Domaine de VILLENEUVE, located in Claret, 30 km north of Montpellier in the Hérault, was acquired in 1980 by Myriam and Christian Florac, growers who used to take the grapes they produced on their previous domaine to the village wine cooperative. They wanted to produce better quality wines by vinifying their grapes themselves. The vineyards and winery have benefited from numerous investments over the last 25 years. In 1989, the Domaine expanded with the addition of 20 hectares of vines from Myriam's father, located in the Valflaunès area, opposite the Pic Saint Loup Mountain. Myriam and Christian's daughter, Anne-Lise, took over in 2005. She is assisted by her husband Bernard Fraisse, who is also a beekeeper and has been helping with vinification since 1987. Domaine de VILLENEUVE is a typical Languedoc farmhouse building made from local stone, with a vaulted cellar, old silk worm nursery and a bread oven. It is surrounded by 45 hectares of vineyards growing in a natural, clay-limestone amphitheatre formed by the Causse de l'Hortus and facing south/southeast. The vineyard is made up primarily of Syrah, Grenache Noir, Mourvèdre, Cinsault and Carignan (for red and rosé wines) and Grenache Blanc and Roussanne (for white wines). The old vines of Grenache and Carignan of 30 to 50 years of age are trained "en gobelet" (bush trained). Those of Syrah, Mourvèdre, Grenache Noir, Grenache Blanc and Roussanne are trellised. The yield is about 45 hl/hectare with 25 hl/hectare for the «têtes de cuvée» (wines produced from the first pressing of the grapes). Some of the wine is aged for 18-24 months in French oak barrels.