Minervois la Liviniere, Languedoc
Jean-Michel Cazes, the owner of Château Lynch-Bages in Pauillac, had spent many years scouring the Languedoc region in his quest for outstanding terroirs. Until one day he discovered La Livinière, a village at the foot of the Montagne Noire, the birthplace of the finest vineyards in the Minervois.
He purchased two neighbouring estates in 2002 which he combined to make a single 150 hectare domaine, including 60 ha of vineyards and 25 ha of olive groves. With the help of his son Jean-Charles, they chose a name filled with meaning and history: ”l’ostal”, meaning both ”house” and ”family group” in the ancient Occitan language. The Domaine L’Ostal Cazes was born…
The technical teams, led by Fabrice Darmaillacq and Daniel Llose, immediately embarked upon a comprehensive restructuring of the vineyard involving mass uprooting, replanting varieties and soil drainage. This aim of this exhaustive approach was to express the full potential of the terroir and the Languedoc’s finest grape varieties: Syrah, Grenache, Mourvèdre and Carignan.
In 2003, the Cazes family purchased the Tuilerie Saint-Joseph (tile factory), a stunning XIX century building that now houses the domaine’s technical facilities. The first wines were bottled in 2004 (L’Ostal Cazes Grand Vin) and 2005 (L’Ostal Cazes Estibals).