# La Bégou (2021)

- **Producer:** Domaine Maxime Magnon
- **Colour:** white
- **Type:** still
- **Grapes:** Grenache Gris, Grenache Blanc, Carignan Gris
- **Region:** Languedoc-Roussillon, France
- **Style:** Natural
- **Alcohol:** 12.5%
- **Average price:** €40
- **Vegan:** Yes
- **Contains sulphites:** Yes
- **When to drink:** Now or Later
- **Serving temperature:** 10–13 °C
- **Aromas & flavours:** lemon, grapefruit, peach, pear, blossom, butter, toast, almond, honey

## About this wine

Domaine Maxime Magnon is a celebrated low-intervention estate located in Villeneuve-les-Corbières within the Hautes-Corbières region. Maxime Magnon, originally from Burgundy, trained under legendary Beaujolais vigneron Jean Foillard and natural wine pioneer Didier Barral before establishing his estate in 2002. Crafting wines out of a modest rented garage, Magnon manages small, high-elevation vineyard plots of old vines planted on steep schist and clay-limestone soils. La Bégou is his benchmark white cuvée made from low-yielding, historic vines.

## Interesting facts

- Importer Kermit Lynch famously dubbed this wine a 'Mediterranean Meursault' for its balance of texture and precision.
- Winemaker Maxime Magnon grazes sheep, donkeys, and cows in his vineyards over winter to naturally manage cover crops and soil health.
- Magnon crafts his highly sought-after wines in a small rented garage in Villeneuve-les-Corbières.

## Food pairing

The rich body and linear drive of this wine complement delicate seafood, poultry, and goat cheese. Citrus- and butter-based sauces highlight the wine's depth while fresh herbs echo its Mediterranean terroir.

## Wine making process

The grapes are harvested by hand in small crates and cooled before direct pneumatic pressing of whole clusters. Fermentation occurs naturally with indigenous yeasts in large oak vessels (demi-muids) without sulfur additions. The wine is aged for 10 months on fine lees in neutral Burgundian oak barrels previously used for 6 to 8 vintages. It is bottled unfined and unfiltered with only a minimal dose of sulfur dioxide at bottling.