Sauta Roc: Languedoc Pézenas "In Treccio"

No scores, no mythology, under 3,000 bottles — just volcanic terroir, organic conviction, and a quiet first decade that rewards attention.

A Note on Sources and Scope

In Treccio is the flagship red wine of Domaine Sauta Roc, a micro-estate of eight to nine hectares in Vailhan (Hérault), founded in 2016 by Bertrand Quesne and Laura Borrelli. The wine’s first vintage is 2016. Total production across the documented vintages has been approximately 2,000 to 3,000 bottles per year.

The estate has no website beyond a single contact page, no published technical data sheets, no international critical coverage (no Parker, Robinson, Vinous, or Burghound reviews), and no secondary-market auction history. The factual record is drawn from: INAO regulatory documents (cahier des charges for AOP Languedoc and the Pézenas dénomination géographique complémentaire); the Guide Hachette des Vins (editions 2019, 2020, 2022); estate registration records (EARL Quesne Borrelli); SAQ product listings; specialist retailer data (Clos des Millésimes, Maison du Vin du Languedoc, Wildeman Wijnen, Vinothentic); the Raisin natural wine platform; France Bleu Hérault radio coverage; the Domaine Oury-Schreiber website (for predecessor estate history); and regional geological and viticultural references for the Pézenas terroir.

Where specific data is unavailable — and it frequently is for a wine of this scale and age — this text says so explicitly, rather than speculate or extrapolate. The document is written on the basis that intellectual honesty about what is known and what is not is more useful to a serious audience than a seamless narrative built on inference.

Introduction

In Treccio is a red blend of Syrah and Grenache, bottled under the AOP Languedoc Pézenas designation, produced from organically farmed vineyards on schist, limestone, and basalt soils in the commune of Vailhan, at the northern edge of the Pézenas sub-zone. The name is Italian, meaning “intertwining” — a reference to the interweaving of grape varieties and terroirs within the cuvée.

Its position within the appellation hierarchy is, on paper, modest. AOP Languedoc Pézenas is itself a dénomination géographique complémentaire (DGC) — a named sub-zone within the broader AOP Languedoc, rather than a standalone appellation. The Pézenas DGC was created in 2007 (originally as Coteaux du Languedoc Pézenas) and applies exclusively to red wines. Within this zone, which encompasses some 1,500 hectares across fifteen communes but produces fewer than 5,000 hectolitres per year under the Pézenas designation specifically, In Treccio occupies a sliver of production — perhaps 15 to 22 hectolitres in a given year, from an estate that is the sole domaine operating in Vailhan.

The wine has no historical reputation in the conventional sense. It cannot. It is less than a decade old, produced in quantities measured in hundreds of cases, sold through natural wine shops and specialist cavistes rather than through négociants or the Place de Bordeaux, and unknown to the international critical apparatus that confers recognition on fine wine. Its significance lies elsewhere: as an early expression of an estate that sits on genuinely distinctive geological material in a sub-zone with serious but still largely unrealised potential; as an example of the new wave of small-scale, non-interventionist viticulture reshaping the identity of the Languedoc; and as a test case for whether the Pézenas terroir, once it gains the critical mass of committed producers, can sustain the kind of attention that Terrasses du Larzac and Pic Saint-Loup have already begun to attract.

The Pézenas zone itself is a candidate for eventual classification as a cru — a standalone appellation — and the Syndicat Terroir Pézenas has been actively pursuing this trajectory. If it succeeds, In Treccio and wines like it will be reframed within a significantly more prominent regulatory and commercial structure. Until then, the wine’s reputation is being built bottle by bottle, through the direct encounter of drinker and terroir.

Vineyard and Terroir

Location

The vineyards supplying In Treccio are situated within the commune of Vailhan, in the northern part of the Pézenas denomination. Vailhan lies approximately 47 kilometres northwest of Montpellier and 14 kilometres north of the town of Pézenas itself, at the transition from the Hérault lowlands to the foothills approaching the Montagne Noire. The village sits near the Cirque de Mourèze and the Lac du Salagou — a landscape shaped by volcanic and metamorphic geology.

Parcels

Domaine Sauta Roc farms fourteen separate parcels totalling eight to nine hectares, planted with eleven grape varieties. The estate has not published a parcel-by-parcel map or identified which specific parcels contribute to In Treccio. Given that the cuvée is a Syrah-Grenache blend under the Pézenas appellation rules, the contributing parcels would be those planted with those two varieties within the delimited AOP parcels. The Guide Hachette description of the wine as an “entremêlement de cépages et de terroirs” (intertwining of varieties and terroirs) confirms that multiple parcels on different soil types contribute to the blend.

Soils

The geological profile at Vailhan is unusually diverse for a single commune. Three principal soil types coexist:

• Schist

  The dominant metamorphic rock in the northern Pézenas zone, dating from the Ordovician period. Schist soils are shallow, stony, well-drained, and heat-retentive. They are poor in organic matter and force deep rooting. In viticultural terms, schist tends to produce wines with pronounced mineral character, tension, and a smoky or flinty aromatic register — what Sauta Roc’s distributors describe as an “empreinte fumée.” Schist-based terroirs are shared with the neighbouring Faugères appellation to the west and the northern reaches of Saint-Chinian.

• Limestone

  Calcareous subsoils that introduce freshness and acidity into the wines. Limestone retains moisture at depth, buffering vines against the extreme aridity of the Pézenas climate. It contributes aromatic lift and structural elegance.

• Basalt

  Volcanic rock from ancient eruptions that deposited lava flows across the Pézenas landscape. Basalt is iron-rich, black, dense, and excellent at retaining heat while releasing it slowly during cool nights. Basalt soils are the geological signature of the Pézenas denomination and are relatively rare in the Languedoc — they distinguish Pézenas from neighbouring zones like Terrasses du Larzac (predominantly limestone and schist) and Faugères (almost exclusively schist). Basalt lends wines concentration, depth, and a distinctive textural density.

The Pézenas terroir has been described in regional geological literature as a mosaic of Villafranchian pebbles, schist, limestone, sandstone, and basalt flows — remnants of volcanic cones, consolidated ash, scoria, and fluvio-volcanic deposits. At a broad scale, the INAO’s cahier des charges identifies three principal soil categories for Pézenas: schist, limestone, and alluvial, with significant volcanic formations throughout.

Climate

Pézenas experiences a Mediterranean climate that is notably drier than most other Languedoc zones. Rainfall is among the lowest in the Hérault department. Maritime influences are attenuated compared to the Terrasses de Béziers or Grès de Montpellier, and the continental influence is less marked than in the Terrasses du Larzac. Altitude across the Pézenas zone ranges from approximately 20 to 300 metres. The landscape is characterised by sparse garrigue vegetation (laurel, rosemary, thyme, white oak), exposed rock, and intense solar radiation. Wind — particularly the tramontane — blows frequently, reducing humidity and fungal disease pressure.

These conditions impose natural water stress on the vines, particularly during summer. In warm and dry vintages (which have become more frequent with climate change), stress management becomes a central viticultural challenge — late-ripening varieties like Mourvèdre may struggle, while Grenache and Syrah must be monitored carefully to avoid overripeness or dehydration before phenolic maturity is achieved.

Sensitivity to Vintage Variation

The extreme aridity of the Pézenas terroir means that vintage variation is driven less by the rain-versus-sun dynamics that govern northern appellations and more by the degree and timing of heat stress, the occurrence of spring frost, and the timing of rare but consequential rainfall events. As Jancis Robinson’s vintage notes for Languedoc-Roussillon indicate, hot, dry summers are the norm, and the chief risks are drought stress in the vine and premature shutdown of vegetative growth before full phenolic maturity. Cooler or wetter springs (as in 2020) can increase fungal pressure, which is otherwise minimal in this zone.

Grape Composition and Viticultural Choices

Varieties and Proportions

In Treccio is a blend of Syrah and Grenache Noir. The exact proportions in each vintage have not been publicly disclosed by the estate. Based on Vivino data and retailer descriptions, the blend is listed as Syrah/Shiraz and Grenache, without fixed percentage indications.

Under the AOP Languedoc Pézenas cahier des charges, red wines must contain a minimum of 50% combined from the principal varieties (Grenache Noir, Syrah, Mourvèdre — each capped at a maximum of 75% individually), with Mourvèdre and/or Syrah required at a minimum of 20%. Grenache Noir is required at a minimum of 20% if Carignan is present. The cahier des charges requires a minimum planting density of 4,000 vines per hectare, with row spacing no greater than 2.50 metres.

Clonal versus Massal Selection

No information is available on whether the Syrah and Grenache at Sauta Roc are planted from clonal or massal selections. The vines were inherited from the former Domaine Rocaudy, which operated from the early 2000s, so the plant material likely reflects decisions made fifteen to twenty-five years ago. Some of the vine stock may be older if the Oury family retained plantings from earlier ownership.

Yield Control

Maximum permitted yield for AOP Languedoc Pézenas is 45 hectolitres per hectare — lower than the 50 hl/ha ceiling for generic Languedoc red. Given the aridity of the Vailhan site, natural yields are likely well below this ceiling in most vintages. Organic farming further limits yields through the absence of synthetic inputs. The Guide Hachette data — 3,000 bottles for the 2016 vintage and 2,000 bottles for 2017 — implies very modest yields consistent with quality-oriented viticulture.

Farming

All viticulture at Sauta Roc is certified organic (Agriculture Biologique) and has been since the estate’s founding. Harvesting is manual. The estate’s approach is described as parcel-adapted — viticultural practices are adjusted to the specific conditions of each plot rather than applied uniformly across the domaine. No herbicides, synthetic pesticides, or artificial fertilisers are used. Sulphur additions are minimised throughout the winemaking process.

Vinification and Élevage

Harvest

Grapes for In Treccio are hand-harvested. No information is available on whether field sorting is practised, though the small scale of production (under 3,000 bottles) suggests attentive manual selection is feasible and likely.

Fermentation

The Syrah and Grenache components are vinified separately. Fermentation takes place with indigenous (native) yeastsin stainless steel tanks. No exogenous yeasts are used, and no oenological products are added. This commitment to native-yeast fermentation is consistent with the estate’s natural wine orientation and introduces a degree of vintage variability — native fermentations are more sensitive to ambient conditions and may produce different aromatic and textural profiles from year to year.

No data is available on maceration length, temperature control protocols, or extraction techniques (pump-over, punch-down, délestage, etc.). However, the Guide Hachette tasting notes for the 2016 and 2017 vintages describe wines with substantial colour (”robe intense et brillante”), moderate-to-firm tannin, and notable oak influence, suggesting a maceration of moderate to extended duration and an extraction approach that prioritises structure without over-extraction.

Élevage

After separate vinification in stainless steel, the wines are aged in oak barrels (”élevé en cuve et en fût” — aged in both tank and barrel — according to the Guide Hachette for both 2016 and 2017). The proportion of new oak, barrel size, forest origin, cooperage, and toast level have not been disclosed.

The tasting notes for the 2016 vintage reference prominent vanilla and spice notes from élevage, while the 2017 shows a somewhat more integrated oak profile. This suggests the estate may be calibrating its barrel regimen over successive vintages — perhaps reducing the proportion of new wood or selecting different coopers as it refines the house style. Such adjustments are common in the early vintages of any new estate.

The length of élevage is not specified publicly. For wines of this style in the Pézenas zone, typical barrel ageing periods range from twelve to eighteen months.

Bottling

Bottling details (fining, filtration, sulphur at bottling) are not disclosed. The estate’s stated philosophy of minimising sulphur and avoiding oenological products strongly implies minimal or no fining and minimal or no filtration, consistent with the natural wine ethos. Some of the predecessor Domaine Rocaudy wines were described as “non collé, non filtré” (unfined, unfiltered).

Vintage-by-Vintage Analysis

Preamble

In Treccio has been produced since 2016. The wine has been reviewed by the Guide Hachette des Vins for the 2016 and 2017 vintages. Beyond that, the critical record is limited to community ratings on Vivino (aggregate 4.0 across all vintages) and brief descriptions from specialist retailers. What follows synthesises every verifiable data point for each vintage, supplemented by the broader Languedoc-Roussillon vintage context drawn from Jancis Robinson’s vintage notes and regional references.

2016 — The Debut

• Vintage context: The 2016 growing season in Languedoc-Roussillon followed a warm, dry winter with early bud-break and a hot summer. Conditions were favourable for concentration and phenolic ripeness in reds.

• Production: 3,000 bottles.

• Élevage: Tank and barrel.

• Critical reception: Reviewed in the Guide Hachette 2019 edition with a rating of 1 étoile (”vin très réussi” — a very successful wine), an exceptional result for a domaine’s first-ever vintage. The Hachette tasting panel described an intense, brilliant colour announcing strong presence; a powerful nose playing on blueberry, black cherry, and spice notes led by vanilla from the oak ageing; and a palate of good amplitude revealing a rich, evolving texture with supple tannins and a long finish. Drinking window recommended: 2020–2022. Retail price at the time of review: €15–20.

• Assessment: The 2016 reads as a confident debut — perhaps slightly oak-forward, as debut vintages of barrel-aged wines often are, but with the underlying material (fruit concentration, tannic structure, aromatic complexity) clearly communicating the quality of the raw material. The Hachette star rating, awarded blind, placed this unknown wine in the “very successful” tier — a remarkable endorsement for a zero-pedigree first release. The recommended drinking window of 2020–2022 suggests the panel saw this as a mid-term wine, not a long-ager, though the tannic structure may have given it slightly more runway than predicted.

2017 — Adjustment

• Vintage context: 2017 in Languedoc-Roussillon was marked by variable conditions. Early spring frost was a concern in some zones, though Pézenas, at lower altitude and with good air drainage, is generally less frost-prone than higher zones like Terrasses du Larzac. The summer was hot.

• Production: 2,000 bottles (a reduction from the 2016 output, likely reflecting either yield variation, selection decisions, or both).

• Élevage: Tank and barrel.

• Critical reception: Reviewed in the Guide Hachette 2020 edition as a vin cité (cited, no star — the base tier of inclusion). The panel noted the wine as a particularly harmonious intertwining of varieties and terroirs. The nose was open, centred on blackcurrant and sour cherry, while the palate was fleshy with supple tannins and an excellent quality of fruit echoing the aromatics. A long finish on dark fruits concluded the assessment. Drinking window recommended: 2020–2025.

  This is also the vintage presented on France Bleu Hérault’s “Héros de la Vigne” programme in January 2020, introduced by Quentin Figuères of the Maison des Vins du Languedoc, who described In Treccio as a red with ageing potential.

• Assessment: The downgrade from one star to a citation may reflect the smaller production, a less concentrated vintage, or simply the vagaries of blind tasting panels. What is notable is that the Hachette panel extended the drinking window to 2025 — three years longer than the 2016 — suggesting the panel perceived the 2017 as structurally more patient despite perhaps being less immediately impressive. The shift from vanilla-led aromatics (2016) toward a more fruit-pure, less overtly oaked profile (blackcurrant, cherry) may indicate a deliberate recalibration of the barrel programme.

2018

• Vintage context: 2018 in Languedoc-Roussillon was characterised by wet spring conditions with high fungal pressure (a serious challenge for organic producers), followed by a hot, dry summer that provided excellent ripening conditions. Jancis Robinson’s notes describe the resulting wines as having fresh acidity and concentrated character.

• Available data: No Guide Hachette review is on record for In Treccio 2018. No production volume is published. The vintage is listed on Vivino for In Treccio, confirming it was produced. Retailer listings confirm availability through specialist channels.

• Assessment: The wet spring would have tested the estate’s organic protocols — without synthetic fungicides, disease management in a humid season demands intense manual attention. The hot summer would have favoured concentration. The absence of a Hachette review may simply reflect the estate not submitting the wine in that cycle, or the wine not being selected by the panel. It does not necessarily indicate a quality shortfall.

2019

• Vintage context: A warm, dry winter led to early bud-break, followed by a hot summer described by Robinson as “ridiculously hot.” This was a vintage of heat stress and drought risk across the Languedoc, particularly in the drier zones like Pézenas. Reds tend to be ripe, concentrated, and potentially high in alcohol.

• Available data: The wine was produced (confirmed by retailer listings). An associated wine from the same estate, Codoliera 2019 (Syrah 60%, Grenache 40%), received a one-star rating in the Guide Hachette 2022 edition, confirming the estate’s continued quality trajectory in that year.

• Assessment: In an extremely hot year, the key risk for In Treccio would be overripeness — the Grenache in particular can lose acidity and gain excessive sugar in sustained heat. The schist and limestone components of the terroir may have mitigated this somewhat by retaining subsoil moisture. Wines from this vintage across the Pézenas zone tend toward power and density, sometimes at the expense of freshness.

2020

• Vintage context: Early bud-break again, with spring conditions wetter than 2019, increasing fungal pressure. Summer was hot and dry, providing good ripening. Robinson describes the resulting wines as excellent across the region.

• Available data: Produced and available through retail channels (confirmed by Raisin listings and specialist merchants).

• Assessment: A potentially very strong vintage for In Treccio. The wet spring would have challenged organic viticulture, but the summer conditions favoured balanced ripening without the extreme heat stress of 2019.

2021

• Vintage context: Severe spring frosts in April cut yields heavily across many parts of France, including parts of the Languedoc. Hot, dry summer conditions followed, with drought stress a risk. Heavy September rains arrived late. Robinson describes this as a small crop of variable quality.

• Available data: An In Treccio 2021 is listed by the Maison du Vin du Languedoc as AOP Languedoc Pézenas rouge, confirming production. No volume or critical data is available.

• Assessment: The frost and drought combination makes 2021 the most challenging vintage in the estate’s short history. Yields were likely reduced, and quality would depend heavily on how the vines at Vailhan — with their diverse soil types offering different moisture-retention characteristics — responded to the stress. The schist parcels may have suffered most in drought conditions, while the limestone and basalt parcels potentially fared better.

Subsequent Vintages

No specific data is available for vintages beyond 2021 as of the time of research, though the estate remains in active production and is listed at natural wine fairs through early 2025.

Style, Identity, and Structural Sensory Profile

Core Signature

Across the verified tasting records, In Treccio presents a consistent structural identity: an intensely coloured wine (deep ruby to purple) with a moderately powerful nose, marked by dark fruit (blueberry, blackcurrant, black cherry, sour cherry), a spice component influenced by barrel ageing (vanilla, pepper), garrigue inflections (a broader Mediterranean herbal register), and what the estate and its distributors consistently identify as a smoky, mineral undertone attributable to the schist-dominant terroir.

On the palate, the wine offers amplitude and flesh — it is not a light or ethereal wine — but with supple tannins rather than harsh or astringent structure. The finishing register tends toward dark fruit persistence rather than the drying minerality or bracing acidity found in cooler-climate wines. Recommended service temperature is 15–17°C, confirming a wine conceived for moderate cellaring and thoughtful consumption rather than for early, casual drinking.

Structural Profile

In Treccio occupies a stylistic middle ground within the Pézenas zone. It is less monumental than the top wines of Domaine les Aurelles (Aurel and Solen), which command €40–90+ per bottle, undergo longer barrel ageing, and are built for extended cellaring. It is more structured and ambitious than generic AOP Languedoc blends or the estate’s own Codoliera (the second red, aged in tank, intended for earlier drinking). It sits in the territory of what might be called a “village-level” wine in Burgundian terms — a wine that expresses site rather than merely varietal or regional character, but does not yet carry the track record or critical infrastructure of a cru-level bottling.

The separate vinification of Syrah and Grenache, followed by barrel-ageing of the blended (or separately aged and then blended) wine, is a method that preserves varietal identity while allowing the winemaker to calibrate the final blend according to the character of each vintage. Syrah contributes colour, structure, spice, and dark-fruit intensity; Grenache contributes warmth, breadth, and a softer tannic profile. The “entremêlement” — the intertwining — is the central structural idea of the wine.

Comparison with Peers

Within the Pézenas denomination, the most relevant benchmarks are:

Les Aurelles — Solen: Grenache-dominated, Mourvèdre and Syrah, barrel-aged, €38–57. This is the most widely recognised wine of the appellation, with 93/100-level scores from major critics. Considerably more expensive and produced at a larger scale. Solen represents the polished, extended-ageing end of the Pézenas spectrum.

Les Aurelles — Aurel: The prestige cuvée, €75–94. A wine for serious cellaring. This is the standard by which ambitious Pézenas reds are implicitly measured.

Font des Ormes: Organic and biodynamic estate on basalt in neighbouring Caux. Concentrated, mineral reds with a similar philosophical orientation to Sauta Roc. Comparable in scale and ambition.

Domaine de l’Aster — Vitis Basaltica: Explicitly marketed around the volcanic terroir. A more recent entrant, like Sauta Roc.

In Treccio distinguishes itself from these peers primarily through its soil diversity. While most Pézenas reds are produced from a single dominant geology (basalt at Font des Ormes, for instance), In Treccio draws from parcels spanning schist, limestone, and basalt. This gives it a textural complexity — a layering of tension (schist), freshness (limestone), and density (basalt) — that single-geology wines cannot replicate.

Aging Potential and Cellaring

Expectations

The Guide Hachette’s recommended drinking windows — 2020–2022 for the 2016, 2020–2025 for the 2017 — suggest the tasting panel views In Treccio as a medium-term wine, best consumed within four to eight years of vintage. This is consistent with the wine’s structural profile: moderately tannic, moderately extracted, with the kind of fruit intensity that rewards several years of bottle age but is unlikely to sustain decades of cellaring.

However, two caveats apply. First, the Hachette panel may be conservative in its drinking windows for unfamiliar wines from young estates. Second, the underlying material — organic viticulture, low yields, old-vine stocks on mineral soils — often produces wines that age better than their early structural signals suggest.

Realistic Range

Based on the available evidence, a reasonable cellaring estimate for In Treccio would be:

• Short-term (2–4 years post-vintage)

  The wine opens progressively, with oak integrating and primary fruit softening. Best for those who enjoy a youthful, fruit-forward expression.

• Medium-term (5–8 years)

  The probable sweet spot. Tannins resolve, the smoky mineral character of the terroir emerges more clearly, and the fruit shifts from primary to secondary and early tertiary registers (dried herbs, leather, spice). This is the window the Hachette panel appears to target.

• Long-term (8–12+ years)

  Unknown. No In Treccio has yet reached a decade of age. The potential is plausible given the raw materials — schist-based wines from Faugères and northern Languedoc can age well beyond a decade — but there is no empirical evidence to confirm it for this specific wine. The predecessor Domaine Rocaudy wines (Tour de Magie) were noted by amateur reviewers as evolving positively over five to eight years, which offers a modest historical parallel.

Storage

Standard fine-wine conditions apply: 12–14°C, 70% humidity, horizontal storage, darkness, absence of vibration. Given the low sulphur regime, meticulous storage is especially important — low-sulphur wines are less forgiving of temperature fluctuation and cork compromise.

Market Value and Investment Perspective

Pricing

In Treccio retails at approximately €15–20 per bottle in France, based on Guide Hachette data and specialist retailer listings. This places it in the lower tier of the Pézenas market: the Aurelles wines begin at €38 (Solen) and reach €90+ (Aurel), while other small-domaine Pézenas reds typically range from €12–25.

The pricing is honest relative to the production scale and the estate’s recognition level. It reflects a wine positioned for consumption rather than speculation.

Scarcity

Production is very limited — 2,000 to 3,000 bottles per vintage, or roughly 170 to 250 cases. This is below the threshold at which meaningful commercial availability exists outside of specialist channels. A collector seeking a full vertical would find it exceptionally difficult: the 2016 and 2017 are effectively unavailable in the market; later vintages appear intermittently through natural wine shops and a small number of online merchants.

Secondary Market

There is no secondary market for In Treccio. The wine does not appear in any auction database. It is not traded through any exchange or resale platform. Its commercial life begins and ends in the primary market.

Investment Perspective

In Treccio is not an investment wine by any conventional metric. Production volumes are too small to generate liquidity, the brand is too young to have established a price trajectory, and the critical infrastructure that supports speculative value (international scores, auction records, collector consensus) does not exist.

The case for acquiring and cellaring In Treccio is purely consumptive and epistemic: the opportunity to track, vintage by vintage, how a talented team develops a distinctive terroir from the ground up. If the Pézenas denomination eventually achieves cru status — a realistic but uncertain prospect — early vintages of serious Pézenas wines may acquire retrospective significance. But this is a collector’s bet on regional emergence, not a financial investment.

For price comparison: Solen (Les Aurelles) 2016 trades at approximately €38 retail; Aurel 2016 at approximately €75–94. In Treccio at €15–20 occupies a fundamentally different commercial category. The price-to-quality ratio, based on the Hachette assessment, is strong.

Cultural and Gastronomic Significance

Presence

In Treccio does not appear on any documented grand restaurant wine list, in any published tasting event of record, or in any sommelier competition. Its cultural presence is confined to the natural wine circuit — bars, cavistes, and small-producer fairs where it circulates among a community of enthusiasts who discover it through personal recommendation, Raisin app listings, or direct cellar-door visits.

The France Bleu Hérault radio feature (January 2020), in which wine journalist Gilles Moreau presented In Treccio on his daily “Héros de la Vigne” segment dedicated to Hérault vignerons and their wines, represents the most significant media exposure the wine has received.

Within French Wine Culture

In Treccio belongs to a tradition that is both very old and very new: the small, independently farmed, terroir-expressive wine produced without the safety net of established reputation. In the Languedoc, this tradition was largely destroyed by the shift to industrial-scale production in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, and is now being rebuilt — parcel by parcel, village by village — by a generation of committed vignerons. The couple’s Italian origin adds a layer of cultural specificity: they bring a Tuscan artisanal sensibility (native yeasts, minimal intervention, variety-driven winemaking) to a French terroir, creating a cross-cultural dialogue that is audible in both the wines and their Italian-language naming convention.

Gastronomic Relevance

The Guide Hachette recommends In Treccio with robust, flavourful dishes: lamb with broad beans and artichokes; grilled beef rib; couscous with beef; lamb tagine; spiced meatballs. The wine’s structural profile — moderate tannin, good amplitude, dark fruit, herbal and spice complexity — positions it naturally alongside the cuisine of the Mediterranean hinterland: grilled and braised meats, slow-cooked legume dishes, hard sheep’s-milk cheeses, and the aromatic, olive-oil-based cooking of southern France, Catalonia, and central Italy.

At medium maturity (5–8 years), the wine’s evolving secondary aromas (leather, dried herbs, smoke) would complement more complex preparations: cassoulet, daube provençale, slow-roasted shoulder of lamb with garrigue herbs, or mature Ossau-Iraty. The moderate alcohol and tannic suppleness make it a food wine first and foremost — it does not demand attention as a standalone tasting experience so much as it rewards integration with a meal.

Conclusion

In Treccio is a wine that resists the conventions of fine-wine monographs. It has no lineage, no auction record, no critical scores, no mythology. It has existed for fewer than ten vintages, in quantities that would not fill a single container. It has been tasted blind by a French tasting panel twice, performing well both times — remarkably well the first time — and then returned to near-invisibility.

What it does have is a set of structural fundamentals that are difficult to replicate: organically farmed vineyards on three distinct geological formations (schist, limestone, basalt) in a zone of serious viticultural potential; a coherent philosophy of varietal transparency and minimal intervention; intelligent, experience-informed winemaking by operators who trained in one of the world’s great viticultural regions before choosing this quiet corner of the Languedoc; and a price point that makes it accessible rather than exclusive.

The vulnerabilities are equally clear. The estate depends on two people. The cellar is tiny. There is no commercial infrastructure beyond a handful of specialist channels. The wine has no critical advocate, no importer with a platform, no sommelier champion. Its survival as a wine of consequence depends on continued quality, continued commitment, and the gradual recognition of the Pézenas terroir by a broader audience.

For the professional or serious collector, In Treccio is best understood not as a finished achievement but as a process in its early stages — a wine that is still learning what it is, produced by people still learning what their land can do. The geological material beneath the vines is not going to change. The question is whether the human decisions being made above ground — in the vineyard, the cellar, the market — will prove equal to what the terroir offers. The first evidence, limited as it is, suggests they will.