Clos de l'Amandaie Pays d'Oc Chat Pitre

Philippe Petavy’s family has been making wine for 5 generations. In 2001, he and his wife Stephanie started Clos de l’Amandaie with 8 hectares of vines in the town of Aumelas, about 25 kilometers northwest of Montpellier. By 2008, they had grown to 15 hectares and were able to begin construction on a new winery that minimizes impact on the environment.

The terroir of Aulmelas is key to the success of Clos de l’Amandaie’s wines. The landscape is nestled between the foothills of the Massif Central and the sea, benefiting from altitude as well as the sea’s cooling winds. Stony limestone soils, southern aspect, and winter pruning techniques bring concentration to the wines. Aumelas was once an almond basin and Clos de l’Amandaie takes its name from that regional history.

Philippe and Stephanie have been committed to organic farming and winemaking since 2002. The vines are nourished with their own compost and are treated only with small amounts of copper and sulphur when necessary. The grapes are picked by hand and the fermentation proceeds at its own pace. Very low amounts of sulphur are added at bottling, gently stabilizing the wine but also allowing the terroir to be purely expressed.