Among the many value driven wines in the Langdon Shiverick portfolio, Chateau Saint Cyrgues stands out as offering very inexpensive product that punches well above its weight class. Located in Saint Gilles, which borders the Camargue region (think wild white ponies and fresh French salt) at the mouth of the Rhone River, Chateau Saint Cyrgues was built on the ruins of the Church of Saint-Cirice de Marge in 1654. This abbey had at one time been part of the Saint Cyrgues priory, where cultivation of vine was part of the monks’ daily rituals. Chateau Saint Cyrgues was seized during the French Revolution as clerical property, after which it changed hands many times.

 

Costières de Nîmes (which loosely translates to ‘the slopes of Nimes’) sits at the nexus of rocky hills of Provence and the sandy alluvial plains of the Camargues. Many of its areas feature the larger, flat, galets, the signature stones of Chateauneuf du Pape. Seeing the potential in the Chateau, Saint Cyrgues was then updated with a complete overhaul of the property; with an updated winemaking facility, overhaul of the vineyards to 100% organic viticulture, restoring the chateau, the works.

 

Jean-Pierre Ferraud his son Loic Ferraud have taken over the domaine, leading the facility to practice 100% organic viticulture and vinification and the wines will be labeled as such beginning with the 2016 vintage. Now managing the estate on a day to day basis, Loic has a business degree and was inspired to make wine by his grandfather, who owned vineyards and made wine. He now works with the estate’s oenologist to create the wines for Saint Cyrges and is the sixth generation of his family in the wine trade.

 

The red is a blend of Grenache and Syrah with a dollop of Marselan. It’s a velvety wine with mellow tannins ideal for quaffing with Bolognese pasta or a burger on a weeknight. The white (a rare wine actually, only 4% of all AOC Costières de Nîmes is white) is made of Grenache Blanc, Roussanne, and Viognier – all stainless, it’s rich and deep and perfect with grilled fish. The summer rosé is a saignée of the red cuvee; it’s crisp and dry though well-fruited, perfect for hot nights and sunny afternoons.