Domaine de l'Hortus 'Bergerie de l'Hortus' 2023

Jean Orliac, who graduated as an agricultural engineer in Montpellier, was an enthusiastic rock climber. In this capacity, he discovered the cliffs of the Pic Saint Loup and Hortus. These are the precursors of the Cévennes within the great central massif of France. With his insights, he recognised the potential of this area as a wine-growing region. With almost no money in his pocket (...that was still possible in the 1970s) he bought 4 hectares and started planting vines. From 2000 onwards, his four children returned to the estate one by one to do their bit. Speaking of pebbles, they form the core and the secret of the soil of Hortus. Pieces that rolled down the scree slopes into the valley over hundreds of thousands of years provide a soil that at first glance appears poor. But the stones that sometimes lie up to 6 metres deep on the mother rock retain water well, so that the grapes still get enough moisture even during the hot, dry summers.