Lou Belvestit
This is one of the newer wine estates of the Côtes de Thongue. I wrote about it in Wines of the Languedoc, and then had a recent opportunity for an update, with Emilie Alauze, who is bright and articulate, not to mention a rather good winemaker. Things have gradually evolved since my last visit. She has planted some Roussanne and Carignan Blanc, for white wine, but in 2021 the Roussanne suffered from frost, so her most recent white wine is a pure Carignan Blanc. Emilie talked about working on the tipicity of the grapes. She is converting to organic viticulture and has followed the requirements of Biodiv&Eau since 2010. She has created a pond; it dries up during the summer, but nevertheless encourages the birds and she planted trees for shade and biodiversity. She avoids insecticides, trying to retain what she called a balance in the environment. She waits to mow the grass in the vines until mid July. And they find more birds nests in the vineyards; gobelet
