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Domaine Flo Busch 'Heureux qui comme...' Languedoc Rouge
Domaine Flo Busch 'Heureux qui comme...' Languedoc Rouge
Grapes — Carignan and Grenache Noir (proportions vary by vintage, typically Carignan-dominant)
Region — Montpeyroux, Terrasses du Larzac, Languedoc, France
Tasting Notes — Deep ruby to garnet with a violet rim. On first pour there is a wild, faintly feral edge that settles quickly with air, giving way to violets, blackberry, and elderberry. The palate is charmingly juicy: sweet red cherry, sloe, and liquorice, wrapped around a savory thread of garrigue herbs and warm earth. Nicely rounded with a fresh mineral lift on the finish that keeps everything light on its feet. Serve slightly cool, around 15 to 16°C, and give it half an hour open if you can.
The Wine — Old vine Carignan and Grenache from the hills around Montpeyroux, in the Terrasses du Larzac at the foot of the Cévennes. This is high, cool country for the Languedoc, with dramatic diurnal swings that preserve freshness in a region better known for heat and weight. The Grenache comes from 30 year old vines on broken limestone, rounded galets, and quartz; the Carignan from 40 year old vines on blue and yellow limestone marl with sandstone sediments. All of it is gobelet pruned, the traditional bush training of the region, which shades the fruit from the fierce southern sun. The Carignan parcel sits in the middle of a wild laurel forest beside a stream, which slows ripening noticeably compared to neighboring sites and gives the wine its unusual freshness. Grenache is picked at the end of August, Carignan not until late September.
The name is a nod to Joachim du Bellay's famous sixteenth century poem, "Heureux, qui comme Ulysse, a fait un beau voyage." Happy is he who, like Ulysses, has made a great journey. Flo and Paola named their son Ulysse.
Farming — Organic from the very beginning of the project in 2018, with biodynamic practices applied throughout. Certification has come in stages: the Cinsault parcels are certified organic, while the Grenache was in conversion and reaches certification from the 2023 vintage onward. The estate spans nine hectares, eight planted to vines and one given over to olives and more than fifty species of aromatic and medicinal plants, which Paola grows for herbal teas and essential oils. The result is a genuine polyculture, a living ecosystem rather than a vineyard monoculture.
Winemaking — Hand harvested and partially destemmed. Spontaneous fermentation with indigenous yeasts in stainless steel, with two weeks of maceration and regular pump-overs and punch-downs to build a balanced tannin structure. Aged at least six months, in some vintages up to ten months, in neutral vessels with no new oak. No fining, no filtration, no enrichment. Minimal sulfur at bottling. Vegan.
The Producer — Florian Busch grew up among the vines of the Mosel as the son of Clemens Busch, one of Germany's most revered biodynamic producers, but he initially wanted to work in aerospace. That ambition lasted through one degree before he came back to earth and enrolled at Geisenheim to study viticulture and oenology. In 2011 an internship took him to Domaine l'Aupilhac in Montpeyroux, where he discovered both the wildness of the Languedoc and his future partner, Paola Ponsich, a former health-export professional turned herbalist. His brother Johannes took over the family estate on the Mosel, which left Florian free to write his own story in the south. They founded the domaine in 2018, starting from a single 0.35 hectare plot and building it into nine hectares in the Terrasses du Larzac. Two worlds meet in these wines: the minerality and finesse of Flo's Mosel upbringing, and the herb-scented power of the Mediterranean. His cellar approach is uncompromising, relying entirely on spontaneous fermentation and neutral vessels, and 'Heureux qui comme...' was the debut cuvée that started it all.
Drink It With — Grilled lamb with herbes de Provence, duck breast, slow-cooked pork shoulder, cassoulet, charcuterie, aged hard cheeses, mushroom dishes, or roasted root vegetables.
Domaine Flo Busch 'Heureux qui comme...' Languedoc Rouge
Grapes — Carignan and Grenache Noir (proportions vary by vintage, typically Carignan-dominant)
Region — Montpeyroux, Terrasses du Larzac, Languedoc, France
Tasting Notes — Deep ruby to garnet with a violet rim. On first pour there is a wild, faintly feral edge that settles quickly with air, giving way to violets, blackberry, and elderberry. The palate is charmingly juicy: sweet red cherry, sloe, and liquorice, wrapped around a savory thread of garrigue herbs and warm earth. Nicely rounded with a fresh mineral lift on the finish that keeps everything light on its feet. Serve slightly cool, around 15 to 16°C, and give it half an hour open if you can.
The Wine — Old vine Carignan and Grenache from the hills around Montpeyroux, in the Terrasses du Larzac at the foot of the Cévennes. This is high, cool country for the Languedoc, with dramatic diurnal swings that preserve freshness in a region better known for heat and weight. The Grenache comes from 30 year old vines on broken limestone, rounded galets, and quartz; the Carignan from 40 year old vines on blue and yellow limestone marl with sandstone sediments. All of it is gobelet pruned, the traditional bush training of the region, which shades the fruit from the fierce southern sun. The Carignan parcel sits in the middle of a wild laurel forest beside a stream, which slows ripening noticeably compared to neighboring sites and gives the wine its unusual freshness. Grenache is picked at the end of August, Carignan not until late September.
The name is a nod to Joachim du Bellay's famous sixteenth century poem, "Heureux, qui comme Ulysse, a fait un beau voyage." Happy is he who, like Ulysses, has made a great journey. Flo and Paola named their son Ulysse.
Farming — Organic from the very beginning of the project in 2018, with biodynamic practices applied throughout. Certification has come in stages: the Cinsault parcels are certified organic, while the Grenache was in conversion and reaches certification from the 2023 vintage onward. The estate spans nine hectares, eight planted to vines and one given over to olives and more than fifty species of aromatic and medicinal plants, which Paola grows for herbal teas and essential oils. The result is a genuine polyculture, a living ecosystem rather than a vineyard monoculture.
Winemaking — Hand harvested and partially destemmed. Spontaneous fermentation with indigenous yeasts in stainless steel, with two weeks of maceration and regular pump-overs and punch-downs to build a balanced tannin structure. Aged at least six months, in some vintages up to ten months, in neutral vessels with no new oak. No fining, no filtration, no enrichment. Minimal sulfur at bottling. Vegan.
The Producer — Florian Busch grew up among the vines of the Mosel as the son of Clemens Busch, one of Germany's most revered biodynamic producers, but he initially wanted to work in aerospace. That ambition lasted through one degree before he came back to earth and enrolled at Geisenheim to study viticulture and oenology. In 2011 an internship took him to Domaine l'Aupilhac in Montpeyroux, where he discovered both the wildness of the Languedoc and his future partner, Paola Ponsich, a former health-export professional turned herbalist. His brother Johannes took over the family estate on the Mosel, which left Florian free to write his own story in the south. They founded the domaine in 2018, starting from a single 0.35 hectare plot and building it into nine hectares in the Terrasses du Larzac. Two worlds meet in these wines: the minerality and finesse of Flo's Mosel upbringing, and the herb-scented power of the Mediterranean. His cellar approach is uncompromising, relying entirely on spontaneous fermentation and neutral vessels, and 'Heureux qui comme...' was the debut cuvée that started it all.
Drink It With — Grilled lamb with herbes de Provence, duck breast, slow-cooked pork shoulder, cassoulet, charcuterie, aged hard cheeses, mushroom dishes, or roasted root vegetables.