Les Eminades
View from Luc's tasting room
A chance encounter at Picamandil, my local wine bar in the village of Puissalicon, led to a cellar visit with Luc Bettoni chez Les Eminades. Picamandil is also well worth checking out, with its extensive list of local wines. It’s a shop, as well as a bar and restaurant .
Luc explained that he started Les Eminades with his wife Patricia in 2002. He does not come from a family of wine growers but studied oenology at Toulouse and met Patricia who was studying to be a chemist. He now has a new cellar, used for the first time in 2024. It is just outside the village of Villespassans on the western edge of the appellation of St Chinian. Altogether they have twenty hectares of wines, in 32 plots, in three villages, Cebazan, Villespassans and St. Chinian. The principal soil is dolomitic limestone. And before developing his own wine estate, Luc worked in Madiran with Alain Brumont, and then in the Languedoc at Domaine la Croix Belle for four years. The name Les Eminades is that of a nearby hill.
For white wine, he has four varieties, Sauvignon for an IGP and lots of Grenache Blanc , as well as some Marsanne and Vermentino for white St. Chinian and for red wine, it is the classic five varieties of the Languedoc. White wine accounts for a quarter of his production. Originally he had a lot of Carignan but has replanted a substantial amount with the other varieties, particularly Grenache. And he does not make any rosé as you need a groupe de froid, some serious chilling equipment and he prefers to use his Cinsault for red wine.
Everything is handpicked and Luc works by gravity. There are lots of insulated concrete tanks, as well oak barrels. He has moved on from 225 litres barriques to larger demi-muids, 500 and 600 litres, considering that they give a more refined oak effect. And he quite often retains some stems, for whole bunch pressing. He works as naturally as possible, with no fining, maybe a light filter and as little SO2 as possible.
Luc talked about the evolution of the estate. They converted organic viticulture in 2008 and then biodynamics in 2018. He feels that the biodynamic practices help confront the problems of climatic change. “ You have to be humble. The climate is very strong - but the soil is important”. He uses natural yeast to make ‘un vin de terroir’ and biodynamics reinforce the minerality and help express the terroir.
Luc was pretty happy with the harvest this year (2025). He finished picking on 12th September, with Mourvèdre at 14.2%
There is a smart tasting room with a lovely view of the hills opposite.
2024 St. Chinian Blanc, Montmajou - 19.00€
A blend of 80% Grenache Blanc, with 10% Marsanne, which is not very productive, and 10% Vermentino, which is a recent addition to the blend. Indigenous yeast. After two days of fermentation, Luc cools the juice down to 14C so that it is saturated with CO2 to protect it and then puts it into barrels. The wine spends eleven months on the lees, and he only stirs the lees if there is some reduction, maybe once a month. Malo faite. Luc described the vinification as ‘assez bourguignon’.
Light colour. Lightly herbal with a light touch of oak on the nose. It was bottled in mid-August, about three weeks before our visit, so was very young and a bit adolescent. The oak was more present on the palate, but there was firm, fresh finish with good acidity. It promises well.
Cuvée Silice, Coteaux de Fontcaude – 21.00€ comes from one hectare of 42 year old Sauvignon vines. We did not taste it as it had literally just been bottled and was in a state of bottle shock. For next time.
2023 La Pierre Plantée, St Chinian – 12.00€
50% Grenache, with 25% each of Cinsault and Sryah. A sélection parcellaire, the lowest and ripest vineyard, with galets roulées. Blended either during or after fermentation and kept in concrete tanks. Some lovely ripe perfumed fruit, with a backbone and elegant finish.
Luc talked about making this wine. It was a long journey to get to this. He found a new vineyard. The grapes are 30% whole bunches, layered with some destemmed grapes, making for a gentle infusion to extract flavour and colour.
2024 Ritournelle, St Chinian – 14.00€
A pure Cinsault, made for the first time in 2021. It may include Grenache, as St. Chinian should be a blend of two varieties. Quite perfumed on the nose, with a more structured palate, than you might expect for Cinsault. 30% whole bunches. A fresh stony finish. Ritornelle is a recurring song or tune.
2023 Cuvée Cebenna, St Chinian – 16.50€
From a north facing vineyard planted with 70% Grenache, 25% Syrah and 5% Mourvedre. Fermented and aged in concrete vats. Perfumed spice and liqueur cherries from the Grenache, with a firm youthful backbone.
2022 Cuvée Sortilège, St Chinian - 20.00€
65% Mourvèdre with 30% Syrah and just 5% Grenache. It spends 20 months in demi-muids of 400, 500 and 600 litres. Firm and youthful, and with a closed nose. A more rounded palate, quite rich with some oak. Study and youthful. 14% A rich finish with plenty of potential.
2022 Vieilles Canailles, St Chinian – 35.00€
100% whole bunches and Carignan. Luc talked about taming the Carignan. When he first made this wine, in 2014, it was 50% whole bunches, and by 2018 he had progressed to 100% whole bunches. The juice stays on the stems for a maximum of eight to ten days.
Medium colour with fresh red fruit on the nose and palate. It was rounded and elegant, proving that Carignan when vinified carefully can indeed be elegant. Youthful with a fresh fnish. He only made 2300 bottles.
Canaille translates as an old rogue, an aimable scoundrel, which could describe Carignan, and the old vines, which were planted shortly after phylloxera, but I wondered why canaille is feminine when the translation is masculine???
And asked about future projects, Luc talked about planting more Vermentino and also Carignan Blanc, searching for acidity in his white wines.
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