La Grange de Quatre Sous
| Vigneron | Hildegard Horat |
| Location | Assignan (Hérault) |
| Size of Domaine | 8 ha |
| Terroir | Mediterranean climate. Clay-limestone rocky soils. Gentle undulations around 280m altitude. |
| Viticulture | Certified organic (Ecocert) |
| View La Grange de Quatre Sous wines ↓ |
Hildegard originates from Switzerland where she used to work as a restorer to old monuments. She first visited Languedoc during the seventies with her first husband and fell in love with the domaine, La Grange de Quatre Sous, located on a limestone plateau above Assignan in the Montagne Noire, where vineyards qualify for the St Chinian appellation.
The place was almost abandoned, and a lot of work needed to be done. After renovating the buildings, they decided to replant the vineyards in 1983. Farming at La Grange de Quatre Sous has always been sustainable, and the official organic certification came in 1999.
Hildegard split with her ex-husband at that time and continued to run her 8ha estate on her own. She has since remarried to Alioune Diop who originates from the Cameroons and is now helping her with the day to day work. She is also part of a group called Vinifilles, an association of 18 female winegrowers in Languedoc-Roussillon (including Sophie Guiraudon from Clos de l’Anhel) who share views and ideas.
From the start, she has chosen to work with grape varieties outside the AC, notably with the unique and extremely rare petite arvine white grape, arguably Switzerland’s finest variety. Her red wine Garsinde is made with a good proportion of malbec, a grape that thrives in a hot climate.
La Grange de Quatre Sous Wines
BU N’DAW 2020
Vin de France
100% Petite Arvine
100% Petite Arvine (14.5% alc.)
An individual, dry white from a top Swiss variety emblematic of the Valais region. The whole bunches are slowly pressed, the wine is vinified and aged in 4yo 500L barrels over 18 months. It naturally carries out its malolactic fermentation with SO2 total of around 40mg/l. An attractive pale gold colour, there is a floral hint on the nose, a well-balanced attack, with ripe citrus fruit and a saline kick on the finish.
PAYS D’OC IGP 2020
Garsinde
60% Malbec, 25% Syrah, 15% Cabernet Franc
60% Malbec, 25% Syrah, 15% Cabernet Franc (14.5% alc.)
Hildegard’s red is produced from the cooler terroirs of Assignan in the St-Chinian appellation. 100% destalked, the grapes are lightly crushed, cuvaison in stainless steel vat for 25 days with pumping-over. Press wine is blended with free-run juice, ageing for 10 months in stainless steel. The wine has succulent, spicy, dark cherry fruit with a hint of garrigue herbs. Structured, it’s still fresh and very easy to drink.