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Über das Weingut und die Weine

I am a winegrower in Tautavel (Pyrénées-Orientales, south of France) and my estate is called Les petits Fagots. After 15 years spent studying archaeology, conducting prehistoric excavations (notably at the Tautavel cave) and working in the French National Education system, I decided in 2017 to embark on a career change and enter the world of wine.
As my experience of viticulture was limited to harvesting grapes and opening a few bottles, I decided to start from scratch and resume my studies in viticulture. I took the time to observe and discover different estates and types of winemaking, which led me to meet natural winemakers who guided me and gave me various ideas about my future career.

At the end of 2020, I bought 3 hectares of vineyards in Tautavel. While selling a small amount of grapes on the vine, I had the opportunity to produce my first vintage thanks to the hospitality and expert advice of Jessica Albero and Laurent Pujol (Recerca estate): Les petits Fagots was born.
Enthused by this experience, I found a cellar in Paziols (Aude, France), and after several months of work and a few additional hectares obtained on lease, five new vintages were produced (iSOTOPiK, MADAME TERRIBLE, Sursum Corda, etc.). All work in the vineyard is done by hand. This winter, an initial trial of sheep grazing on certain plots was launched. The soil is not plowed but simply cleared of weeds, and all the necessary inputs for the vines are applied from above (liquid manure, foliar fertilizer, etc.).
The first plots I acquired are certified organic, while the others are in conversion (Ecocert). The estate, mainly on clay-limestone soil, currently produces around 6,000 bottles.

All our wines are vinified using indigenous yeasts, with grapes from our organically farmed vineyards (hand-picked). They are neither fined nor filtered. The work in the cellar is carried out without additives (I do, however, use a little less than 1g/hl of SO2 one month before bottling for wines that require it). The eight grape varieties grown on the estate (including Grenache Gris, Carignan, Maccabeu, and Lledoner Pelut) are all worked entirely by hand. Our wines are refined, light, and fruity, and are produced with respect for the terroir. We currently offer nine different wines from different vintages. Each one has its own unique characteristics, but they all bear the hallmarks of our expertise and values, with the utmost respect for nature and the grapes.