Les Caves du Sieur d'Arques Toques et Clochers Haute Vallée Haute Vallée, Languedoc
Chardonnay13% abv£19.20France
Image: 8wines
18/20A cut above superior
Drink
2026 to 2034
Value
Jancis Robinson
17.5/20
Drinking window
Today
202520302035
Drinking well, 2026 to 2034At its best, 2027 to 2030
An understated but complex nose, with citrus zest, lemon and orchard fruit, particularly pear and apple. Subtle white-flower aromas are complemented by toasted almond, vanilla and gentle spice from the oak ageing. A stony, mineral character adds freshness and definition, while the oak remains integrated rather than overpowering.
Dry, full-bodied and beautifully balanced, combining ripe citrus and orchard fruit with a rich, rounded texture. Toasted nuts, subtle vanilla and gentle spice add layers of complexity, while fresh acidity provides structure and prevents the wine from feeling heavy. A distinct mineral character runs through the palate, bringing precision to the wine’s richness. The finish is exceptionally persistent, with lingering citrus, toasted almond and a dry, stony freshness.
A compelling Chardonnay from Limoux that combines the richness and texture of a full-bodied white with remarkable freshness and mineral definition. The wine’s appeal lies in its balance: ripe fruit and integrated oak provide depth, while acidity and a persistent, dry finish maintain precision.
The Haute Vallée terroir, in the foothills of the Pyrenees, is one of the cooler corners of southern France. In 2024 a cool, wet September slowed the final weeks of ripening, which helped preserve acidity and gives the wine its freshness despite the warmth of the region.
Stylistically, it offers an appealing alternative to white Burgundy, with comparable Chardonnay characteristics of citrus, orchard fruit, oak-derived complexity and texture, but a distinct expression of the Languedoc. Its pronounced flavour intensity and exceptionally long finish make it particularly impressive at this price.
Jancis Robinson awarded the 2024 vintage 17.5/20, praising its intriguing, restrained character, excellent balance, mineral quality and persistence. My own assessment is slightly higher, reflecting the wine’s overall impact, structure and remarkable finish.
Terroir and winemaking
The Haute Vallée is the highest and coolest part of Limoux, with vines above 300 m in the foothills of the Pyrenees, sheltered by the mountains and open to both Atlantic and Mediterranean air. Over 1994 to 2023 its growing season averaged 15.6°C, about 1.5°C cooler than Serralunga d'Alba in Barolo, so the grapes ripen slowly and late. Limoux also claims sparkling wine as its own: monks at the Abbey of Saint-Hilaire are said to have made Blanquette as early as 1531.
100% Chardonnay, fermented and aged in barrel with some new oak, the Burgundian way, from Les Caves du Sieur d'Arques, a co-operative founded in 1946 that now brings together over 400 grower families and about 2,800 ha. The wine is named after Toques et Clochers, the charity auction the co-op has run since 1989, where top chefs cook each spring and the proceeds restore the bell tower of a village church in the Aude.
Structure
Low to high
The shape of the wine: each spoke runs from low at the centre to high at the edge.
Aciditymed+
Bodymed+
Alcoholmedium
Intensityhigh
Finishlong
Acidity, tannin, body, intensity and finish on five steps; alcohol on three, from the 13% abv. How these are judged
Fruit & florallemoncitrus zestpearapplewhite flowers
From the cellartoasted almondvanillagentle spice
Mineral & otherstonymineral
Tasted 12 Jul 2026Setting Wapping Wine Club, LondonSource Purchased, Les Caves de PyreneOpened 30 min beforeBottles tasted 1
The 2024 season in Haute Vallée
Apr to Oct growing season
2024 ran slightly warm in the Haute Vallée, 0.5°C above its 1994 to 2023 average, but above all it was wet: about 830 mm of rain over the growing season, a fifth more than normal. May was the wettest month, with 174 mm against a usual 113, right around flowering. July and August were warm, with nine days above 30°C against a typical five and a peak of 33.4°C on 30 July. Then September turned cool and wet, almost a degree below normal.
2024 was a clear step back from the two hottest seasons on record here: 2022 and 2023 averaged 17.9°C and 17.5°C over the growing season, against 16.1°C this year. And this is a cool place to grow Chardonnay for the south of France. From 1994 to 2023 the Haute Vallée's growing season averaged 15.6°C, about 1.5°C cooler than Serralunga d'Alba in Barolo.
Average temperature
16.1°C
+0.5°C vs normal · 8th warmest of 32
Rainfall
830 mm
+21% vs normal
Hottest day
33.4°C
30 July · usual peak 31.6°C
Days above 30°C
9
in summer · usually 5
“Normal” is this spot's average for 1994 to 2023.
Month by month
Average temperature (line, left axis) and rainfall (bars, right axis) in 2024, with this spot's normal for each month.
Temperature 2024Normal temperatureRain 2024Normal rain
2024 against the years around it
Average temperature over each growing season. The dashed line is normal for this spot, 15.6°C: above it was a warmer year, below it a cooler one.
From the weather to the glass
Warm July and August+1.2°C and +1.5°C; 9 days ≥30°C
Enough heat to ripen fully, which shows in the ripe orchard fruit, full body and rounded texture. The alcohol still sits at a moderate 13%.
Cool, wet September−0.9°C vs average, 135 mm of rain
Slowed the final weeks of ripening. A likely reason the acidity stays fresh and the fruit reads as lemon and pear rather than anything tropical.
Narrow day-night rangeSeptember gap 7.4°C, 1.0°C below average
Nights were not unusually cold in 2024. The freshness comes from the cool September and the site's overall coolness rather than from wide day-night swings.
Wet May174 mm, half as much again as usual
Wet weather around flowering raises disease pressure and can trim the crop. Nothing in the glass suggests dilution: the flavour intensity is pronounced.
Source: ERA5-Land climate reanalysis (Copernicus Climate Change Service), for the 9 km grid cell at 42.9°N 2.2°E, which blends hilltops and valleys. Normals are the 1994 to 2023 average for the same cell.
How I score
Out of 20
Half points, out of 20, on Jancis Robinson's scale. The score rates quality only. Value is rated separately, so a brilliant £14 bottle and a brilliant £140 bottle can score the same. Full scoring method →
