Domaine Bardi d'Alquier
Domaine Bardi d'Alquier

Domaine Bardi d'Alquier

Create an alert

Le Domaine Jean-Michel Alquier — now Domaine Bardi d'Alquier — is the historic benchmark of the AOP Faugères and one of the most rigorously managed estates in the Languedoc. In the Alquier family's ownership since 1870, it owes its reputation to decades of quiet, demanding work on a high-altitude schist vineyard, farmed using organic farming methods and dominated by massale-selection Syrahs among the first planted in the appellation. Two stars in the Revue du Vin de France, inclusion among the fifty cuvées that define the Languedoc according to the RVF: the critical record speaks for itself. Among the most emblematic vintages, the Alquier / Bardi d'Alquier 2015, 2016, 2018, 2019, 2020 and 2022 bear witness to the exceptional ageing potential and absolute consistency of this guardian estate of Faugères.

  Read more
Read more
Create an alert
Preparation of your order

Preparation of your order
Discover the wines of the Faugères appellation

Appellation Faugères

Filtrer

Products (7)

Filter

Receive our latest arrivals of Domaine Bardi d'Alquier by email!

Sign up and be the first to know about new arrivals.

History and identity: one family, one appellation, one hundred and fifty years

The history of Domaine Jean-Michel Alquier is inseparable from that of the Faugères appellation itself. The Alquier family settled in the heart of the village of Faugères in 1870 — more than a century before AOC Faugères was officially recognised, in 1982 for reds and rosés, and in 2005 for whites. Four generations of winemakers succeeded one another in this vineyard before the two figures who brought it international renown took the reins.

The first decisive turning point came in 1962. Gilbert Alquier, Jean-Michel's father and a recognised pioneer, made the decision to plant the very first massale-selection Syrahs in the appellation on his schist plots, sourced from the Rhône Valley vineyards. At a time when the Languedoc was still associated with high-volume grape varieties, this choice represented a clear break with regional practice. 

Jean-Michel Alquier then took over the family estate with the quiet ambition that characterises all his work: to work outside trends, away from fashions, with a radical and discreet rigour that earned him recognition from critics as "one of the most discreet and most rigorous winemakers in the Languedoc". For over forty years, he patiently built a reputation that elevated the estate to two-star status in the Revue du Vin de France. In 2017–2018, he brought Sophie and Thibaud Bardi de Fourtou into the estate — passionate young winemakers who gradually took over the reins of the vineyard, now renamed Domaine Bardi d'Alquier. Jean-Michel remained involved for a few more years to ensure a seamless handover in terms of quality. Since then, Thibaud and Sophie have completed the conversion to certified organic farming, renovated the cellar and infrastructure, and maintained all the cuvées at the very top of the appellation.

Terroir and viticultural environment of Domaine Bardi d'Alquier

The vineyard of Domaine Jean-Michel Alquier / Bardi d'Alquier extends over twelve hectares planted at 340 metres altitude above the Mediterranean Sea, on the schist hillsides that form the geological heart of the Faugères appellation. The AOC Faugères is one of the rare French appellations whose specifications require an exclusively schist substrate — blue and black schists of primary origin, among the oldest in the Languedoc vineyard, which give the wines a characteristic minerality, tension and tannic finesse that cannot be found on other soil types.

The estate's plots face due south and are protected to the north by five hectares of holm oak woodland that plays a thermal regulatory role. The vineyard is exposed to the tramontane blowing from the west, which dries the grapes, reduces the risk of disease and avoids any need for intensive preventive treatments. This favourable climatic context allows exceptional ripeness to be achieved without excessive heat, thanks to the altitude. The schist, with its unique capacity to absorb and release heat, amplifies this phenomenon: the grapes ripen quickly and well, yet retain an acidity and freshness that lowland vineyards cannot replicate.

Production philosophy and wine style

The range of Domaine Bardi d'Alquier is organised around a clear and coherent hierarchy of three main red cuvées, complemented by a limited-production white. 

Les Bastides d'Alquier represents the heart of the range and the flagship cuvée of the estate. Composed of approximately 80% Syrah from old high-altitude vines — the massale selections planted in the 1960s by Gilbert Alquier — complemented by Grenache and a touch of Mourvèdre, it is aged for eighteen months in barrels, 30 to 40% of which are new oak. The result is a wine of remarkable density and coherence: camphor, liquorice, jammy black fruits, oriental spices, garrigue and smoky notes are organised around a firm yet velvety tannic structure, supported by a natural acidity that guarantees longevity. It is recommended to wait three to five years before opening a bottle in the great vintages.

Les Grandes Bastides represents the ultimate expression of the estate's terroir. Produced in very limited quantities only in exceptional vintages, from the hilltop plots where the sixty-year-old old vines achieve low yields, this cuvée is aged for twenty-four months in barrels renewed at 60% new oak, without filtration. Its structure, amplitude and depth destine it for a minimum of fifteen to twenty years' cellaring. 

Putting the Faugères appellation in perspective

Within Faugères, the schist-Languedoc appellation par excellence, Domaine Jean-Michel Alquier — Bardi d'Alquier holds a position of historical precedence and qualitative authority that few other estates can claim. The planting of the first massale-selection Syrahs in the 1960s by Gilbert Alquier was a founding act that influenced the entire aromatic and stylistic trajectory of the appellation: without these pioneering vines, the spicy, smoky and peppery profiles now associated with the finest Faugères would doubtless not have emerged as early or as clearly.

Read more