Roc d'Anglade

History of Roc d'Anglade

Langlade wine was mentioned as early as 936. Its reputation peaked under Louis XIV, who had it served at his court and, in 1696, awarded it the Blason Viticole distinction, with a silver coat of arms bearing three green vine stakes to symbolize the wine’s royal quality. Its success continued to grow: in 1870, nearly 700 winegrowers, coopers and vineyard workers were involved in making a wine whose reputation then rivaled that of Burgundy’s grands crus. The phylloxera crisis devastated the vineyards, however, and production did not resume until the late 19th century, following the replanting of 200 hectares. Between 1900 and 1928, the village also won a gold medal at the Paris World’s Fair, another in Brussels and a silver medal in London.

The modern story begins in 1999. Rémy Pédréno, a former sales executive in the IT industry, decided to leave it all behind to pursue his passion. Having learned from Côte-Rôtie figure René Rostaing, he established Domaine Roc d'Anglade with Rostaing’s help: Rostaing bought four hectares of Syrah and Grenache from a Langlade winegrower for him. The first vintage was released in 2000 and met with immediate success. In 2001, Martine Guillem Pédréno joined the venture as co-manager, taking a full part in the vinification and blending of every wine. Vintage after vintage, the couple rebuilt the estate plot by plot, undertaking extensive replanting on the limestone terroir of Mégères. 

Terroirs and Vines of Roc d'Anglade

The estate’s ten hectares are planted on clay-and-silica soils over calcareous marl. The soil composition—roughly one-third clay, one-third silica and one-third silt—is often described by tasters as resembling Burgundy’s, which partly explains the wines’ unusual character. The estate’s principal lieux-dits, Canzert and Mégères, extend into the garrigue surrounding the village of Langlade.

Exposure remains the decisive factor. Contrary to southern convention, the plots face due north, slowing ripening, preserving acidity and giving the vineyard a freshness rare in this climate. This is what lends the wines their finesse and easy-drinking character. The grape varieties are equally distinctive: Carignan, Mourvèdre, Syrah, Grenache and Cinsault for the reds, with Carignan often taking the lead. For the whites, Chenin Blanc makes up more than 70% of the blend, complemented by Grenache Blanc and Chardonnay—an unexpected choice in the Gard, to say the least. The entire vineyard is certified organic, with vineyard work and harvesting carried out by hand wherever possible. As the estate’s wines are classified under IGP Pays du Gard, the winemaker has complete freedom in blending, without appellation constraints.

Winemaking at Roc d'Anglade

Rémy Pédréno has an enduring passion for Burgundy Pinot Noirs and seeks to make, in his own region, the kind of wine he loves to drink. This pursuit of freshness guides every decision he makes in the cellar. Extraction is restrained, maceration is gentle, and some cuvées are vinified as whole clusters to gain tension and aromatic vibrancy.

Aging is what truly sets the estate apart from most Languedoc winemakers, who favor new barrels or concrete tanks: here, the wines rest in old large oak casks and used demi-muids for one to one and a half years, depending on the vintage and blend. No oak character masks the terroir. The estate takes its originality further by making a cuvée based on the Andalusian solera principle, blending several successive vintages. The result is fresh, savory and sleek reds, almost Burgundies of the south, and remarkably vibrant whites with subtle toasted reductive notes, popcorn and candied citrus, showing that southern whites can match the tension of the best northern wines.

The cuvées of Roc d'Anglade

Roc d'Anglade Rouge: the estate’s emblematic cuvée and its beating heart. It blends predominantly Carignan with Syrah, Grenache, Mourvèdre and sometimes Cinsault, all from north-facing plots in Langlade. After a year to 18 months of aging in old large oak casks, it shows a luminous color and a sharply defined, medium-bodied profile that combines the fleshiness of southern grapes with mouthwatering nuances. Fresh red fruit, garrigue, sweet spices and minerality lead into a long finish sustained by acidity. This is the fresh, savory, finely poised style cultivated by Rémy Pédréno and admired by the estate’s devotees. A wine with excellent aging potential, superb after eight to ten years in the cellar.

Roc d'Anglade Blanc: the estate’s flagship white, made from an unexpected yet successful blend of more than 70% Chenin Blanc, complemented by Grenache Blanc and Chardonnay. A subtle toasted reductive note and hints of popcorn open on the nose, followed by candied citrus, white flowers and a saline touch. The palate offers a striking contrast between rich texture and a fine pomelo bitterness on the finish. Both creamy and mineral, its balance shows that southern whites can be as vibrant as northern ones. It improves greatly after five or six years in bottle.

Roc d'Anglade Rosé: produced in very small quantities, this rosé blends the estate’s classic Grenache Noir, Syrah and Carignan. Far from standardized southern French rosés, it is a food wine in its own right, full-bodied and taut, with the signature freshness of the north-facing vines.

Anglada Rouge: the estate’s tiny-production cuvée, from the Canzert and Mégères lieux-dits in the garrigue of Langlade. It combines around 60% Cinsault and 40% Syrah, vinified as whole clusters. The result is a light-colored red with remarkable elegance and drinkability, offering lively red fruit, flowers and pepper, with a mineral backbone that highlights the terroir’s freshness. Produced in minute quantities, it has become a sought-after bottle.

Reserva Especial: the house’s small-production cuvée, numbered by bottling and directly inspired by the Andalusian solera system used for sherry. The principle is to refresh older wines with younger ones and, conversely, temper the vigor of new wine with the maturity of older vintages, creating genuine harmony between generations in the bottle. Each numbered release thus brings together around half a dozen recent vintages with a touch of older ones. The result is a wine of exceptional finesse and rare complexity, with aging potential of at least 20 years, which Rémy Pédréno dedicates to his grandfather Laureano. Serve at around 16°C in large, wide-bowled glasses after vigorous decanting for an hour.