DOMAINE LAGUERRE
A visit to Éric Laguerre in Saint-Martin-de-Fenouillet requires steep climbs through a mountain pass up to the highest vineyards in the Roussillon at 500m. Here, the granite soils, cooler climate, very low yields, and Éric's superb organic farming produce distinctive, balanced wines with bright fruit and firm acidities. Éric initially learned winemaking with Gérard Gauby at Domaine Gauby and Le Soula, where he also developed a love for organic and biodynamic viticulture. In 1999, Éric took over the family domaine and immediately began incorporating what he had learned; yields were reduced dramatically to favor quality over quantity, all chemicals in the vineyards were eliminated (eventually achieving organic certification by Ecocert), and some biodynamic practices were even incorporated, such as pruning and plowing according to the phases of the moon. The Laguerres farm a total of 40ha high up in the foothills of the Pyrénées, although much is left to native grasses and flowers, including a flowering bush called 'Ciste' (which the top wines are named after) that helps contribute to biodiversity and wind protection. All fruit is harvested by hand and vinifications are exclusively with native yeast, yielding a set of wines that are unique in their ability to combine concentration and texture of fruit with balance and freshness from the granitic minerality.
