why we prefer to “defend” our selection with comments from leading guides, which are more objective than we are :
 

Guide RVF des Meilleurs Vins de France 2026 : 2*/4 (major benchmark domaines). The domaine de Montcalmès, cultivated with rigour and passion by Frédéric Pourtalié and his sister Muriel, both local-born, is one of the references of the sector.

La Revue du Vin de France (March 2016) - The 50 cuvées that tell the story of the Languedoc. Frédéric Pourtalié is undoubtedly the best known of Laurent Vaillé’s followers [La Grange des Pères, ndlr]. Acclaimed by the critics as quickly as his mentor, his small domaine, freshly emerged from the cooperative system, got off to a flying start. The young winegrower’s maturity is impressive, even if some vintages seemed dominated by overly obvious ageing. The style now appears calmer and more accomplished in recent vintages, refined, moving with mastery between finesse and opulence.

Guide Bettane et Desseauve 2026 : 4*/5 (Very high quality). The range of reds is focused; the cuvée in Terrasses du Larzac is, with its ultra-fine tannins, a wine at the summit of the Languedoc elite, a wine of dreams.

Guide Bettane et Desseauve 2021 : 4*/5 (Very high quality). A Grenache of such delicious charm that it recalls Château Rayas.

To discover other sensations in Terrasses du Larzac, visit Mas Jullien or, more generally in the Languedoc, and just as good, domaine des Creisses

Browse our selection of Grands Vins from the domaine Montcalmès