LA PLANTATION, The Plantation, the Flowering, the First Grapes.
Chance had no hand in it. My ancestors had already cultivated vines in this region. Some came down from the Aigoual, or the Cevennes. Like my grandfather, Léopold Fadat, who married my grandmother, Marguerite Canaguier at Montpeyroux. On my mothers side, it was a similar story. Her mother, Marcelle Ferrier, of Saint Jean de Cuculles, near Pic Saint Loup, married her father, Marcel Baumes, who was a wine grower at Aniane, a few kilometers from Montpeyroux. As to my parents, they met at school and continued together to the Ecole Normale Supérieure of Saint Cloud. I was born there in June 1962. In July he same year we left in a 4CV to live in Montpeyroux. My father Charles, who was torn between his passion for research in ornithology and the call of the land, had kept several vines. This meant that my sisters, brothers and myself, from early childhood, were involved in all the work of the vineyard and the pleasures of the grape harvest...My mother observed the situation without influencing the decisions and it turned out to be me who was the most infected by the incurable virus of vines and wine. So, the adventure began after my studies in viticulture/ oenology, accompanied by a business diploma:
Ii 1989, the majority of the 5 hectares of vines were grown on south facing terraces, in the locality of ' Aupilhac' – mainly of Carignan çepage. It was therefore evident that the domaine should be named ; Domaine d'Aupilhac. I became a wine-grower, but also a producer of melons, asparagus, tomatoes and peaches, on land situated at Aniane, until the first bottles were produced and sold. From 1992 onwards, wine production was the sole occupation.
From 1989 until 1992 vinification took place in old lorry tanks outside. I bottled the wines before the following summer. The first harvest yielded 4000 bottles of Rosé, 2000 bottles of White ( all bottled by hand ) 4000 bottles of Carignan Vin de France and 8000 bottles of AOC Coteaux du Languedoc Montpeyroux. In 1993 I constructed a cellar, provided with functional equipment.
I regularly bought and planted vines,which necessitated changes and enlargements. In 1997 the construction of the underground cellar allowed us to produce the wine in good temperature and humidity conditions.
In 1998 important work began in preparation for a new terroir situated at 300m – 350m altitude. In the form of an amphitheatre, the land sits in the middle of the garrigue, exposed North and West. It is called LES COCALIERES.
Two years later we constructed a storehouse and bottling – plant. We practice Organic and Biodynamic methods and are certified by Ecocert & Demeter.
LA THE MATURITY 2000 – 2020
Désirée, a trained nurse until then, decided to join me in managing the Domaine.
The first 10 years were spent getting to know the soil and the terroir, these last 22 years have been spent applying the positive benefits observed,the numerous parameters combining the culture of the vine and the elaboration of the wine,that leads to the perfect balance in harmony with the terroir.
Of course each vine must be guided to develop its potential.
What they appreciate is to eat well, drink as much as they need due to a good damp – clay complex, to smell natures'pure scent from the neighbouring flora to benefit from the help of auxillary insects and to live in total union with the wine grower. For that, Organic and especially Biodynamic culture is necessary. Naturally,the vine doesn't communicate, but understands and thanks us a thousand times over, by giving its grapes and wine, its translators.
And when we taste and understand its wine, when we are given such strong emotions , we want to show our thanks.
Because of this we try continually to make its life as agreable as possible.
The first bottles of Cocalières confirm our choice of planting on this fresher land.
For the Terrasses d'Aupilhac, we are choosing to plant more and more mediterranean varieties. Heading the list Carignan and Mourvèdre for the red wine and Carignan Blanc and Clairette for the white.
THE MAGIC OF WINE
We make wine because we love wine, wine of all the different terroirs of the world. For everything it offers us, for the pleasure of tasting it, of course, but also knowing how it was produced, under what conditions, from which terroir...when we drink wine,from its taste, we can imagine the winemaker and his team. Each moment from the beginning of its development, until the moment it is poured. in our glass. And the wine is « magic », as one of my daughters remarked during her childhood. Yes, wine is magic, because whilst drinking this liquid, we can discover its date and place of birth and even enter into the winemakers head to understand his personality. Each of us can achieve this.
Our wines are made for this. We wish them to pass on our feelings and our way of perceiving things.
We wish to pass on comfort and pleasure, awaken the senses and provide joy and good humour.
They need to rest in bottles 3, 10, 20 years so that when you extract them carefully from your cellar, you uncork them, you decant them to let them breathe, so that eventually, after a little adaptation... they express their stories... our stories.
