Lot presentation

Fronton Alabets Plaisance Penavayre 2019

The wine

Alabet is made using specially-selected Négrette grapes grown on a fresh terroir located on the highest terrace in Tarn at an altitude of 220 metres. The grape variety is able to mature slowly thanks to the ancient, highly-eroded alluvium sediment which lies on clay-rich limestone soil. Organically farmed, the grapes are harvested by hand before being fermented in open barrels using indigenous yeasts. The long maceration and gentle extraction ensure the perfect balance. The wine is aged for a further twenty months in concrete vats, before being bottled without fining or filtration.
Alabet is a concentrated wine, brimming with fruit and freshness. The Négrette grape variety has an elegant profile, with notes of violets and spices. It is fleshy and supple on the palate and is enhanced by velvety tannins which give it good length. This wine can be enjoyed when its young and would be the perfect accompaniment to a dish of honey and mustard quails or Indian-style lamb.

About the Producer Domaine Plaisance Penavayre

Domaine Plaisance Penavayre dates back to 1971 when Louis Penavayre decided to create his own cuvées. This family domain has now been taken over by Thibault Penavayre and it stretches across 26 hectares in the South-West of the country, not far from the small village of Vacquiers. The vineyard has been handed down from generation to generation, always working to protect the soil and biodiversity.
In the cellar as in the vineyard, the principles of organic and biodynamic farming are followed, resulting in the domain becoming certified organic in 2011. The vines are manually worked as much as possible, and vinification is carried out using minimum inputs. The plots are spread over two different areas, one to the north of Vacquiers and the other to the south. The characteristics of each type of soil have been carefully studied. Each plot is worked in a specific way to allow the terroir and the vines to express all their aromas freely, guaranteeing the production of pure, healthy cuvées.
Not only has the domain been a real driving force in restoring this South-Western appellation to its former glory, but it also continues to be a true representative of it today. The French wine magazine La Revue du Vin de France even goes so far as to say that the estate's wines "define what is a Fronton”.

Detailed characteristics