Your summer in Aveyron: “The potential is enormous here”, Millau, a wine that has the “Côte”

Les vins de Millau bénéficient d'un bon climat pour grandir. – Maxime Lacaze

With more than half of the hectares of the AOC Côtes de Millau to their credit, the duo Ludovic Bouviala and Éric Portalier of Domaine du Vieux Noyer are one of the major players in the revival of the appellation. With their own philosophy and also the desire to diversify…

Domaine du Vieux Noyer is above all a family business. Founded in 1992 in Boynes, around the Château de Peyrelade, by Bernard Portalier, whose grandparents were already seasoned winemakers, the winery was taken over in 2000 by their son, Éric Portalier, and their son-in-law, Ludovic Bouviala. The partner duo knows each other inside out and embarked on the adventure together. However, nothing predestined Ludovic Bouviala to wine. Initially a coachbuilder-painter, he sought to distance himself from it because, as he indicates, “he didn't want to breathe isocyanate all his life”.

The land speaks to him more, because his parents are farmers. Originally from Vezins, on the Lévézou, the forty-year-old trained in Béziers for two years to “get on the same level as his friend”. Complementary, they gradually increased the family's agricultural land, going from 9 to 32 hectares, increasing the workforce, with currently 10 employees, and the tools at their disposal. For them, these "imposing investments were necessary to increase the quality of the products".

Wines combining power and lightness

Thus, the Domaine du Vieux Noyer produces all forms of wine: red, white and of course rosé. Taking advantage of a high-altitude vineyard with temperature amplitudes linked to the natural air conditioning of the Gorges du Tarn, it benefits from optimal conditions for producing organic wines. Unlike Languedoc, those of the duo are more supple, particularly in alcohol, which makes them more pleasant on the palate. The Domaine also relies on local grape varieties, based on Gamay and Syrah for red wines (a unique blend in France), Gamay for rosés and Chenin for whites. The grape varieties combine power and lightness and this makes the greatest successes of the place, such as the Barandelles, Peyrelou or Louradou vintages.

A 2011 AOC

Faced with the local potential, Éric Portalier and Ludovic Bouviala are fully committed to“preserve the identity of the Côtes de Millau, which the locals are demanding”. To do this, they rely on the Millau appellation of controlled origin (AOC), which appeared in 2011, but which they obtained in 2013. It is the most widespread in the department, since it extends over 17 communes in South Aveyron. Ludovic Bouviala is also its president. Despite the consequences of the frost for this year, which should limit volumes to between 850 and 900 hectolitres, it remains unanimous: "Even if we are dependent on the weather conditions and a relatively short production season for wine, the appellation has many good years ahead of it. The potential is enormous here."

Soon to be sold at Monoprix

To continue its development, the AOP Côtes de Millau is looking to renew itself. Firstly with customers. While the main base remains the restaurant business, with over 500 professional addresses including the starred brand of Nicole Fagegaltier's Vieux-Pont in Belcastel, the Domaine's wines are aimed at a wider audience. From September, they will be displayed at the head of the gondola in Monoprix stores. “Out of over 2,600 wines in France, we finished in their top 10”, adds Ludovic Bouviala.
To attract and sell throughout the year, the current winery will also try to expand its range. Vinegars, beers, made from Tarn hops, local cola and iced tea, but also an orange wine – Quesaco – a real favorite of the boss, with its white side and this plum taste, brought by the maceration of the fruit juice during fermentation. A unique blend, reflecting the philosophy of the vineyard…

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