Vins Mont-Val

Mont-Val cuvées, a breath of freshness in the Hérault

Welcome between Béziers and Montpellier, in Aspiran to be precise. The little corner of paradise of these young winemakers who decided to settle down after many years of travel.
Epi-curieux.com made a lovely encounter, and the wines are just as surprising. Freshness on the menu, and indulgence, just as we like it!

Jean-Yves Domont and Sophie Valançant

Jean-Yves Domont and Sophie Valançant first cut their teeth in France and abroad before officially striking out on their own. For many years they went to train with natural winemakers, in Burgundy, Auvergne, Cornas and Fleurie. They benefited from the great advice of Yvon Métras in Fleurie and Matthieu Barret in Cornas. After crisscrossing French vineyards, they spent three years training in Australia, then three more in New Zealand, where they had their own estate.
After these adventures on the other side of the globe, Jean-Yves Domont and Sophie Valançant returned to France in 2019 to settle on their own estate in Aspiran, in the Hérault. Les Vins Mont-Val was born, combining the two names: Mont (Domont) - Val (Valançant). It covers 6 hectares, all farmed organically.
Some of the vines were taken over from a very well-known estate, Domaine de Montrieux: these plots belonged to Émile Hérédia.

The terroirs of Vins Mont-Val

The estate's vines are between 10 and 98 years old.
The Mont-Val wines come from several grape varieties and two types of Villafranchian terroir. First Grenache Noir, Carignan Blanc and Cabernet Sauvignon, grown on basalt soils. Then, on clay-limestone soils, Clairette, Syrah and Carignan Noir.
Thanks to their previous experience, Jean-Yves Domont and Sophie Valançant know what they want and aim to be as non-interventionist as possible. Vines worked without pesticides or chemicals, healthy grapes for 100% natural vinification.
Everything is picked by hand and the cuvées are vinified in different ways, either in whole bunches for carbonic macerations, or destemmed, depending on what they want to convey in the juice.
So Jean-Yves Domont and Sophie Valançant offer several cuvées in Languedoc-Roussillon.
First the Le Tellurien cuvée, a blend of Carignan, Syrah, Grenache and Cinsault. The Syrah and Grenache are vinified in whole bunches for carbonic maceration. A successful blend that draws out the best of the fruit, lightness and fine concentration to balance it all.
Then the Toa cuvée, also a blend, with a majority of Carignan, then Cinsault, Grenache and Cabernet Sauvignon. A lovely mix of southern fruit and spice, a silky texture and fine complexity.
Vins Mont-Val also means a pet-nat, the Magmatic cuvée. 100% Carignan Blanc for this sparkling wine that is both very fresh and indulgent, a cuvée to tide you over until warmer days. A real little sweet treat!