Presentation of the Domain de Labarthe

Foreword

From the labour in the vineyard to the sale of a bottle, several skills are involved. This entails a strict discipline and constant thoroughness, efficient tools and competent men. 

For several generations, the family expertise has improved to offer you the best quality wines.

We were among the first producers to bottle our own wines, as early as 1955. Since then we have never stopped innovating and improving the quality of our products.

Our range of wines has grown over the years: the Gaillac Primeur (red AOC) in 1972, the Cuvée Guillaume (red AOC) in 1986, the Cuvée Héritage (dry white AOC) in 1994, the sweet late harvest Grains d’Or in 1995, the Desirs de Labarthe (red AOC) in 2006 and the Prunelart de Labarthe (red) in 2007.

Today we are aiming to get closer to nature; we converted to organic wine-growing in 2013. We also want to give you better service, by offering you the opportunity to taste our products in our tasting cellar and to meet us at salons and fairs. All year round we try our best to respond to your needs.

Présentation du Domaine de Labarthe - Gaillac

Delving into the heart of the Gaillac terroir

The Gaillacois (Gaillac terroir), located in the department of the Tarn, is one of the oldest wine growing areas in France. Vine has been grown there since the Roman era. In the Middle Ages, the Benedictine monks founded the Saint-Michel Abbey, which to this day houses the Maison des Vins. This gave the Gaillac wines a fame which soon reached beyond the regional boundaries.

The Appelation Gaillac Origine Controlée (A.O.C.) was granted in 1938, but only to the white wines. A further decree from 1970 extended the wine-growing area and included the production of red and rosé wines.

The vineyard, covering an area of 9000 acres, benefits from an oceanic and mediterranean micro-climate. This reduces the risk of heavy storms and brings the "vent d'autan", a strong hot & dry southerly wind which favours the maturing of grapes in autumn.

The Labarthe Estate

A Family History… since the 16th century 
"Quality mastery, technical progress and traditional expertise", are the keywords.

The Labarthe Estate is close to the village of Castanet in the Canton of Gaillac, on the hills of the right bank of the river Tarn. It is situated ten kilometres from the medieval town of Cordes and fifteen kilometres from Toulouse-Lautrec's native town, Albi.

Jean Albert and his son Jean-Paul are the owners. Genealogical investigations have shown that the Domain of Labarthe has belonged to the Albert family since the beginning of the 16th century.

The 68-acre vineyard (48 of red wine and 20 of white) is spread around the farm buildings, on south facing stony hills. The 30-year-old vines produce fruity white wines and powerful tannic red wines aging admirably well. The ground has been turfed in order to avoid the formation of gullies and the use of residual weed-killers. Modern equipment guarantees an optimum quality, while preserving the traditional wine-making process.