Two Star La Revue de Vin de France: “Amongst the elite of the area.”

New York Times: "To Find the Best of Languedoc, Follow the Producer" 2019

Jancis Robinson: "Languedoc for terroir-driven bargains" 2004

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The story of how Thierry Navarre came to be part of our Mosaique Wines offering is a long one, literally, but we’re so glad we persisted and can bring these wonderful wines to Australia. 

 

Thierry Navarre is a producer we have had in our mind for some years. We would check in every year to see if we might get a response but given he spends so much time in the vineyard, and not so much time in front of the phone or computer, it proved a difficult task. 

 

Finally, we saw a chance in March 2023 - Thierry would be at the La Dive a Bouteille Wine Fair, and so would Thomas on a flying trip to France. The trip was almost accounted for by the minute, and as the morning of the wine fair ticked by, Thierry was nowhere to be seen and Thomas needed to leave to go to another wine fair. Of course, just as Thomas was leaving, Thierry arrives already in deep conversation with someone else. Long story short, Thomas decides to be late (not a big drama for the French), and stay until he can finally meet Thierry - an encounter years in the making and instantly worth the wait.

 

Thierry Navarre is a bit of an icon in his region of Languedoc. He is widely regarded as one of the most respected natural winemakers in the area, and his wines are celebrated for their depth, complexity, and terroir-driven flavours. Without question, Navarre is best known for continuing his family’s dedication to promoting diversity of grape varietals in the region, resurrecting lost and ancient grape varietals - most of which are lower in alcohol. 

 

Taking over from over the domaine's vineyards in 1988, Navarre is a man who lives in his vines - a patch of 15ha based in and around the picturesque village of Roquebrun (which incidentally is set to become a grand cru of Saint-Chinian). His vineyards are farmed organically and filled with a role call of both popular and yet to be discovered varieties including Œillades, Ribeyrenc, Syrah, Cinsault, Grenache noir, Carignan, Romorantin, Clairette, Grenache gris, Marsanne, Terret and Muscat à petit grains blanc.

 

These vines have a southwest exposure, and combined with soils composed of loose brown schist, generally produce lighter, mineral driven, delicate, more elegant styles compared to the wines from further south in Saint-Chinian. His lower alcohol (11%) and brighter ‘Le Vin d’Oeillades’ (Cinsault’s cousin) and ‘Le Ribeyrenc’ are French sommelier favourites and considered a ‘best kept secret’. 

The grapes are hand harvested, with some fully or partially destemmed. Following a natural fermentation in cement tanks, some of the cuvees are vinified traditionally, while others are vinified with carbonic maceration. Ageing occurs in a mix of tanks, old 228 litre and 500 litre barrels and foudre for 12 months. The resulting wines are unfined, yet they are filtered and have low sulphur. 

 

Navarre’s intuition for winemaking and passion for history translate into wines sought out by true wine lovers, a discovery not to be missed that we couldn’t be more excited to share!

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