{"id":18358,"date":"2026-06-08T13:40:11","date_gmt":"2026-06-08T12:40:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.calmel-joseph.com\/?page_id=18358"},"modified":"2026-06-08T14:05:47","modified_gmt":"2026-06-08T13:05:47","slug":"our-signature","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.calmel-joseph.com\/en\/our-signature\/","title":{"rendered":"Our signature"},"content":{"rendered":"

United by an extraordinary story<\/h3>\n

Founded in 1995, Maison Calmel & Joseph is a story of teamwork and passion.<\/strong> After careers spent working around the world, J\u00e9r\u00f4me Joseph and Laurent Calmel purchased a wine estate at the end of Chemin de la Madone, just a stone’s throw from Carcassonne’s fairytale walled Cit\u00e9 (a UNESCO World Heritage Site), in the west of the Corbi\u00e8res appellation.<\/p>\n

Languedoc-Roussillon is a wine region of endless possibilities.<\/p>\n

Calmel & Joseph have patiently developed strong relationships with partner-winegrowers<\/strong> across the region’s appellations to create a wide range of wines, following the process every stop of the way, from vineyard to bottle. They believe in the unique potential of these terroirs, and their work is dedicated to revealing their potential, through vinification, blending, ageing and then marketing, in France and around the world.<\/p>\n

Calmel & Joseph’s production spans roughly 50 wines<\/strong>, designed to illustrate the exceptional identity of this Mediterranean region while enhancing a wide range of wining and dining occasions.<\/p>\n

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Our identity: site-specific selections<\/h3>\n

At Calmel & Joseph, we maintain close, long-standing relationships with our winegrower partners.<\/strong> Our plot selection approach and the unique bond shared with the growers are part of our DNA, and set us apart within the industry. The plots we use are rigorously selected, to reflect our unwavering commitment to preserving freshness, finesse and elegance in our wines.<\/p>\n

Being in the warm Mediterranean region<\/strong>, our preference is for cooler terroirs often found at the very limits of vine cultivation, in the foothills of the mountains surrounding the Languedoc basin.<\/p>\n

Once the area has been chosen, we look for plots whose intrinsic character has been preserved by being farmed naturally.<\/strong> By working with this extended family of Languedoc winegrowers, we are effectively writing stories together year after year, with another chapter added every vintage.<\/p>\n

The art of living simply<\/em><\/p>\n

Few regions display as much dynamism and creativity as Languedoc-Roussillon<\/strong>, where life is lived to the full. Over the last three decades, new winegrowers have been arriving, putting down roots on the region’s stony ground and rugged terroirs bathed in sunshine and buffeted by the winds. In silence, they are writing their own personal stories.<\/p>\n

\u201cDo as Goethe did: seek the Orient at your feet.<\/strong> The Orient of France is the Midi,\u201d said French writer and poet Joseph Delteil with characteristic southern eloquence. According to Delteil, Palaeolithic cuisine is the cuisine of God and this resonates with our grower-partners who understand the natural, unadorned cuisine and art brut of the Languedoc<\/p>\n

Discover Calmel & Joseph\u2019s creations<\/a><\/p>\n

Winemaking<\/h3>\n

The annual grape harvest is a crucial moment, as it determines the future balance of the wine.<\/strong> The winemaking process is important, but the fruit is the essential foundation of a successful vintage. Without fine grapes, there is little chance of producing great wines. We aim to preserve the acidity – the very backbone of our future vintage – while respecting the maturity of each grape variety. The grapes are picked, mostly destemmed and then sorted, and our wines ferment naturally, taking as long as they need. Naturally, our grower-partners share this philosophy.<\/p>\n

Blending<\/em><\/p>\n

This delicate operation is where the wines from each plot are brought together.<\/strong> Each wine has its own identity and personality. Terroir is respected, as is each wine’s potential. The blending components vary with each vintage, but by working with the same plots year after year, we can picture the final blend before it is actually made.<\/p>\n

Samples of each variety are taken and tasted,<\/strong> vat by vat, barrel by barrel. Once the blend has been made, it is tasted again after a few weeks in case it needs tweaking, and at this stage we decide whether to fine, filter or make any other minor adjustments before bottling.<\/p>\n

Ageing<\/em><\/p>\n

All our wines undergo traditional ageing in concrete vats for a period of 16 -18 months.<\/strong> The wine is racked several times to remove the coarse lees have been removed, leaving it on fine lees, and sometimes the wine is racked at 6 – 12 months if it is not expressing itself fully.<\/p>\n

For our \u2018Les Crus\u2019, \u2018Les Cuv\u00e9es Rares\u2019 and \u2018Le Domaine\u2019 ranges, the wine is aged in different sized barrels<\/strong> (225 litres, 450 litres and 2,000-litre casks). We use very little new oak, preferring barrels that have previously held white wine for 3 – 6 months. The barrels are regularly topped up and tasted to monitor the wine\u2019s development.<\/p>\n

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Languedoc-Roussillon<\/h3>\n

History of the region<\/em><\/p>\n

The history of the Languedoc wine region began with the Greeks,<\/strong> who introduced vines in the 5th century BC. However, it was under Roman influence that the region\u2019s wine industry really took off, and ever since then, wine has played a highly important role in the area’s economy.<\/p>\n

The Languedoc-Roussillon wine region stretches from the area around N\u00eemes to the border with Spain<\/strong>, essentially across the three d\u00e9partements of Aude, Gard and H\u00e9rault. A regional appellation called AOP Languedoc was created in 2007 and covers both the Languedoc and Roussillon areas.<\/p>\n

    \n
  • A total area of 40,000 hectares<\/li>\n
  • 18 Protected Designations of Origin<\/li>\n
  • A vast diversity of terroirs, each with its own distinct soils, climates and grape varieties.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    There is a stark contrast between the harsh terrain of the foothills of the Pyrenees and the Massif Central<\/strong>, and the gentle slopes of the Mediterranean coast. Along the coast, the soils are generally composed of sand, limestone or clay. Where the small ridges and valleys begin, schist soil begins to emerge, with vast terraces of rounded pebbles. The climate is generally Mediterranean, but head inland and cooler conditions emerge.<\/p>\n

    The grape varieties of the Languedoc vineyards are also very diverse.<\/strong> Whilst the most renowned – Syrah, Grenache, Mourv\u00e8dre, Carignan and Cinsault – make up the bulk of the vineyards, there are other, lesser-known names (think Cot, Lladoner Pelut, Rolle and so on), some of them indigenous varieties.<\/p>\n

    Indeed, the region is blessed with a veritable mosaic of terroirs and landscapes.<\/strong><\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n

    Our Languedoc-Roussillon vineyards<\/h3>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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