Appellation Fronton

This little known South-West Appellation is located a stone's throw from Toulouse. The dynamic wine makers know a vine and work with little pressure from the rest of the French wine industry. The principle grape is Negrette, which is used for reds and Rosés that reflect the character and flavours of the region and are regarded as wines of great personality. If you ask the French what Fronton evokes in their mind, there is a chance for much talk about architecture and little about wine. But this "little" shows that Fronton is no-longer unknown.

Negrette produces an aromatic and structured wine. It is a grape that has been abandoned elsewhere because of its particularly difficult nature. However the efforts are rewarded because Negrette produces elegant wines full of fruit. This grape is sensitive to botrytis and powdery mildew, which likely limited its spread. On the terraces of the Tarn, regularly swept by hot dry winds, Negrette has resisted adversity and made its home.

The reds are round, soft and very aromatic. They are to be drunk while still young, on the fruit, with no pretensions to keep them for long periods in the cellar. They are characterized by flavours of dark fruit(black currant, blackberry) of flowers (peony, violet), spices (liquorice, pepper) and soft tannins.

The most concentrated Fronton red cuvees (blends) are kept about 12 months in vats or oak barrels to soften the tannins and create a greater aromatic complexity and better keeping qualities. Served at 14/15 degrees they appreciated the company of grilled/roast meat and soft, ripe cheeses.

The regulation is a maximum 70% of Negrette in appellation Fronton red wines. Recently authorities have allowed 100% Negrette. Reds represent 70% of production.

The Rosés count for a large part of the wine production, about 30%. Fronton was the first appellation in the South West to commercialise Rosé. Remarkably fruity and supple Negrette is marvelously suited to the production of Rosé. The Fronton Rosés have a lovely aromatic intensity, a length in the mouth that is unusually prolonged and a delightful oiliness/meatiness. They suit being served chilled to a temperature of 8-10 degrees with delicatessen meats, exotic cuisine, pickled vegetables, grilled fish.

The history from the twelfth century tells of the Knights of the Order of St. John of Jerusalem and Cyprus and their black grape that was renamed "Negret" and then Negrete.

Chateau Montauriol and Nicolas Gelis, the rising star of Fronton

Nicolas Gelis is a 44 year old businessman and winemaker. In 15 years he has acquired beautiful vineyards of 100 hectares, divided into three properties: Ferran which faces a Le Roc, Montauriol, located on the third terrace of the Tarn, has one of the most beautiful landscapes of the appellation, and the 30-hectare vineyard Cahuzac acquired in 2007. His partner Laurent Fadat, is the force in the vineyard and winery. The wines of these estates offer a great variety of style: the Ferran are the charmers with a beautiful expression of Negrette, soft, spicy and intense, as are the Montauriol. Montauriol are structured and modern but always appealing and aromatic. Montauriol Tradition is a powerful Fronton wine. The Rosés offer a nice variation of styles. Montauriol is also producer of the unique, low alcohol, dark rosé coloured, sensational summer delight Flambant that has been very popular with our customers.

Sustainable viticulture is practised along with more commonplace practices for quality wines such as green harvesting. Nicolas has updated the estate with some modern practices and now is among the vanguard of wine production in the South West of France.

The name Montauriol comes from the latin term "Mons Aureolus" meaning Golden Mountain. The estate originally belonged to the Knights of Saint Jean de Jérusalem and to the abbey of Moissac. In those times its wines travelled in the Crusades.

Enjoyed by Pope Calixte II, Richelieu and King Louis XIII who camped there during the siege of Montauban, the estate passed to the Compte d’Espié, a noble inhabitant of Toulouse. In August 1789 a lawyer of the Toulousian Parliament, M. Saint-Plancat, purchased the property at a court sale. Montauriol then belonged to the same family for seven generations.