Domaine Vinci

Domaine Vinci saw the light in 2001 at the behest of Emmanuelle Vinci and Olivier Varichon: a biologist and an oenologist who met in London and were driven by a shared passion to seek a place where they could freely realise their idea of wine. They were thunderstruck by the wild Occitan landscape and bought the estate within that district of villages such as Calce, Maury and Rivesaltes that are churning out sizeable handfuls of artisanal winemakers, dedicated to practices of the utmost respect for nature, in which they also fit.

Domaine Vinci covers a total of 12 hectares in the Pyrénées-Orientales department, a few kilometres north-west of Perpignan and beyond the narrow valley of the Agly river, which flows from west to east. In an impervious and particularly isolated area stretching between Estagel and Opoul, surrounded by pine forest and perched on the rocky hills at an altitude of around 300 metres, olive and fig trees, almond and cherry trees, apricot and peach trees are cultivated: this is the landscape in which the various plots that make up the 6 hectares of vineyards are scattered, populated by the varieties that represent the quintessence of the Roussillon wine-growing tradition. The white Maccabeu, Carignan Blanc and Grenache Blanc berries, which are on average 40 years old, grow on clay and limestone soils; the Mourvedre vines, on the other hand, are quite young, while the Carignan expresses all its importance with an average age of 80 years and the majesty of some vines reaching 120 years, rooted on small clay-limestone soils, with granite and shale outcrops. The remote locations and steep slopes oblige any operation to be carried out manually: the harvests start at the moment of perfect phenolic ripening and the yields per hectare are absurdly low, often less than 15 hectolitres. A selection nursery is run on the estate, allowing vines to be replanted one at a time when necessary.

The village of Estagel is the site of the Domaine Vinci cellar, in which each individual plot is vinified separately. The grapes generally stay overnight at a low temperature and the whole bunches are gently pressed with the feet. Fermentation is slow and lasts up to 5 weeks, conducted only by indigenous yeasts in cement, stainless steel or old wooden barrels. There are no filtrations, clarifications or stabilisations, nor is sulphur dioxide used. Ageing can take place in steel or demi-muid and used barrels, with periods of up to 18 months.