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The results of the 2009 Decanter World Wine Awards : "Elégance" has won a silver medal. 

 The Domaine du Mas de Madame is on the piedmont plain of the Gardiole massif facing the Mediterranean and covers 56 hectares, of which 46 hectares are one single plot set amidst dry and fragrant scrubland where pistacia and terebinth mix with thyme and rosemary surrounded by pine, strawberry trees and Mediterranean green oaks. Ideally sunny with south-east exposure, overlooking the sea and the Ingril lake, in summer on his slopes the sea breezes come loaded with mist during the day and heavy with maritime humidity at night. The slopes are sprinkled with cistus and daffodils at the foot of the vines. Dominated by the Puech* Madame that gave the estate its name, it has fine gravelly slopes of clay-limestone and a fersiallitic soil of eroded talus scree from the Gardiole, with an exceptional micro-climate particularly favourable for growing vines, in a preserved and varied environment for fauna and game.

2 - A brief history.

 Very early, as early as the 7th century before the Christian era, first the Greeks and Etruscans then the Romans from the 2nd century BCE understood how they could exploit this pedological and climatic location, close to the sea between the ports of Lattara and Agatha and near the Domitian** road, and introduce vines and wine-making. The reputation of Frontignan wines was essentially made by the sweet wines, easier to keep at this time because of the Muscat, a grape variety brought here and acclimatized by the Greek colonists, probably Phocaeans (Phocaea was a Greek colony that became Marseille). There are still traces of this former occupation on the ”Mas de Madame” estate, with a gallo-roman necropolis that the passing years and erosion of the massif have buried under a mass of earth that is today covered by vines. In the Middle Ages, the estate was part of Saint Paul's Priory from the Chapter Cathedral of Saint Peter in Montpellier, and paid taxes to the Prior's farmer. Reputed very early, François Rabelais mentioned the sweet wines of Frontignan as delights in his book Gargantua, wines that were highly sought after for the court and tables of the Kings of France and of Aragon. They were also appreciated in America's White House by the future President Jefferson, a great wine enthusiast and then American Ambassador in France. He took them back to the United States for his friend, President George Washington. In the 19th century, the fortification of sweet wines discovered as early as the 13th century by Arnaud de Villeneuve, a doctor at Montpellier Medical University, led the estate to progressively extend the vines to certain sloping hillsides that were, until that time, reserved for extensive sheep farming. This led to the disappearance of the Montplaisir smallholding on the estate, as attested by the land registry of the Second Empire. It also meant a new leap for wine in terms of quality. Today the “mas” or farmhouse backs on to a vast forest with a great variety of hundred year-old trees: umbrella pines, Alep and Laricio pines, Atlas cedars, spruces and green Mediterranean oaks. The mas has been restored to reveal its lovely 16th century arches, typical of Montpellier architecture and similar to those that can still be found in the streets of the” Ecusson”, the historic centre of Montpellier.

3 - Grape varieties and vine-growing.

 The entire estate is inside the area for AOC Muscat de Frontignan and is exclusively planted with the Muscat à Petit Grain variety, with 4,000 vines per hectare for the production of natural sweet wines. The wines are pruned to Mediterranean "goblets" and are exclusively hand-harvested. The grapes are selected immediately after picking at the vines. The yields are voluntarily very limited, 20 to 25 hl/ha so that the grapes give their very best. The soil is worked to traditional methods, the approaches and headlands are maintained to preserve a good balance between the predatory fauna of vine parasites and the flora that helps development. The vines are grown according to reasonable agriculture with very limited use of sanitary treatments.

4 - The wines

The old vines, nearly 60 years old today, are harvested late (Saint Michael's Day) to produce a very rare and naturally sweet wine with noble grapes that give it a unique complexity and elegance. The younger vines produce a highly sought after dry white wine with fruity, elegant and refined aromas. It is enjoyed as an apéritif and is ideal served with fish and shellfish. The estate produces and vinifies very high-end naturally sweet wines, fresh and fruity, to be served young. They have delicate aromas of pineapple, mango and grapefruit, discretely lemony, perfect for an apéritif or with dishes such as game, pan-fried foie gras and blue cheeses such as Roquefort. For enthusiasts who prefer to wait, with age they increase in complexity to reveal a unique bouquet.

• *Puech: this word comes from ancient Occitan and means a summit

• **This Roman road crossed Languedoc, the ancient Roman province, connecting the ancient towns of Narbo Martius (Narbonne) and Arelate (Arles)