In the Frontonnais, they’ve been making wine since ancient times. Wine which, like a second river, slakes Toulouse’s thirst. But, as the 20th century dawned, France was also in need of alcohol. And Pierre Arbeau had the prescience to build a monumental distillery at Labastide-Saint-Pierre whilst also developing the vineyards around the jewel in the family crown, Château Coutinel, acquired in 1920. An estate that sits on a remarkable terroir composed of fine siliceous alluvial deposits (known locally as boulbènes), characteristic of the appellation, and of pebbly gravel and sand.
Then came Jean-Claude Arbeau who, in introducing estate bottling, transformed the family’s wines into fully fledged crus, capable of holding their own in the world.
