History & Philosophy
The great feature of our vineyards is the age of the vines which, coupled with the terroir, holds the potential to create wines of superb quality.
In order to magnify this potential, we work to develop the deep roots of our vines which allows them to reach water and mineral complexity in the soil, which is in turn transmitted to the grapes. To do this, we are guided by the principles of biodynamics that promote soil microbial life and we banish pesticides, herbicides and systemic products. Only copper and sulfur are used along with natural preparations.
We believe that when the vine is more deeply rooted, it is able to defend itself against disease and has less need for human intervention. We also believe in the good effects of wild yeasts brought by insects. It is these yeasts, native to our microenvironment, that will ferment our wines, contributing to the expression of terroir.
Grenache reigns here, followed by the Carignan grape variety that has the ability to produce higher acidity and complex flavours when vigour is controlled. A bit of Syrah, and a zest of Mourvedre and a dash of Roussanne (co-planted with our precious 80-year old Grenache) complete the family.
In the cellar, we strive to continue this principle of life. Using traditional porous concrete tanks and barrels of already 3 – 4 years of age permits our wine to breathe without being overwhelmed by oak toast flavours. We vinify without destemming, the mature stems bringing many natural components to our wines, especially acidity which, here in the south of France, is always appreciated.
Vinification takes place with very limited addition of sulfur. Wild yeasts commence the fermentation of the first tank, after which we use the fermenting musts to initiate a new tank. Of course, we do not use any packaged yeasts as these would have no expression of our terroir. After malolactic fermentation, we add 1 to 2 g of SO2 to stabilise the wines, which remain under the protection of carbon dioxide until bottling. Following analysis, a further 1 to 1.5g of SO2 may be added. We hope that our philosophy carries through to our wines and in return they will elegantly express the terroir from which they came once the bottle is opened and the wine is in your glass.