France · Other producers

Domaine la Colombette

Béziers family estate pairing resistant varieties and pesticide free farming with Plume reduced alcohol wines.

The producer

Domaine la Colombette is a Pugibet family estate at the gates of Béziers, facing the Mediterranean Sea. Its vineyards include resistant varieties such as Fleurtai and Muscaris, with resistant types making up most plantings. The estate farms with virtually no treatment, using small doses of sulphur only on some delicate plots. Its Plume range brings reduced alcohol wines in red, rosé and white forms, while AU CREUX DU NID Cabernet Noir shows the resistant variety programme in a named bottle.

Known for

Resistant varieties and reduced alcohol wines

Notable facts

The story

A Decade Of Research

In 2009, Vincent Pugibet launched the Plume range after ten years of research on alcohol reduction. The project brought reduced alcohol wines into the estate's portfolio in red, rosé and white forms. The documented bottlings include a 9% ABV Syrah Grenache red, Grenache rosé and Chardonnay white. Alongside these wines, the estate's core grape varieties include Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. Plume is the named range for the alcohol reduction work at Domaine la Colombette.

From the atlas

Domaine la Colombette

Domaine la Colombette at the gates of Béziers, pairing resistant grape varieties with pesticide free farming and reduced alcohol wines.

At A Glance

FieldDetail
RegionBéziers area, facing the Mediterranean Sea
Main grapesChardonnay, Grenache, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon
Signature rangePlume reduced alcohol wines
Defining featureResistant varieties and pesticide free farming

The Producer

At the gates of Béziers, facing the Mediterranean Sea, Domaine la Colombette combines family stewardship with resistant grape varieties and reduced alcohol wines. The Pugibet family founded the estate in 1890, and four generations have carried it forward. The estate covers 320 hectares near Béziers.

The portfolio includes Chardonnay, Grenache, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. Alongside these established grape varieties, the estate develops resistant varieties for pesticide free viticulture. Plume adds a separate line of reduced alcohol wines, giving the domaine a second focus alongside its vineyard programme.

Place

Facing the Mediterranean Sea, Domaine la Colombette sits at the gates of Béziers in southern French wine country. Mediterranean settings generally bring strong sunlight and warm ripening conditions, so grape choice becomes one way to manage ripe fruit, freshness and alcohol in the finished wine.

The estate's documented range uses several grape varieties across different wine forms. Chardonnay appears as a white wine, Grenache as a rosé, and Syrah with Grenache as a red. Cabernet Noir adds a red made from a resistant variety.

Story

François Pugibet took leadership in 1966. He planted noble grape varieties, mechanized the harvest and began barrel ageing. His son Vincent took over in 1997 and focused on expanding the estate and developing new resistant grape varieties for pesticide free viticulture.

Vincent's work placed disease resistant grapes inside the estate's farming programme. These varieties allow pesticide free viticulture while maintaining wine quality, linking vineyard choice to the wines that follow.

Vineyards And Cellar

Disease resistant varieties make up 80% of the plantings. The programme includes Fleurtai, an Italian hybrid created by crossing a vinifera grape with a non vinifera grape, and Muscaris.

The vineyards receive virtually no treatment. Small doses of sulphur are used on some of the most delicate plots. Resistant varieties reduce the need for chemical inputs and allow the estate to farm without pesticides across most of its plantings.

Wines

The portfolio includes Chardonnay, Grenache, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon, alongside wines made from resistant varieties. Plume is the estate's reduced alcohol range, introduced in 2009 after ten years of research into alcohol reduction.

The documented Plume wines include a 9% ABV red made from Syrah and Grenache, a 9% ABV Grenache rosé and a 9% ABV Chardonnay white. AU CREUX DU NID Cabernet Noir belongs to the resistant variety range and is farmed organically with zero pesticides.

In The Glass

The PLUME red made from Syrah and Grenache has aromas of ripe red berries. The palate is tender, lively and spicy. PLUME Grenache expresses fresh fruit aromas with a fresh, lively palate.

PLUME Chardonnay shows ripe fruit, citrus and grilled aromas, followed by a fleshy, tangy palate. AU CREUX DU NID Cabernet Noir is dense purple in colour, with fruity aromas, a fresh and long palate, and silky tannins.

A Bottle To Understand It

AU CREUX DU NID Cabernet Noir is the bottle to open first. It is a red wine from a resistant variety in an organic, zero pesticide range. The bottle puts a named grape beside the vineyard practice that distinguishes the estate, while Plume carries the separate work on alcohol reduction across red, rosé and white wines.

Anecdote

In 1995, François Pugibet's Chardonnay won the title of World's Best Chardonnay. The award singled out the white grape that remains part of Domaine la Colombette's core portfolio, alongside Grenache, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. The title was World's Best Chardonnay, and the awarded wine was François Pugibet's Chardonnay from Domaine la Colombette.

Final Word

Domaine la Colombette joins family stewardship to resistant grape varieties, pesticide free farming and reduced alcohol winemaking. Its work remains rooted at Béziers, facing the Mediterranean Sea.

Sources

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