Cherries & strawberries blissfully lazing by an almond tree under the French soleil.

As much as these gnarled vines struggle in the face of the scorching Tramontane and Marin winds in the Languedoc, Les Amandiers vines are planted along the natural contours of the highest slopes on François’ property in Faugères. With a temperature that is the equivalent to a hairdryer at full blast, the altitude helps the 40-year-old vines retain their thirst-quenching acidity, which makes the strawberry and cherry flavours stand at attention. Shaded by almond trees, a hodgepodge of Cinsault, Mourvèdre, and Grenache vines ripen and are painstakingly hand-harvested by François’ small and mighty team in the morning to avoid the scorching sun. The end result?  A rosé with cherries, strawberries and raspberries with a kiss of fudge at the finish line.

The Vidal family has been making wine here since the 1700s. In the 1960s, shortly after being awarded AOC status, huge swathes of Faug̬res were destroyed by torrential rain and landslides. Undeterred, Bernard and Claudie Vidal diligently planted vines around the contours of the arid and unforgiving hills to prevent a repeat. The vines struggle to survive on the dry and rocky soils, and their defense mechanism against such hardship is to produce stunning perfumed fruit.