Domaine de la Senche - Winery

Tomaine de la Senche’s top cuvée is called Cuvee SOMI, which is a Premier Cru La Liviniere and won 2 stars in the Guide Hachette 2020.

Domaine de la Senche, Following the Winemaking Dream

Arnstein and Tove Hernes came from Norway to cultivate this vineyard beneath the Montagne Noire in Languedoc-Roussillon. They moved from Norway to sunny France which has been a dream for a long time and the start of a true love for winemaking. They searched for the perfect location to make their dream come true, and finally found a vineyard in the small village of La Livinière. Domaine de la Senche also has an olive grove to produce the estate’s artisanal olive oil.

The Winery that Produces Rare Cru

Domaine de la Senche produces wine under the Minervois-La-Livinière appellation which covers six villages in the foothills of Montagne Noire. Minervois-La-Livinière is special because it is one of just four Crus in the Languedoc region. The name has become recognized as a mark of quality throughout France and the world. The vineyards at Domaine de la Senche are divided over several plots with different terroir. In Le Village and Borie de Moligne, the soil is mostly silt, clay and limestone. In Felines, the soil is mainly soft clay with some schist and marble. The surrounding mountains provide a sort of shelter for the vineyards. This means the vineyards get warmth in the day, but cooler temperatures at night. The famous wind counteracts the moist sea breezes.

Domaine de la Senche – Towards Fully Organic Viticulture

The Hernes couple focuses on the high quality production of small volumes of wine and do everything by hand. Domaine de la Senche has also converted to organic growing and thereby avoids using chemicals in their production. Since they bought the winery, the owners have fully equipped the wine cellar with modern material and do all the work themselves such as manual harvesting, destemming, pressing, maturation, and bottling. The main grape is Syrah, but they also grow Grenache, Carignan, Cinsault and Vermentino. Grapes are a blend from different parcels to obtain the best results. White, red, and rosé wines are produced. The wines from Domaine de la Senche have won several prices at local, national and international competitions. Both Hibou and Cuvée SOMI have been awarded gold medals at the prestigious Concours Général Agricole de Paris. In addition, in 2023 Cuvée SOMI was awarded the Grant Gold medal at the Frankfurt International Trophy.