Anne Arbeau trained as a fluid-mechanics engineer and was headed for a career at Renault. When her father died in 2005, she joined the family wine business in Fronton instead, and the appellation's signature grape, Negrette, has had her attention ever since.
Backstory
The Arbeau family has lived around Fronton since the 16th century, settled at Labastide-Saint-Pierre. The commercial house traces to 1878, when Prosper Arbeau and his son Jean founded Arbeau Pere et Fils to market regional produce. Vignobles Arbeau in its modern form was established in 1998 by Geraud Arbeau, and today Anne and her brother Geraud run it as the fourth generation, still consulting their mother and grandmother on decisions.
The Region
Fronton lies roughly 42 kilometres north of Toulouse in South West France. It is the heartland of Negrette, a late-budding, early-ripening variety long associated with the city. AOP rules require Negrette to make up between 50 and 70 percent of red blends, with grapes such as Cabernet and Syrah filling out the rest.
Vineyards & Farming
Chateau Coutinel, owned by the family since 1920, is the estate's prized property, sitting on a gentle slope of boulbene, an acidic siliceous mix of sand and clay well suited to Negrette. Around half the plantings are Negrette, with Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Gamay, Syrah, Fer Servadou, Cot, Merille and Merlot rounding out the vineyard. Average vine age is about 25 years. The estate is in organic conversion, with grass cover between rows and chemical herbicides restricted.
Winemaking
The cellar favours expressive, fruit-forward reds. The flagship Negrette is made unfined, unfiltered and unoaked to keep the variety's florality intact. An old-vine selection called ElixiR has been bottled separately since 2000, and the house has explored 100 percent Negrette rose and red since 2010.
The Wines
The On l'appelle Negrette bottling is the calling card, a pure expression of the grape with red fruit, licorice, violets and a peppery lift. Around it sit the broader Fronton reds, roses and special cuvees that show Negrette in different lights.
