Deep in the Hautes-Corbières, a wildly hilly region of the Languedoc midway between Narbonne and Perpignan, a young Maxime Magnon stumbled upon a treasure: ancient vineyard parcels in steep, rocky soils destined to be abandoned, as local farmers were unwilling to break their backs to eke out tiny yields of wine that would ultimately get lost in the town co-op’s generic blend. Aware that he would never be able to find—or afford—something like this in his homeland of Burgundy, Maxime seized the opportunity and bought the vineyards, immediately going organic.
Today, he has redefined what is possible in this rugged part of the southern French countryside, crafting wines of vibrancy and grace from forgotten vineyard parcels that only needed the right caretaker to express their true character. Campagnès is Maxime’s greatest red, a century-old field blend of mostly Carignan that is fermented whole-cluster and bottled unfiltered with very little sulfur. He counts Allemand, Barral, and Lapierre among his strongest influences, and it shows –

Kermit Lynch US Importer