As soon as you arrive at the estate, you’ll notice a new signpost inviting you to take a walk through the vineyards and discover the different parcels on the estate – the vineyards, the fruit orchard and the olive trees – before heading off towards the Canal du Midi or the Estagnol lake.
Over the last few years, Domaine des Homs has been developing its wine tourism activities, offering a lovely walk through the vineyards to share the passion for growing vines.
This year’s vintage is once again dry.
Winter set the tone with very little rainfall. This is the first time that the estate’s well, which is used to irrigate the vegetable garden, has been dry over the summer, something never seen before in the 3 generations of de Crozals who have succeeded each other at Domaine des Homs! This is the result of 2 successive winters with no replenishment of water reserves.
Fortunately, the weather is not too hot, there is a breeze today and the sky is often overcast. Although it doesn’t bring any water, it at least makes the temperatures very pleasant.
This encourages the grapes to ripen slowly, meaning the vintage could be rather late if the weather continues like this.
Last week we had only 20 mm of water, which doesn’t seem like much, but is enough to allow Jean Marc not irrigate in July.
The black grape varieties – Syrah, Grenache and Cinsault – have not produced many grape bunches. The whites, on the other hand, have a good “normal” load. The vintage is shaping up to be a very good one, and we’re keeping our fingers crossed that the season will continue in the same vein.
The Vermentino vines planted in 2020 are very beautiful!
Pruned short and goblet-shaped, Jean Marc de Crozals is aiming for low yields. The 0.3 ha are destined to produce the first white AOC Minervois in association with Grenache blancs and gris.
This grape variety thrives on the stony soils of La Gravière and 0.68 hectares were planted again this year.
Vermentino (Rolle) is a very interesting variety because of the acidity it retains in the wines and the resistance it offers to dry climates.
This forthcoming white cuvée has its own story to tell. Some of the grapes will be vinified in sandstone amphorae and some in barrels. The sandstone is reminiscent of the amphorae found in the vineyards when the old Syrah vines were pulled up, dating back to Gallo-Roman times. In the past, on the site of the Domaine des Homs, there was a farm where vines and olive trees were grown: the Villa Maïana.
The summer bottlings are Clots de pals 2023 and Amandier 2023.
Wines currently available at the domaine
Chardonnay 2023 – IGP pays d’Oc
Viognier 2023 – IGP Pays d’Oc
Rosé 2023 – AOC Minervois
Blend of directly pressed Grenache and Cinsault saignée. Vinified and aged in concrete vats – Bottled in April 2024
Amandier 2022 – Vin de France
100% Cinsault vinified and aged in concrete vat. Blend of Grenache pressing and Cinsault bleeding. Bottled in April 2023. Wine without any sulfite.
Clots de Pals 2022 – AOC Minervois
80% Grenache and 20 % Syrah vinified and aged in concrete vat, Bottled in July 2023
Paul 2020 – AOC Minervois
80% Syrah and 20% Grenache, 10% of the Syrah are from the Gravière de Sancastel and have been vinified in barrel. Bottled in July 2021
Gravière de Sancastel 2021 – AOC Minervois
Vinification and ageing in barrel to gently extract the tannins of the Syrah. Bottled in July 2022
La petite bulle non millésimé.
Partially fermented sparkling wine (5% alcohol), 60 g of residual sugar from the grapes. Moscato d’Asti-type