Les
Lauriers
A South of France Vacation Home
Old
World Charm with Modern Amenities
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Les
Lauriers
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About
Limoux, in the Languedoc
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The medieval streets of Limoux, Languedoc offer every amenity while maintaining the simple charm of a traditional southern French town, unspoiled by tourism. The bustling central square, which hosts the weekly market, is ringed with cafes, pastry shops, a variety of specialty food shops and other merchants. Limoux is a safe and interesting place to stroll on warm summer evenings when families are out in the squares and men play the game of boules on sandy courts under canopies of ancient chestnut and plane trees. |
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Before the arrival of the Romans around 100 BC, the Languedoc was an important center of Celtic culture and industry, as evidenced by recent archaeological finds around Limoux. The Romans built bridges, mineral baths, aqueducts, roads and vineyards, some of which are still in use. The Visigoths inherited the region from the Romans in the 5th century and left behind the earliest parts of the castles and abbeys you will visit. The Franks from the north began to exert their influence after ending the short-lived Moorish occupation of the 700s. |
| The area is best known for the Cathars, who led one of the first effective reform movements against the excesses of the Roman church from the 11th to 13th centuries. At the time, the Aude and surrounding regions of the South were richer, more progressive and just as powerful as other parts of France. It was only in the 14th century that the combined power of Rome and the northern nobility through Crusade and Inquisition subdued not only this grassroots religion, but also the medieval spirit of courtly love and the Troubadours who gave it international expression. Reform movements were subdued but not eliminated, for later, the Huguenots thrived here in the 16th century. Limoux was always known as an important center of dissent and even now is a magnet for numerous researchers and authors worldwide interested in theories of hidden Templar treasure, including the Holy Grail. |
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Thanks to a particularly mild climate the Limoux region can offer many different outdoor activities: swimming pools, tennis, clay pigeon shooting, cycling, cross-country, horseback riding, canoeing, kayaking, fishing, and much more! |
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Present-day Champagne producers dismiss this notion, although the famed monk Dom Perignon did pass through Limoux before moving to Champagne. The method developed by the monks in Limoux is called methode ancestrale. In this process, the bottle is sealed before the fermentation is complete, which creates natural bubbles in the wine. Unfortunately, this process leaves too much yeast sediment trapped in the bottle. Developing a more sophisticated style, producers from the Champagne region invented methode champenoise, which yields a sparkling wine without the sediment.
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Most modern producers of Blanquette use methode champenoise. It is still possible, though, to find among small or private producers a bottle of vintage bubbly made according to methode ancestrale. By law, only producers in the Champagne region can officially call their sparkling wine Champagne -- just as only producers in the area surrounding Limoux can market their sparkling wine with the name Blanquette. Made with a blend of three white grapes -- mauzac, chenin and chardonnay -- Blanquette has a smooth, creamy texture. Often toasty with an apple flavor, the taste is simple and elegant. In recent years, Blanquette has become more popular as a tasty substitute for Champagne at half the price. |
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E-mail Keith & Cynthia for more information or to make a reservation. Home | About Limoux | Getting to Limoux | To Do | Rental Information | Links | Guests' Comments | Contact Us Copyright© Cynthia Pronick & Keith Digby, 2008 |
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