Who are we?

Seven years ago I returned to my place of birth, the Roussillon, also known as the «Pays Catalan» (Catalonia), to prove, with my wines from “Le Clos des Fées”, that this region could also produce great red wines.
«Winemaker of the year» in the 'Guide des Sommeliers 2002', « Great newcomer » in Gault et Millau 2003, « No. 1 in Roussillon » in the Revue du Vin de France in 2005. The wines from my domain regularly come on top of tasting events against the best wines from Languedoc / Roussillon, and throughout the Mediterranean basin.
This proves that excellence is within reach for all wines from the Roussillon.
We owe this unexpected success to the incredible potential in quality from the old vines of Grenache and Carignan, selected for their sturdiness and planted after the War by a generation of passionate vine-growers.

A different environment

Today, the children and grand-children of these vine-growers, our neighbors, our friends, consult us more frequently, trying to understand the reasons for the catastrophic financial situation they are experiencing...
Some amongst them feel truly desperate, not so much by their worries and current problems, which are enormous, but by the impossibility to find solutions to prevent the end of their profession, the abandonment of their vineyards and tearing out their old vine stocks
Few of them are able to think of their cooperatives as genuine companies. They have a hard time recruiting outside managers able to deal with the demands of today’s market. They have almost no control over the sale of their wines and continue to hold on to their old collective and heavy sales and marketing structures, created during a time of mass markets where ‘bulk' and 'degree/hecto' reigned as master, but that is now rapidly losing ground. Finally, most of them are unable to progress from the stage of being simple «fruit producers». The purpose of their profession is nonetheless to make wine and not simply to grow plants to produce fruits, without any concern where they will end up. But wasn’t the goal for some to keep them away from the process to better control them?

An incredible potential!

This situation is just bewildering for the structure of the wine industry in this area is, with no doubt, one of the most favorable for making quality wines:

- Property is dirt cheap, one of the least expensive in the world;

- The highest percentage of old vine stock than any wine region in France;

- Favorable climate particularly adapted to the regular production of rich and fruity wines; here, bad vintages are rare;

- Ease in cultivating in a 'natural' way;

- Large percentage of producers over the age of 45, at the top of their art, ready to pass on their knowledge, even their estates to young and motivated people.

To all this one must add a strong demand in the world for good modern red wines, deep colored, dense, produced from ripe grapes, tannic but not too much, fruity and spicy, with soft tannins, made in the spirit of sustainable development.

Isn't this the description of a perfect « Côtes du Roussillon »?

Would it really be necessary to look for Australian, Chilean or South African wines if French wines do respond to today’s new and legitimate tasting expectations?

Hence, we are, without any doubt, the only wine producing region in France able to produce this type of wine on a regular basis, because our yield is one of the lowest in the world, creating a level of quality practically impossible to imitate.
We had to take action!

Conscious of heading towards a catastrophe, some decided to throw themselves into the great adventure of “private winery”. Poorly prepared for the harsh demands of today’s wine trade, with no experience in wine-making, already strained by the demands from their vineyards, uncomfortable in tasting events, with no training in management, marketing, sales, their future seemed uncertain. Few amongst them will grow into successful domains, make a name for themselves and develop a client list.