LE DOMAINE

4 plots of character!

• Les Barthes • Les Bertoulats • Monplaisir • Chemin des Chantres

The estate surely gains its notoriety thanks to a balanced combination of natural components (diversity of soils, climate, grape varieties and innovative blends) and human factors related to the professionalism of the team that surrounds and accompanies the owner, Fergus Fitzgerald, on a daily basis.

Operation

The 4 plots

The estate is divided into 4 blocks in the historic town of Vacquiers:

Domaine Fitzgerald benefits from a rich variety of grape varieties:
● Négrette 6,7 hectares
● Cabernet Franc 2,2 hectares
●   Gamay 2,2 hectares
●   Syrah 0,9 hectare
●   Côt 0,86 hectare
●   Alicante Henri Bouschet 0,83 hectare
●   Cabernet Sauvignon 0,7 hectare
●   Mérille 0,4 hectare
●   Merlot 0,14 hectare

To sustain its production, Fergus strives to diversify crops according to an annual plantation renewal plan.

Thanks to its age, the vineyard benefits from a good balance guaranteed by 40-year-old vines which were supplemented by 4 hectares planted in 2020.

Indeed, the years when the vines suffer from heat and drought, multiply and a necessary adaptation of the vineyard to global warming naturally involves a varietal structuring of the vineyards.
Faced with the major issues of our time such as climate change, the need to reduce inputs, the growing pressure on the use of water... it is essential to anticipate the future by encompassing all these developments while promoting a return at the sources.

With this in mind, 50 ares of Négrette were planted this year on the estate.

In the future, Fergus wishes to develop new vines to produce white wine, in particular by relaunching the Bouysselet grape variety, once strongly established in the Frontonnais which no longer officially existed on its terroirs.

Finally, Fergus wants to practice sustainable agriculture (HVE) and plans to switch to organic conversion.

Between tradition and innovation, the Domaine FITZGERALD wishes to contribute to carrying high the colors of its wine region which has also become its second homeland.

Les Barthes

Plot of 1.3 hectares of sloping vines with an excellent terroir rich in graviers profonds.

Les Bertoulats

Plot of 3 hectares on a soil typical of the Frontonnais of deep Boulbènes.

Monplaisir / Bois des Gitans

2.5 hectares on deep boulben soil

Chemin des Chantres / Ritou

Plot of 7.6 hectares 1 km from Vacquiers on the Route de Villematier with an astonishing diversity of soils.

Domaine Fitzgerald benefits from a rich variety of original grape varieties that Fergus wishes to perpetuate and develop such as:

La Négrette plantée sur 6,7 hectares :

Having become the emblematic grape variety of the Frontonnais, this variety originated in Cyprus, probably brought back from the Crusades by the Knights of Saint-Jean-de-Jérusalem. Négrette is the translation of Negretta in Langue d'Oc, the feminine form of Negret, in reference to the dark color of the grape.
There are no less than 190 different strains of Négrette, which attests to its ancient origin and its adaptation to the different vineyards where it was planted.

Of medium vigour, well adapted to boulbène (clay-sandy) soils, Négrette is a capricious grape variety that requires increased attention. With a beautiful aromatic intensity, it releases a mixture of violet, jasmine, blackcurrant, blackberry, raspberry, liquorice, pepper and produces a fruity, crisp and elegant wine.

Le Cabernet Franc planté sur 2,2 hectares :

Probably native to the south-west of France, this variety has been well developed in the Loire Valley since Cardinal de Richelieu had it planted in Saint-Nicolas-de-Bourgueil.

Dark garnet, the color of red wines made from Cabernet Franc evolves over time towards ruby nuances.
On the nose, the wines are fruity, with nuances of liquorice in Bordeaux, aromas of raspberry and cherry in the Loire Valley.
The mouth is revealed for these wines round, fruity, balanced by a slight freshness.

Le Gamay planté sur 2,2 hectares :

Banished from Burgundy in the 14th century by Philippe le Hardi, Gamay was moved to Beaujolais where it became the emblematic grape variety. It is also well developed in the Loire, the Center (Côte-Roannaise) and Auvergne (Côtes-du-Forez).

Wines made from Gamay have a ruby color with purplish reflections which takes on garnet nuances after two or three years.
On the nose, these wines give off aromas of strawberry, raspberry, even English candy, sometimes with mineral undertones.
The mouth is fruity as hell, it leaves an exceptional feeling of freshness.

La Syrah palntée sur 0,9 hectare :

According to legend, Syrah originates from Shiraz in Persia. More plausibly, this cousin of the Mondeuse Savoyarde would have been planted by the Romans on the steep hills of the northern Rhône Valley.

The color of the wines is purplish black, which takes on an orange hue over time.
On the nose, the wines have powerful aromas of violet, blackcurrant and liquorice.

On the palate, there are aromas of finely spiced black fruits. The tannins require a few years to refine.

Le Côt (ou Malbec) planté sur 0,86 hectare :

Born on the side of Cahors in the South-West, it has spread widely in the rest of the French vineyard by renaming itself Malbec in Bordeaux or Côt in Languedoc and in the Loire Valley. It has also been widely established in Argentina.

Red wines made from Malbec have a dark garnet color with bluish reflections when young.
The nose for these wines exudes blackberry, blueberry and black cherry, to which can be added a note of bitter almond.

The palate is enveloping, with tannins very present in young wines, which round out with age to reveal aromas of black cherries.

L' Alicante Henri Bouschet planté sur 0,83 hectare:

Of Spanish origin, Alicante spread to France thanks to Louis Bouschet de Bernard, researcher and experimenter from Montpellier.

This grape variety is the result of a cross, made in 1855, of Petit Bouschet (today practically extinct) with Grenache Noir.

In very sharp decline in France, this grape variety now only represents 10,000 hectares, mainly in Languedoc, Provence and Corsica. It is also still found in Algeria, Portugal and California.

Ses aromas of ripe red and black berries are enhanced by woody touches that combine with a fleshy tannic structure.

On the palate, it is very harmonious, round and full, and offers a very long finish.

Alicante is one of rare black grapes with red juice, most of the French black grape varieties presenting a white juice. Grape says " teinturier », it makes it possible to obtain very colored wines, of a sustained bright red. It is used in blends to bring color and sometimes a little fat.

This wine has a beautiful deep purple color with ruby and garnet reflections.

Le Cabernet Sauvignon planté sur 0,7 hectare :

It is par excellence that of the left bank of the Gironde and the Garonne (Médoc and Graves), adopted all over the world, from the United States to Chile, from South Africa to China.

The red wines made from this grape variety have a purplish black color when young, which becomes garnet with age.
Cabernet Sauvignon gives wines aromas of cedar and blackcurrant. With age, the aromatic palette of these wines becomes even more complex, with nuances of blond tobacco and almond.

If young wines can be a little austere, the mouth reveals with time a great finesse and rich aromas of black fruits.

Le Mérille planté sur 0,4 hectare :

Originally from the Tarn-et-Garonne, the Merille is part of the cotoid family. He occupied the Bergerac vineyard for a long time. Often it is planted with Négrette or Côt (Malbec). Nowadays, it is only cultivated on a hundred hectares.

At early budburst, its maturity is of the second period. Mérille gives a light, not very aromatic, flat and simple wine.

Le Merlot planté sur 0,14 hectare :

First of the most cultivated grape varieties in France, its reputation comes from its introduction into the wines of Pomerol and Saint-Émilion, on the right bank of the Dordogne.

Wines made from Merlot have a very dense, almost black purplish hue, which evolves towards garnet over time.
The nose is relatively complex, made of blackberry jam, black cherry and prune, with some sweet spices.
The mouth leaves an impression of roundness and fat. Merlot wines fill the mouth well and are easy to taste when young.