\nFronton may seem remote, but in fact it’s not that far from the main roads between the Garonne and Tarn rivers, just a stone’s throw from Blagnac, Toulouse’s airport. The big city may be close by, but for lovers of peace and quiet and the countryside, it’s a land of milk and honey, a little forgotten by the guidebooks.
\nIts name – Fronton – resonates in the ears of the initiated like the sound of the pelota clacking on the wall that everyone in the South-West calls a fronton, and in front of which you can play barehanded, “pala”, or leather “paleta”. Coincidence?
\nBack in the city of aerospace, all you have to do is call out Fronton, and suddenly Toulouse comes to life as Nougaro expresses himself, sending us rolling down the Garonne.
\nFor those who don’t already know, Fronton is Toulouse’s “official” vineyard, the one that regularly puts on a show on the Place du Capitole, while livening up the wine bars from Saint-Sernin to the Jacobins,
\nthe after-match entertainment at the Stade Toulousain and even in the caf\u00e9s of the Victor Hugo market or the Halle des Carmes.
\nRed or ros\u00e9, like the walls of the city, this is a wine like no other, a virtually exclusive cru made from
\nits emblematic grape variety, n\u00e9grette.
\nAn astonishing “vin de coeur” that the whole world can enjoy today, reminiscent of the
\nagapes so dear to Gascon hearts, where conviviality and local produce make for an eternally good
\nm\u00e9nage after the grueling days of harvesting or, in days gone by, harvesting pastel, or even after the
\nsevere but fraternal battle fought to the death on the rugby pitch. In this Midi of the
\nSouth-West, which we like to invent in our heads but which is so real, there are rites and traditions
\nthat must not be departed from. Fronton wine has a natural place here, too: it’s
\nrooted in friendship, but also in the depths of history. <\/p>\n
Fronton, the wine of Cocagne<\/strong> Starting on the left bank of the Tarn and descending towards the Pyrenees, we can distinguish three terraces The world’s first n\u00e9grette<\/strong> A highly original grape variety, n\u00e9grette, thrives particularly well in this climate and on these soils, so much so that The reds<\/strong> Ros\u00e9s<\/strong>
\nFronton is a county town with a population of 6,000, equidistant – around twenty kilometers – from Toulouse and
\nMontauban. It’s a lively, brick-built village that attracts both local farmers
\nand city dwellers who love peace, quiet, rural living and good wine. Not too hilly, the region is
\nrenowned for its gentle way of life. But it’s also a land of contrasts, where vines have reclaimed their rightful place after
\npastel, the giant green and blue lettuce whose juice was capable of dyeing sheets a dazzling blue
\n, enriched the Toulouse region before indigo from India overtook it. In Occitan, “Coucagno”
\nreferred to the ball of woad, the source of so much opulence.
\nThanks to the location of the port of Villemur on the Tarn, Fronton and Villaudric wines could reach
\nBordeaux. Today, fields of wheat, rapeseed and corn stand side by side with rows of vines which, in summer,
\nsometimes experience intense heat.
\nTwo cooperative wineries, including Fronton, which alone accounts for half the production, as well as 40
\ncaves particuli\u00e8res, sell Fronton mainly on the domestic market.
\nThe appellation area covers 2,400 ha. Shown on a map of the South-West, it is reminiscent of a rugby ball! <\/p>\n
\nof fluvial origin, which readily imprint their characteristics on the wines.
\nBoulb\u00e8nes: alluvium composed of pebbles, gravel, sand and silt from the Massif Central regions drained by the Tarn and its tributaries, characterized by a high silica content and the absence of limestone. They form a superficial mantle overlying the molasse substratum, which is itself made up of white boulb\u00e8nes with silty-clay layers, sandy boulb\u00e8nes and stony boulb\u00e8nes made up of gravels and pebbles with a stony clay-loam horizon.
\nRougets: clay-loam soils containing up to 30% clay, found mainly on the
\nmid-terraces.
\nGravels, similar to those found in Bordeaux, are made up of numerous pebbles and gravels on the surface
\n, resting on deep layers of clay, and are found on the highest terraces. <\/p>\n
\nWith 2,100 hours of sunshine a year, little rainfall and cool nights,
\nthe Frontonnais region is often exposed to the autan wind, whose warm but dry breeze helps to purify the
\nvines, allowing the grapes to ripen slowly and fully.<\/p>\n
\nthe appellation decree stipulates that it must be the majority grape variety in the final blend, representing at least 40%. However, this does not prevent some winemakers from offering cuv\u00e9es composed exclusively of
\nn\u00e9grette. With the exception of a few hectares in the Vend\u00e9e region, Fronton is the only appellation in
\nthe world to have made this variety its own. In fact, n\u00e9grette, also known
\nas “n\u00e9gret de Gaillac”, brings an intense color to Fronton wines, whether
\nred or ros\u00e9. The result is a wine that is not very acidic, but nevertheless well-structured, with elegant
\nfruity notes of violet, peony, blackcurrant, blackberry, raspberry and
\nlicorice, with hints of pepper.
\nThe tannins are generally supple, with hints of laurel. A persistent legend has it that the
\ngrape variety was brought over from Cyprus by the Hospitallers of the Order of St. John of Jerusalem, who had established
\na commandery in Fronton from the 12th century onwards. This grape variety would have been named mavro in Cyprus (“black” in
\nGreek), which would have derived into “n\u00e9grette” over the centuries. Although this order had its headquarters in Cyprus, where
\na mavro grape still exists today, it has been established that it has nothing in common with n\u00e9grette, no more
\nthan other varieties from Greece or elsewhere! Today, it’s more than likely that n\u00e9grette has
\nits source nearby, somewhere in the Tarn.
\nWhile the preponderance of n\u00e9grette creates a common backbone for Fronton wines, each winemaker
\ninterprets it in his or her own way, letting his or her talent shine through. Never harsh, never rough, never sad, the wines of
\nFronton are rich in color, with undeniable aromatic originality and strong tannic structures
\nbut very velvety.
\nAware of the importance of this grape variety, and anxious to ensure and develop its qualitative future, the
\nwinegrowers of the area have created a N\u00e9grette Conservatory, which has made it possible to conserve and
\nmultiply a collection unique in the world, from the healthiest plants. <\/p>\n
\nVinified between 26 and 28\u00b0C, n\u00e9grette gives its best aromatic expression. Syrah and Cabernet are vinified at higher temperatures, around 30\u00b0C, with varying lengths of maceration to obtain greater tannic structure. The winemaker’s art lies in blending the different grape varieties, depending on whether he or she wishes to obtain supple wines to drink young or wines to lay down.
\nThe most concentrated cuv\u00e9es are aged for around 12 months in vats or oak barrels to soften the tannins, increase aromatic complexity and improve ageing potential. Wines designed to be drunk young, on the fruit, are characterized by their
\nflavors of black fruits (blackcurrant, blackberry), flowers (peony, violet) and spices (licorice, pepper).
\nWines for laying down, more full-bodied and robust, are enhanced by notes of leather and venison. <\/p>\n
\nParticularly fruity and supple, n\u00e9grette lends itself wonderfully to the production of
\nros\u00e9s. In Fronton, ros\u00e9s account for a significant 30% of production.
\nThanks to “saign\u00e9e de cuve”, an intimate maceration process between the must and the grapes themselves,
\nFronton ros\u00e9s offer beautiful aromatic intensity, unusual length on the palate (
\n) and a lovely fatness. Some cuv\u00e9es are aged on lees for added complexity. <\/p>\n
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