A FAMILY STORY
We will now tell you a beautiful family story.
Hubert and Geneviève COMBE are winemakers in the Vaucluse. They have three children who wish to join the family business. But the estate is very much fragmented and not big enough. So, Hubert decided to leave his native land of Violès, where so many generations have lived before him, to offer his family a new start.
At Montfrin in the Gard, he found an old estate which had been abandoned for a very long time but which he guessed was full of promises.
He bought it, and in 1983, the family crossed the river Rhone and tackled the task with courage and determination. The vineyard was totally restructured, worked, planted, the old vines of 1925 were valued, the old farmhouse was restored, the cellar was redesigned, equipped and improved. Hubert’s dream came true and the old estate turned into a beautiful property that Florent Benoit and Paul, after the sudden disappearance of their parents, continue today to exploit and value.
ABOUT THE ESTATE
94 hectares in one piece, 71 of which are in production, are located on a clay and lilmestone soil covered with siliceous pebbles rolled by the Rhône river in the ancient geological past, which is called, in the language of insiders, a Villafranchienne terrace.
A very southern location in the Côtes-du- Rhône area, since certain plots on the estate determine its southern border.
Though they are extremely exposed to the sun, to the wind (Mistral), to rare or violent rains, to extreme temperatures in summer but also in winter, all of which being harsh conditions for wine growing, our vine-yards nevertheless adapt to give grapes rich in flavors and character.
Moreover, mindful of our impact on the environment, we have always practiced a sustainable agriculture, and have met the conditions of the High Environmental Value label, level 3, for which we are certified.
94 hectares in one piece, 71 of which are in production, are located on a clay and lilmestone soil covered with siliceous pebbles rolled by the Rhône river in the ancient geological past, which is called, in the language of insiders, a Villafranchienne terrace.
A very southern location in the Côtes-du- Rhône area, since certain plots on the estate determine its southern border.
Though they are extremely exposed to the sun, to the wind (Mistral), to rare or violent rains, to extreme temperatures in summer but also in winter, all of which being harsh conditions for wine growing, our vine-yards nevertheless adapt to give grapes rich in flavors and character.
Moreover, mindful of our impact on the environment, we have always practiced a sustainable agriculture, and have met the conditions of the High Environmental Value label, level 3, for which we are certified.
“A day without wine
is a day without sunshine.”
A tribute vintage
to J – B POQUELIN
In June 1642, King Louis XIII returned to Paris after having reconquered the Roussillon region from the Spaniards. He stayed at the Montfrin Castle for 20 days.
The monarch was very ill and very much affected by the case of the Marquis de Cinq Mars. His doctor worried and advised him to try the virtues of the waters of Montfrin, known since Charlemagne.
In the Royal suite, we find young Jean-Baptiste Poquelin. He was replacing his father in his charge of regular valet to the King. Father Poquelin pretended to be ill in order to send his son, who had a very strong inclination for the theatre, far from Paris.
Unfortunately for the father, Montfrin, very lively during the season of the healing waters, was very popular with the aristocracy. A Duchess engaged a Parisian theatre troupe to liven up her evenings and those of her friends.
And thus, J Baptiste found at Montfrin the pretty actress Madeleine Béjart whom he had often admired in Paris without ever having the opportunity or the audacity to approach her.
J Baptiste was shy by nature, and the local story goes that one night, emboldened by a famous wine from the slopes of the Molières, he got audacious enough to declare his love to the charming actress and confided to her his passion for the theatre. The young couple soon exchanged oaths, and decided to devote their lives to the scene.
In memory of that memorable night, J-Baptiste adopted Molière as an artist name, Molières being the appellation of the wine that gave him the courage to change his existence.
Back in Paris in the same year, he founded “l’Illustre théâtre” with the Béjarts and achieved the famous destiny that we know.
A parcel on our estate is called the Molières from which our vintage J – B P. comes; it is only fair to pay tribute to our great writer and give his name to our wine! Because, in a way, Molière was born at Montfrin