Why it matters
The producer
Wine has been a Plageoles family trade since 1805. Domaine Plageoles farms organically and naturally, while Robert Plageoles led efforts to identify and preserve indigenous Gaillac varieties. He recovered prunelard from a neighboring vigneron who planned to uproot it, then worked with INRA to confirm the variety before replanting. The estate's named red wines keep historic Gaillac grapes in the range.
Place and vineyards
Where the wines begin
The vineyard holdings are in Cahuzac-sur-Vère and Castelnau-de-Montmiral. The two main sites are Très Cantous and Roucou-Cantemerle. Their soils combine clay, limestone, sand and silex. Clay and limestone hold moisture differently from sand, while silex is flint, giving the estate several kinds of ground within Gaillac.
Wines to know
The range in view
The range includes Prunelart Domaine Plageoles, a single variety red, and Duras, a red made from the Duras grape. Prunelart comes from vines planted at 5,000 per hectare, with yields controlled to 35 hectoliters per hectare. It undergoes a short maceration of 10 to 15 days in concrete vats, then spends one year in cement and one year in bottle.
Duras ferments in concrete and matures for 18 months in cement before bottle ageing. In the glass, it is nearly opaque with deep red highlights, dense ripe dark fruit, smoky notes of wood and dried savory herbs.