France · Hérault

Mas Cal Demoura

Mas Cal Demoura farms limestone scree and clay-limestone soils in Jonquières, where cool Larzac air moderates Mediterranean warmth. Hand-picked, low-yield fruit and indigenous-yeast fermentations shape a mineral white and dry, structured reds.

The producer

Mas Cal Demoura sits in Jonquières, in the Terrasses du Larzac northwest of Montpellier. Its 16 hectares combine limestone scree with clay-limestone soils; Mediterranean sun ripens the fruit while cooler air from the Larzac helps retain acidity. Naturally low yields of 15–25 hl/ha and hand harvesting parcel by parcel concentrate the fruit before it reaches the cellar.

L’Étincelle is a six-variety white from limestone scree, made for mineral texture and dry freshness. Terres de Jonquières, the historic red formerly called L’infidèle, brings Mourvèdre, Syrah, Grenache, Carignan, Cinsault and Counoise together with long skin contact and ageing mainly in older demi-muids; black cherry, raspberry, anise and garrigue notes meet bright acidity and firm tannin.

Known for

Terrasses du Larzac wines from limestone and clay-limestone sites, led by the six-variety white L’Étincelle and the historic red Terres de Jonquières.

Notable facts

The story

Jean-Pierre Jullien’s independent estate

In 1993, Jean-Pierre Jullien left the cooperative and re-created his own estate at Jonquières, following the example of his son, who had already founded the separate Mas Jullien. Instead of sending his grapes into the cooperative system, Jullien established Mas Cal Demoura as an independent domaine and bottled wines under its own name. The change placed the limestone-scree white and the village-based red blend under one estate label. Rosenthal records that Jullien retired in 2004 and sold Mas Cal Demoura to Isabelle and Vincent Goumard. The historic red cuvée remained in the range; before its current name, Terres de Jonquières was called L’infidèle.

From the atlas

Mas Cal Demoura

At A Glance

Mas Cal Demoura is a 16-hectare estate in Jonquières, in the Terrasses du Larzac about 30 kilometres northwest of Montpellier. Limestone scree and clay-limestone ground sit beneath Mediterranean sun, while cool air from the nearby Larzac checks the heat; the result is a range built around ripe southern fruit with brightness and firm shape.

The estate works at naturally low yields of 15–25 hectolitres per hectare, harvests each parcel by hand and sorts grapes twice, first among the vines and again in the cellar. L’Étincelle is its six-variety mineral white from limestone scree; Terres de Jonquières is the historic red, made from a southern blend including Mourvèdre, Syrah, Grenache, Carignan, Cinsault and Counoise.

The Producer

Jean-Pierre Jullien re-established Mas Cal Demoura in 1993 after leaving the cooperative, putting his own name behind wines from Jonquières. Rosenthal records that he retired and sold the estate to Isabelle and Vincent Goumard in 2004; their stewardship continues through parcel-led farming and a cellar that keeps grapes and sites separate before blending.

This is not Mas Jullien, the separate estate founded by Jean-Pierre’s son. Mas Cal Demoura’s key labels instead turn Jonquières fruit into two distinct expressions: limestone-grown white in L’Étincelle, and a structured red blend in Terres de Jonquières.

Place

Terrasses du Larzac lies inland from Montpellier, where Mediterranean warmth can ripen Syrah, Grenache, Carignan and Mourvèdre, but Jonquières receives cool air from the Larzac. That temperature shift matters at harvest: fruit can reach black-cherry depth without losing the acidity that keeps the red’s body from feeling heavy.

The place also explains why a white belongs in this largely red-wine landscape. L’Étincelle comes from limestone scree, and its six varieties are presented by the estate as a mineral white; the stony site and cooler air steer the wine toward citrus-toned freshness rather than broad, soft fruit.

Soil And Site

The current estate reports 16 hectares across limestone scree and clay-limestone terroirs. Scree drains quickly and clay retains moisture more steadily, so vines meet both dry southern conditions and a measure of underground reserve; low yields of 15–25 hectolitres per hectare concentrate the fruit that reaches the cellar.

Rosenthal reported an average vine age of 40 years in 2020. Older vines do not make a guaranteed flavour, but here their established root systems work alongside low yields and clay-limestone ground to supply small, concentrated lots for separate parcel vinification.

Story

Mas Cal Demoura moved from cooperative fruit to an independent estate when Jean-Pierre Jullien rebuilt it in 1993. The later handover to Isabelle and Vincent Goumard kept the work focused on Jonquières rather than a broad regional blend: grapes are picked parcel by parcel, and the finished wines retain a white from limestone scree beside a historic red tied to the village.

Since 2015, the estate has progressively adopted a Biodyvin biodynamic approach beyond its organic cultivation. In the vineyard, that choice accompanies manual work and selection; in the bottle, it supports the estate’s practice of carrying separate grape-and-site lots into the cellar before deciding the final blend.

Vineyards And Cellar

Harvest is manual and parcel by parcel, with selection in the vineyard and again on a sorting table. Removing unsuitable fruit before fermentation gives the cellar cleaner raw material, allowing indigenous yeasts to ferment parcels without relying on a single uniform fruit profile.

The estate describes its extraction as infusion-oriented rather than forceful. For red grapes, that approach aims for fruit and tannin drawn gradually from the skins; élevage is then adapted to each grape-and-terroir combination in foudres, demi-muids, concrete eggs or tanks, so oak is one possible vessel rather than a fixed flavour.

For Terre de Jonquières, an importer records partial destemming, cuvaison lasting up to six weeks and frequent remontage. The varieties age separately, mainly in older demi-muids, before blending by tasting; extended skin contact builds colour, savoury grip and tannin, while older wood avoids making vanilla or toast the dominant aroma.

Wines

L’Étincelle occupies the white end of the range. It is assembled from six varieties grown on limestone scree and described by the estate as mineral, making it the bottle for dry texture, citrus-like freshness and stony notes rather than oak weight or sweetness.

Terres de Jonquières is the historic red cuvée, formerly called L’infidèle. The current official range lists Mourvèdre, Syrah, Grenache, Carignan, Cinsault and Counoise, a combination that joins dark fruit and spice with floral lift, acidity and tannin. Its older-demi-muid élevage and long cuvaison give the wine more body and grip than the white, while the estate describes the result through pure fruit and fine tannins.

In The Glass

A 2015 Terre de Jonquières reviewed by Decanter opened on ripe black cherry and raspberry, then moved into anise and garrigue herbs. Those aromas fit a red blend ripened under Mediterranean conditions, while the cool Larzac influence appears in the review’s bright acidity and fresh line through the fruit.

On the palate, expect medium-to-full body, dark and red fruit, savoury herb notes and tannin rather than a plush, sweet finish. Decanter found the tannin initially rough and expected it to soften with time; that grain makes sense beside a long cuvaison, while acidity carries the fruit through the finish. This is a vintage-specific review, not a promise that every release will taste the same.

A Bottle To Understand It

Start with Terres de Jonquières. It brings together the estate’s defining red grapes, hand-picked parcel fruit, indigenous-yeast fermentation, up to six weeks of cuvaison and ageing mainly in older demi-muids. In the glass, look for black cherry, raspberry, anise, garrigue, bright acidity and dry tannin; it is the clearest way to taste how Jonquières warmth, Larzac air and measured extraction meet in one bottle.

Anecdote

In 1993, Jean-Pierre Jullien left the cooperative and re-created his own estate, following the example of his son, who had already established the separate Mas Jullien. He set up Mas Cal Demoura at Jonquières and began bottling wine as an independent domaine rather than contributing fruit to the cooperative system. Eleven years later, Rosenthal records, Jullien retired and sold Mas Cal Demoura to Isabelle and Vincent Goumard. The estate’s historic red remained part of that continuity: the cuvée now called Terres de Jonquières had previously carried the name L’infidèle.

Final Word

Mas Cal Demoura makes most sense through its contrast of stone and sun: a mineral six-variety white from limestone scree, and a dry, herb-scented red whose fruit, acidity and tannin come from Jonquières parcels handled separately from harvest to blend.

Sources

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