Domaine Pierre Fil
Domaine Pierre Fil
May 09, 2021

Nestled between the sea and the mountains, in Mailhac, in the Minervois, the 25 hectare Domaine Pierre Fil’s vineyard has been passed down in the family from father to son for 7 generations. 

"Nous n'héritons pas la terre de nos parents mais nous l'empruntons à nos enfants."

This French quote means that we do not inherit our soil from our parents, but we borrow it from our children instead.

That’s why the winery places great respect for the environment and is certified as “High Environmental Value”.

Discover The Winery

Drinking a glass of wine helps save a winegrower.

The winery is situated in Mailhac, in the Minervois between the Mediterranean and the Pyreneans.  Mailhac has a rich archaeological past, especially concerning the Elisyces people, who lived in the region since the 7th century BC.

The climate is Mediterranean and the wind shapes the vintages. Here, the vines grow on a sandstone terrace which must have been the bed of a nearby ancient river, now diverted. Rolled pebbles ventilate and drain the soil.

The vast majority of the AOC vineyard is located in this high terrace of the ancient Quaternary or Graves made of clay and limestone. 

The formation of this soil dates back about 2 million years.

The stoniness is very important, it consists mainly of sandstone pebbles, but also of some limestones and schists. This proportion of pebbles represents 60 to 70% of the soil and forces the roots of the vine to plunge into the subsoil.

This ocher-colored soil, associated with the high content of pebbles, captures heat, stores and releases it.

Mourvèdre, a late grape variety, will thus flourish in this environment, reaching full maturity.

This terroir gives a very recognizable style which is a key signature.

A small part of the vineyard is located on Lacustrine limestones.

It has its origin in the Tertiary period. The soil, stony and often thin, forces the roots to interfere with the hard, but faulty limestone of the subsoil.

The numerous easily observable fossils have allowed geologists to estimate its age between 40 and 48 million years.

The wine-growing practices throughout the year aim to obtain healthy, ripe and balanced grapes from the harvest. The size is restrictive, it is a maximum of 8 eyes per plant on the AOC Minervois plots.

The harvest is manual. It is made with a team of seasonal workers with a loyal core, the team leader came for his first vintage in 1995 and hasn't missed one since !

For wines with fresh and taut profiles, traditional, de-stemmed vinification is used.

For AOC wines, which are more distinctive and original, the grapes best express their potential through maceration in whole bunches, also called carbonic maceration.

During vatting, an intracellular fermentation process specific to maceration in whole bunches takes place. This gives more roundness to the wines, while leaving the possibility of having a significant tannic structure.

The fermentation time varies from 2 to 4 weeks depending on the type of wine desired.



The wines are then aged in vats or barrels. The choice of the breeding container depends on many factors, mainly the desire, depending on the vintage, to complete the aromatic palette with typical oak nuances: roasted, smoked, toasted, vanilla for example. But attention to other factors to determine the breeding container includes the profile of the vintage, the structure of the tannins, the aromatic power of the juices, etc.

The wine making techniques at the estate simply aims to reveal the terroirs and associated wine-growing practices in the wines, and to produce regular wines with an always recognizable signature.

Discover The Wine

There are 2 range of wines namely the Authentic Wine Series and the Signature Wine Series.

These vintages showcases the ancestral know-how of wine making.

With the wines, you will find a strong signature, original aromas and a soft texture.  

Experience The Vintage

 

Domaine Pierre Fil Heledus 2018 - The Authentic Wine Series $38

Roman Avienus cites in his work Ora Maritima the rivers Heledus and Orebus as an integral part of the territory occupied by the Elisyces poeple in ancient Mailhac.  The wine is named after one of the 2 rivers.

This wine is made from a balanced blend (25% of each) with mourvèdre, carignan, grenache noir and syrah. The fermentation takes place under carbon dioxide, which provides extra fruitiness.  Afterwards, part of the wine ripens further in barriques, the rest remains in the stainless steel cuves. The final blend will follow after about a year.

The nose is really expressive with dark and red ripened fruits and with round with soft tannins.

This wine pairs well with chicken, cooked vegetables or salads. 

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Domaine Pierre Fil Filosofia 2019 - The Authentic Wine Series

Offer $36 (UP $42)

A nice blend of Syrah, Grenache and Carignan. The harvest of the grapes is manual, the vinification is done in whole bunches. This method was initiated in the field by Pierre Fil in 1968, and still continues. This wine celebrates its 50th year of vinification in carbonic maceration.

Its nose is intense, dominated by blackcurrant. It is powerful and dense in the mouth, with a sweet and tasty finish.

This wine pairs well with traditional dishes as filet mignon in sauce or with cheese. 

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Domaine Pierre Fil Orebus 2018 - The Authentic Wine Series

Offer $38.40 (UP $48)

Roman Avienus cites in his work Ora Maritima the rivers Heledus and Orebus as an integral part of the territory occupied by the Elisyces poeple in ancient Mailhac.  The wine is named after one of the 2 rivers.

Grapes are harvested at perfect maturity. This wine is blended with a half Mourvèdre, the rest is Syrah and Grenache using the ancient “maceration carbonique” technique. The ageing is a blend of oak barrels and concrete tanks, and one year in bottle

Its nose is very expressive on red and black fruits, very ripe: Blackcurrant, morello cherry, blackberry. On the palate, there is the structure of a great wine which is dense, creamy, polished tannins

This wine pairs well with grilled meat, wild, or fine cheese. 

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Domaine Pierre Fil Dolium 2018 - The Signature Wine Series

Offer $48 (UP $58)

While preparing a plot before replanting a vine, pieces of dolium, the remains of a Roman winemaking cellar were found. A dolium was a large terracotta jar with a capacity of about 2,000 liters. The Romans built them on site and used them to vinify and store wine, which was then transported in amphorae. In homage to these first winegrowers and breeders, the top-of-the-range cuvée was named “Dolium”.

This wine is the showpiece of the domain. Grapes are harvested at perfect maturity.  This wine is blended with two thirds of Mourvèdre, and a third Grenache and Syrah. Only the best juice is used and this gets its alcoholic fermentation in oak barrels. After fermentation, the wine also ripens for another year in the same oak barrels, before being bottled and aged in the bottle for another year before being marketed. Very intense and powerful red wine, with aromas of black fruit, coffee and even chocolate. The texture is full and creamy, the tannins are silky and it comes with a really long finish that is aromatic. .

This wine pairs well with a great “terroir” chocolate as well as grilled or barbequed meat dishes.

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Enjoy Special Bundle Promotions Now !

3 Bottles of Domaine Pierre Fil at Only $108 (worth $148) including FREE delivery !

Domaine Pierre Fil Filosofia 2019 (UP $42)
Domaine Pierre Fil Orebus 2018 (UP $48)
Domaine Pierre Fil Dolium 2018 (UP $58)

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4 Bottles of Domaine Pierre Fil at Only $148 (worth $186) including FREE delivery !

Domaine Pierre Fil Heledus 2018 (UP $38)
Domaine Pierre Fil Filosofia 2019 (UP $42)
Domaine Pierre Fil Orebus 2018 (UP $48)
Domaine Pierre Fil Dolium 2018 (UP $58)

Click here to purchase