Anne Gros & Jean-Paul Tollot burst onto Minervois in 2007, two Burgundy heavyweights—Anne from Vosne-Romanée, Jean-Paul from Chorey-lès-Beaune's Tollot-Beaut—seeking sun-drenched Languedoc sites to channel Côte d'Or finesse into southern reds. They settled on 21 hectares across IGP Côtes du Brian, AOC Minervois, and Minervois Cazelles, planting nothing but estate fruit on clay-limestone, marl, and sandstone. No négociant fruit, no blending tricks: hand-harvested, fully destemmed à la bourguignonne, and élevage that respects each parcel's voice. Their first vintage hit in 2008, and La Ciaude quickly became the flagship—a single 3-hectare lieu-dit in Cazelles with century-old Carignan from 1904 alongside Syrah and Grenache on high-lying limestone.

La Ciaude's clay-limestone at elevation catches burning sun yet holds cool moisture, yielding ripe fruit with Burgundian tension and a white-rock mineral spine rarely found in Minervois. The 2021 leans Carignan and Syrah-dominant (exact blend unpublished), vinified with 80% oak barrels and 20% tank to layer texture without weight. Sustainable farming keeps yields low; old vines deliver concentration and depth. We love its sleek black fruits, peony, graphite, and savory length—supremely elevated and precise vs regional rusticity and broad Rhône blends.

Why You'll Love It

• Century-old 1904 Carignan from a 3-ha limestone lieu-dit delivers dark fruit depth with white-rock cut no wide-acreage Minervois matches.

• Burgundy-trained hands mean destemmed, precise extraction: floral lift, saline minerals, fine tannins—not the chunky garrigue bombast.

• Sleek counterpoint to plush Rhône: 2021's cool vintage freshness meets Languedoc ripeness in a bottle Burgundy and Gigondas drinkers crave.

How to Serve It

• 60-65°F in a large Burgundy stem to unfurl black fruits and spice; open 1-2 hours early or decant for full evolution.

• Roast lamb, wild boar stew, or aged goat cheese—its mineral spine and firm grip amplify savory depth without overpowering.

• Cellar through 2030+; Peak drinking now through 2030.