Château Cap de Fouste, Languedoc & Roussillon, France

CHATEAU CAP DE FOUSTE; CÔTES DU ROUSSILLON

Château Cap de Fouste was founded in the previous century by the Bardou Job family. The name 'Cap de Fouste' refers to the 200 year old forest , where the château is situated. Due to urbanisation, the size of the forest has decreased. The vineyards of Cap de Fouste are located in the heart of the Roussillon , between the lake of Villeneuve de la Raho and the southern part of Perpignan. The total vineyard property covers 89 hectares. The production of Château Cap de Fouste averages 4000 hectolitres per year. Bottling takes place at the château. The plantings consist of: Grenache Noir, Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, Mourvèdre, Merlot and the white grape varieties: Grenache Blanc and Muscat. The majority of the vineyard property (80%) is located in the official appellation AC Côtes du Roussillon.

300 DAYS OF SUN A YEAR

The great diversity of wines is mainly due to the variety of soil types and different climatic influences. In general, Languedoc-Roussillon has a Mediterranean climate with hot dry summers, rainy winters and a moderate spring and autumn. On average, the sun shines 300 days a year , but there are considerable differences per area. Due to the proximity of various mountain ranges, the risk of thunderstorms is high. The cold northern mistral can have a cooling effect in the area. Furthermore, the climate has many extremes with influences of drought and sometimes strong winds. In the large area south of Montpellier, the soil consists mainly of sandstone mixed with gravel and calcareous clay.

NOBLE SWEET WINES

Château Cap de Fouste is known for its noble sweet wines. The older vintages in particular are great. Take for example thestone-pure Muscat, which has been named several times as the winery's calling card. The wine is fermented in a traditional way, made from late harvest. The grapes are dried on the vine until they have reached their maximum amount of residual sugar. During fermentation, as with Spätlese and Auslese , the fermentation is stopped early, so that sufficient residual sugar remains, combined with a not too high alcohol percentage. This determines the sweetness of the wine.