In the late seventeenth century, an ambitious young Portuguese gentleman named Enriques Valentine crossed the Pyrenees and rode to Bordeaux on the Via Aquitana, and from there to London. Today his descendants have travelled that road, in the opposite direction, to lay down their roots at Les Auzines, high in the foothills of those same Pyrenees.
What they found in Corbičres was a curate’s egg. The Languedoc had a mixed recent past, with new classic wines making their mark on the higher slopes but a tradition of coarse winemaking just about surviving on the flat lands below. Les Auzines itself was an attractive four-square house (though not a chateau as overclaimed by previous owners) on a dramatic high escarpment: the estate had potential, but only if the new owners went back to the truth of its terroir: the land, its micro-climate and its favoured vines.
This they did, committed as they were to making the finest wines of the region, with handsome restored chais and a leading vigneron at their side. And with branding that told the true story of their terroir. They briefed the finest designers to be found, who in turn asked brandstory to crystallise for them the story of Les Auzines. This ancient estate name, it was discovered, is the Pyrenean term for “chęnes verts”, holm-oaks in English, characterised by evergreen, holly-like leaves. These same leaves are seen dancing above the vines, across the estate, and now on each Les Auzines bottle.
These wines have dramatically improved in the hands of Valentine’s descendants and their brilliant vigneron. Certainly they are more expensive, but then they have won numerous awards and places on wine lists in the greatest restaurants – in particular, by respecting the truth of terroir. A story told by every bottle, on Gordon Ramsay’s table or your own.
The proprietors of Les Auzines represent classic examples of success – in all their enterprises – by demanding the best. brandstory is proud to be associated with their brand story.
