Domaine Alain Chabanon -

My early days were far removed from the world of wine. Though born in Montpellier, some 30 kilometres from my present home, my roots were among the spectacular hills and volcanic mountains of the Aubrac : home to the finest beef cattle in

France

, of splendid cheese and the famous Laguiole knives.

It was here that I developed my love for nature and my appreciation for good things. As I grew older, the lure of the sun grew stronger. Vines, grapes and wine seemed to me to combine everything I loved : rugged, arid, beautiful countryside from which spring the tough, twisted vines and mouth watering grapes that produce the nectar of the gods !

So, I studied viticulture and wine making in Bordeaux and Montpellier. Then I was incredibly lucky to be able to work for two of Europe’s greatest wine makers : Alain Brumont in Madiran, and Comte Peraldi in Corsica.

Back to the Languedoc in the late 1980s, I bought my first tiny plots of vines near the tiny Hérault village of Jonquières, then in nearby Montpeyroux, where I produced my first vintage in 1992.