Andrew Guard

Pézenas

Prieuré Saint Jean de Bébian is one of the oldest estates in the Languedoc and now a benchmark amongst French wines. It covers 32 hectares round Pézenas which was officially designated an appellation on 29 April 2007. The terroir was thus classified as “grand cru”, the top of the new three-level ranking of Languedoc AOC wines.

The Prieuré Saint Jean de Bébian Rouge is one of the iconic wines of the Languedoc and the culmination of Alain Roux’s vision for this estate’s grand vin. It is sourced from vineyards he inherited as well as those he planted with budwood from some of the greatest estates in Southern France: Syrah from Chave, Grenache from Rayas and Mourvèdre from Tempier. All the wines are fermented in 18th century stone vats with a long maceration ranging from 6-9 weeks followed by aging for 12-18 months in tank for the Grenache, and 228L French oak barrels for the Syrah and Mourvèdre. Superb quality here

Written by Andrew Guard — June 12, 2022