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”.

This cuvée is produced from parcels located in the highest terrace in Tarn, standing at around 220 metres high on alluvial soils made up of pebbles, sand and silt on a clay-limestone bedrock. Although not certified, this domain does practise biodynamic farming, and is able to collect ripe and healthy grapes thanks to rigorous sorting in the vineyard and limiting the yields to just 20hl/ha. In the cellar, the indigenous yeasts trigger fermentation, and following racking, the wine is placed in barrels for malolactic fermentation before being aged on fine lees in new 30hl barrels for 12 months, followed by eight months in concrete vats.
The Négrette reveals its real charm upon tasting: a nose marked by peony and violet, with a wonderful minerality and notable hints of spice. Dense, complex and well-balanced, it lingers on the palate with hints of tea and hibiscus. Lamb with tomato and basil would be a wonderful accompaniment to this wine.