Situated in Badens, a few kilometers from Carcassonne, the vineyards of Domaine Cros sit on the poorest of poor shallow stony soils that are so stark and inhospitable in certain places that only the vine and the olive tree can scratch an existence. The love of this arid terroir, where the drought seems more extreme than elsewhere, has induced Pierre Cros to preserve several ancient parcels of Aramon (planted in 1930), Piquepoul Noir (1910), Alicante (1927) and Carignan (1910) alongside the more classic “noble” (parvenu) varieties of Syrah, Grenache and Mourvèdre. The estate covers fifty hectares of which only half is planted with vines. The other part is made up of garrigue, almond trees, olive trees, oak trees. Pierre Cros has long understood the importance of respecting the environment and understanding his terroir, that is why he refuses any organic or biodynamic certification since he has always worked this way.