Singular and multifaceted, the first cru to be recognized in the Languedoc in 1999, La Livinière is an appellation of powerful and elegant red wines. It is situated in the heart of the Minervois, between Toulouse and Montpellier.
THE BELLTOWER OF LA LIVINIERE,
LIKE A LIGHTHOUSE AT THE TIP OF THE HEADLAND
The winemakers call it ‘the beacon of the cru’. It was chosen for its symbolism. It is a strong image. With its delicate twin bays and flat stone roof, the belltower of the La Livinière church stands out in silhouette above the village and the vast terrace of the Minervois, which is spread out below. Like a lighthouse at the tip of the headland.
It is not just an illusion. Not that the Mediterranean, less than 50km away as the crow flies, can be glimpsed on the horizon. But 50 million years ago, when the Atlantic Ocean opened the breach of the Gulf of Gascony, a warm shallow sea seeped in to the north of the Pyrenees, until it came to lap at the most southerly slopes of the Massif Central. And La Livinière marks the most southerly point of this most ancient coastline.