Domaine La Combe Blanche is located in the fairly obscure appellation of Minervois in France’s Languedoc region.

The Languedoc is home to more than a third of France’s vineyard acreage. It stretches west from the Rhone River estuary in the west to the foothills of the Pyrenees Mountains near the Spanish border, wrapping around the Mediterranean coast and including the medieval city of Carcassonne. Historically, it has had a reputation for producing plonk wines in bulk. But over the last 20 years a transformation has taken place.

Shunning the factory mentality that has gripped many of the co-operatives that have long dominated the Languedoc, a new generation of dedicated, innovative winemakers have taken advantage of the region’s reasonably-priced vineyards. Emphasizing quality over quantity, these winemakers have dramatically cut yields, instituted best practices in vineyard management, and brought back traditional, artisanal vinification methods. The results have been nothing short of revolutionary.

Look outside the large merchants, co-ops and brokers, and the Languedoc offers hand-crafted wines of real character and individuality. Some of the best I’ve found come from Guy Vanlancker’s estate, Domaine La Combe Blanche.

Domaine La Combe Blanche first caught my attention when I tried its “La Chandelier” cuvée, bought after a wine tasting in small wine shop in Narbonne (a sleepy town on an old Roman road in southern France). Made from a blend of 75% Syrah and 25% Grenache, the wine was rich and elegant, with peppery notes and black cherry. I immediately set out to track down the producer. Unable to find a phone number or website, I sent a letter to Vanlancker telling him how much I had enjoyed the wine and asking if I could arrange a visit to his domaine. He agreed and a month later, I found myself in the ancient wine village of La Livinière meeting with Vanlancker in the old stone building that he uses as his cellar.

A former schoolteacher from Belgium, Vanlancker’s dreamed for years of escaping the cold and damp of Belgium for the warm, Mediterranean climate of the Languedoc where he would make his own wine. In 1981, he fulfilled his dream and moved to the village of La Livinière where he purchased vineyards. In the beginning, he sold all of his grapes to the local cooperative. Overtime, he began to push for higher standards of winemaking, but as the “upstart” from Belgium, he did not make much headway.  In 1998, Vanlancker had the resources to leave the co-op and began to make his own wine. The rest, as they say, is history.

Domaine La Combe Blanche’s vineyards rest between 700 and 800 feet above Livinière, about 18 miles inland from the Mediterranean. The vines are at least 30 years old and grow in a rocky mixture of limestone and clay soils. The climate is arid, and because of the elevation, hot days are offset by cool nights. All combine to set the stage for Vanlancker’s remarkably-good and beautifully-concentrated wine.

 Vanlancker keeps yields well below approved limits by pruning and cropping (for the aficionado, his average yield is 25 to 35 hl/ha, significantly less than to the permitted yield of 50 to 60 hl/ha). Grapes are picked by hand and collected in small trays to prevent damage and oxidation. He uses indigenous yeast to start fermentation. Each parcel is vinified and aged separately (some in oak, some in vat) before blending and bottling.

In her book “The Wines of the South of France: From Banyuls to Bellet,” Rosemary George MW (one of the UK’s most respected wine writers) praised Domaine La Combe Blanche, commenting “There is no doubt that Guy Vanlancker deserves greater recognition, for his wines are stylish and individual.”

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