Languedoc
Roussillon
DOMAINE LE BOUT DU MONDE
After several years spent working in the cooperative cellar of Estézargues, Edouard "wanted to work the land" and start winemaking with his friend Loïc Roure (Domaine du Possible). So, between 300 and 400 meters above sea level, on northern exposures, it is an area of 7.7 hectares that Edouard has established. With different types of soils (schist, gneiss and granite) and a wide range of grape varieties, Edouard strives to produce fresh and gourmet wines in carbonic maceration with temperature control. For lovers of "living wines", Edouard is a figure in viticulture that respects the environment and the most natural wine-making possible. For movie buffs wanting a more colorful presentation, found Edouard and his friends in the film Wine Calling…
DOMAINE MONT DE MARIE
At 28 years old, Thierry quit is job as a sales engineer and decided to realize is dream; build domain and become a paysan/winegrower. Thierry acquired 11 hectares in the appellation of Sommières in the village of Souvignargues. Most of the plots are located into hills composed of sandstone and silica with clay. The varieties are (almost) locals: Aramon, Cinsault, Carignan, Grenache, Ugni Blanc and Viognier. The vintage 2004 will be his vintage, and from there, Thierry goes merrily along: converted the vineyard into an organic farming, changed the pruning to gobelet, lowered the yield… At the cellar, Thierry like to interfere the least possible: the bunch aren’t de-stemmed, no yeast, no enzyme and when possible no addition of sulfites. As a result, Thierry and his wife Marie-Noëlle wines offer a rare elegance, purity and delicacy.
DOMAINE LE MAS DE MON PÈRE
Frédéric Palacios is a child of this country of Roussillon, not born in a cabbage, but in a vine leaf, from the region of Malepère in 1977. Malepère, "Male Peyre", the bad stone, is a unique region.
The heritage, the local culture and the vine come to Frédéric from his maternal grandfather; Jean-Pierre Bouteille.
In 2004, after many experiences, he gradually realized the potential of his native land of La Malpère, and therefore returned to the country in 2005, on the family farm of 12 hectares and with the aim of converting to Organic Agriculture. Then, life made of encounters, will lead him to rub shoulders with people who will make his thinking grow. These coincidences will mark Fred's first steps in Biodynamics and his universe that he will meditate on and sculpt in his image.
DOMAINE LA GRANGE SAINT-ANDRÉ
Domaine created by Olivier Pichon in 2015 in Souvignargues, after taking his first steps in theMont de Marie Estate under the leadership ofThierry Forestier.
Olivier Pichon goes in search of authentic, simple and gourmet wines... as the ancients did.
Plots of Grenache, Cinsault, Carignan, Syrah andWhite Grenache aged from 10 to 40 years, on sandstone slopes in an environment marked by hot summers that are balanced by cool nights thanks tot he influence of Mount Aigoual and of the Cevennes.
Vines are pruned mostly in goblets and worked in the spring with light plowing, topping at the beginning of the summer and hand-picked harvesting.
His « vinif » are conducts in the simplest, natural and non interventionist way possible.
DOMAINE DE LA GARANCE
Pierre grew up in the 1.5 hectares of vines of his maternal grandfather, a few kilometers from Pézenas, in the middle of vineyards and scrubland. This child of the country, with a past as a rugby player, is a demanding and optimistic winemaker.
Pierre took over his grandfather's Languedoc vineyards in 1991 and it was in Caux that he built his cellar and farmhouse with his hands. Self-taught, he works alone, without oenologist, and has replanted Grenache and Syrah, from massale selections. At the head of the small estate of Garance now 7 hectares, he produces wines in accordance with his
conscience.
DOMAINE DE LA RECTORIE
It was in 1984 when Thierry Parcé and one of his brothers vinified for the first time at La Rectorie. Thierry currently runs the domaine with his son Jean-Emmanuel, who joined him in 2010. The estate is composed of 30 hectares of vineyards, with vines that are more than 50 years old in average. The main grape variety is grenache, together with carignan, syrah, mourvèdre and counoise. Brown schists soils are the dominant type. From the diversity of plots, with different altitudes and orientations, La Rectorie elaborates a range of wines going from the dry Collioure (white, rosé and red) to the fortified sweet Banyuls, proposed in two different approaches: the Rimage style, aged in full tanks or barrels (protected from the air), and the traditional oxidative Banyuls. The vineyards grow in terraces overhanging the Mediterranean, it is a mountain vineyard by the sea. Every work in the field is done by hand.
DOMAINE JOÉ CHANDELLIER
Joé is a child from Gard, born at the beginning of the 1990s, and with an all-singing accent!
It is in burgundy that Joé has this revelation for the "living wines" which give him: "more pleasure, and emotion thanks to a greater finesse".
It is at the door of Alain Allier (Domaine Mouressipe) that he will knock and with whom he will spend the year 2018. Year in and year out, it is therefore in Saint-Côme-et-Maruéjols, in the Piedmont Cévenol Cévenol that Joé will start to settle in 2019. Today, Joé works on 6 hectares of vines, with also 5 hectares of land, and many, MANY other projects. In the cellar, Joé works with a lot of discipline to arrive at the wines he loves. The result in the glass: wines of great purity, endowed with a beautiful energy and presenting an extraordinary drinkability.
DOMAINE LE PECH D’ANDRÉ
Mireille Remaury comes from a old family of wine-growers that dates back from1701. Philippe, her partner, today share this heritage and peasant passion. In Occitan, « pech » means hill and its on the Montagne Noir foothills on Mourels terroirs (limestone composed out of sandstone et marls), into the villages of Azillanet at 300m asl that Domaine Pech d’André is hiding into a perfect Mediterranean landscape. The domaine is spread-out on 40ha with 28ha of vines. Surrounded with wood and garrigue, Mireille & Philippe also cultivate olives, figs, capers… The domaine has inherited from rich culture and philosophy, for instance, at Pech d’André never-ever chemicals has been used. Indeed, all the domaine is ran under an organic and natural farming with the usage of sulfites, essential oils, liquid manures, and (natural) pesticide … The panel of grapes used is purely Mediterranean: Bourboulenc, Clairette, Maccabeo for whites, and Carignan, Syrah, Grenache, Cinsault, Picquepoul Noir, Mourvèdre, Alicante, Aramon… for reds. All this grapes are vinified the most naturally into concrete tanks and always offering a good acidity for a delicate style of southern wine.
DOMAINE AMPELHUS
The Domaine Ampelhus has been created and is ran by two young winemakers Thibaud Vermillard and Jenia Vasiljeva. Thibaud is born in 1987 in Languedoc region and took over his grand father estate 10 years ago. Jenia had just left her natal Latvia with apharmacist diploma, and soon joined Thibaud.
Their estate of 12 hectares was, at the time of the grandfather, almost exclusively oriented towards the production of Muscat de Lunel for the local cooperative.
Today, many vines have been pull out in order to reintegrate old grape varieties such as Picardan, Terret Noir, Piquepoul Noir or Rivairrenc. All this great work have been conduct according to the principles of organic farming. They are now labeled organic and practice biodynamics without labeling.
DOMAINE LA GRANGETTE
Christelle and Matthieu took over the domaine in 2013 from Christelle’s parents. Located in Castelnau-de-Guers, this young couple try hard to perpetuate traditions to produce indigenous grapes.
DOMAINE DE CHAMANS
Charming small estate run masterfully by Jessica. Rudolph Steiner’s philosophy and biodynamic practices are respected in this domaine. Vines enjoy a rich ecosystem composed out of animals, fruit trees, guarrigue, woods….
DOMAINE DU BARTASSOU
Here is yet another couple from Souvignargues, Neo-vigneron, who produce natural wines…. Here we are with Audrey and Anthony. In 2013, without training as a winemaker, Anthony became a part-time winemaker, with 4 hectares of family vines vinified in the cooperative cellar. For 4 generations Anthony's family had been producing wines in the region but Anthony's family did not support the couple in the project because for the older generation, being a winegrower means: "having a difficult and poor life ".
They had always wanted to make wine, and it is the meeting with Thierry Forestier (Mont de Marie) in November 2017 that will finally be the trigger for the realization of this dream! 2018 will therefore be the year of the first plowing, and also of the first vinification with L’ange à la Terre…
DOMAINE JEAN-LOUIS TRIBOULEY
Jean-Louis is not a local child. Indeed, he is from Vesoul and did many jobs before surveying the coasts of Roussillon. Trained as a carpenter, he also worked in associations before putting on his school blouse and following a wine-growing course in Beaune.
It is therefore in Latour de France, in a village of "vigilant winegrowers", that Jean-Louis will settle in 2002. On an area of 10.5 hectares, our friend will take the time to take care of his Carignan, Grenache , Syrah, Macabeu, and other Grenache Gris. On his different terroirs, with different practices and tools, Jean Louis will work in close collaboration with his environment to produce wines as naturally as possible of great purity and generosity.
DOMAINE D'ARESQUIERS
Located in the Languedoc, between Sète and Montpellier (in Vic-la-Gardiole), into the the garigue overlooking the Mediterranean Sea, the Domaine d’Aresquiers have been created by Pierre Yves Petit in 2019.
Despite 17 year of organic farming by the previous owners, the soils from the domaine were degraded when Pierre-Yves pick-up the torch.
Passionate by agronomy with a back ground of permacultor and agro-écologist, Pierre-Yves is going to use these practices and design a new way of cultivating, taking Nature as a Development Model.
…Composting, mulching, letting native herbs grow, let sheep grazing during winter, planting ans sewing trees and bushes in the vineyard are some tools to increase fertility and biodiversity and restore water cycles .
Shifting to mono-culture to agro- forestry is for Pierre Yves the best way to face climate change.
Concerning the vines a special attention is kept on respecting sap flow by physiological pruning.
At the cellar, as a nature lover ,Pierre-Yves is practicing Natural “vinification”, for him it is the best way to obtain the best “Terroir” effect in the bottle.
In the 50’ this region (around the city of Frontignan) was replanted with only one grape variety, “Muscat Petit Grain”. Traditionally « vinified » as a sweet wine with a high alcohol degree, this category of wine is shunned by customers.
As a result, Pierre-Yves helped by a colleague, decided to innovate by making Pet Nat and orange wines out of Muscat!