Abbotts & Delaunay

The story of Abbotts & Delaunay begins in 1996 when young Australian winemaker Nerida Abbott created a winery in Marseillette, near Carcassonne. The winery sits in the heart of the village on a winegrowing estate that dates back to the early 19th century. Marseillette is 17 km from Carcassonne in France's Cathar Country, where the famous Canal du Midi runs through it. Laurent Delaunay and his wife Catherine, both oenologists, fell in love with the Languedoc 20 years ago and acquired the Abbotts wine company in 2005. The building, constructed in 1803, has been completely renovated with stainless steel and glazed concrete tanks, plus two ageing cellars.

Laurent Delaunay travelled extensively throughout the region searching for small plots of old vines growing at high altitudes in appellations like Corbières, Minervois, Faugères, and Limoux, where rounded stones, sandstone, marls, limestone scree and schist compose the sun-baked terraces. He works with passionate growers attached to their land who introduced him to rare, exceptional terroirs planted with old vines that are sometimes over a hundred years old. The approach is unique in the region because of the rigorous selection of the most promising vineyards throughout the entire appellation, something Laurent owes to his native Burgundy.

Laurent Delaunay, born in Burgundy, is the fifth generation of a family of Burgundy wine producers and traders. In 2005, Laurent acquired the estate with the aim of expressing the richness of the Languedoc region in a premium style, and in 2024, his daughter Jeanne Delaunay took over the reins. Jeanne worked for the 2022 vinification at Domaine de la Romanée-Conti and learned from the cellar master that attention to every detail is where the difference lies between a good estate and a great one. The estate's approach is inspired by Burgundy with meticulous vineyard management, refined winemaking techniques, respect for the terroir, and a constant pursuit of freshness and balance.

Winemaking relies on a rigorous selection of plots, with grapes harvested at perfect ripeness often by hand, and vinification carried out varietal by varietal with gentle extraction followed by extended aging in tanks or French oak barrels. The winery is big on sustainability and biodiversity, keeping the wines as pure as possible so that they carry a sense of place. Domaine de la Métairie d'Alon and Domaine de La Lause are managed using organic farming methods with respect for the terroir, controlled yields, and sustainable practices.

The portfolio spans appellations including Minervois La Livinière, Corbières-Boutenac, Saint-Chinian, Limoux, and Haute Vallée de l'Aude on diverse soils of schists, limestones, rolled pebbles, and clay-limestones. The range includes single vineyard wines like Chardonnay 'Le Palajo', Pinot Noir 'Solaire' and Pinot Noir 'La Métairie'. Cumulo Nimbus, a historic cuvée created in 1998 by Nerida Abbott, is a micro-cuvée made from old, high-altitude vines in Minervois produced in very limited quantities. The estate also produces a sparkling wine with grapes grown organically on high-altitude vineyards in Limoux, a blend of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay with 24 months ageing.