At the Domaine du Salut, Aurélia and Frédéric pursue their dreams to the fullest.

Aurélia and Frédéric Caumont seized an opportunity to change their lives and become winemakers. Their project led them to Domaine du Salut , in the Graves appellation of Bordeaux. They are bringing renewal and youth to the estate by crafting wines that reflect their own personalities: modern and dynamic. Enthusiastic, passionate, and environmentally conscious, the young couple is pursuing their dream while remaining grounded.

Aurélia and Frédéric Caumont: "We left Paris to become winemakers "

Aurélia and Frédéric Caumont were not destined for the winemaking profession. Passion, some winemaking roots, but above all a life opportunity, led them to the Les Graves appellation in Bordeaux, to Domaine du Salut .

Aurélia recalls: “ I’m originally from Bordeaux and I have some family in the wine industry, but no one very close. We lived in Paris. I was managing the National Confederation of IGP (Protected Geographical Indication) wines . My husband wasn’t involved in the wine world at all. ”

“ We had always dreamed of becoming winemakers, but it was like an old dream we thought was unattainable. Then we had a career change opportunity. This change in circumstances led us to look at the project in more detail and realize it was feasible. Working in the wine industry, I knew winemakers well. We visited them and they supported us.”

“ We trained ourselves. I completed the DUAD (University Diploma in Wine Tasting) at the University of Bordeaux. In 2014, I worked in winemaking at neighboring wineries. They are somewhat like our mentors; they helped us enormously and gave us a leg up. ”

“ Then we managed to buy it. It wasn’t the easiest thing, but we succeeded and we settled on the estate in April 2015. We took our two children with us and left Paris to become winemakers .”

This is the beginning of the adventure for the Caumont family, on the Domaine du Salut in the Les Graves appellation. " We were only looking in the Graves because it's an appellation whose wines I've always loved ," confides the winemaker.

Delighted and very enthusiastic, Aurélia does not regret this career change for a second: " This job is atypical and rich in its diversity. Between pure production, winemaking, very laborious tasks, the vineyard, the development of the commercial strategy, export negotiations with large retailers or restaurateurs...we touch on everything ."

The domain of Salvation: renewal, modernity, and youth

The estate's wines are modern, reflecting the young couple and their aspirations. " We want to make wines that reflect who we are, with modern profiles and packaging ," explains Aurélia.

The wine range is complete: a white, a rosé, two reds, and a sweet wine. The winemaker describes them to us.

“ We offer wines that are easy to drink. These are not wines that need to wait 25 years to be enjoyed or that require complicated explanations to be appreciated. That said, we are still in the Bordeaux region; the wines have significant tannic structures that we don't try to mask but that we work with. ”

" Our wines are fruity. They are wines that can be drunk quickly, simply, with everyone. Wines that are very easy to share ."

Modernizing the estate involves new packaging. Aurélia and Frédéric have radically changed the labels to create a new, more contemporary image for the wines, a departure from previous practices. Modernity also means choosing new distribution models: " It's great to work with Les Grappes because we share the same vision and momentum ," emphasizes Aurélia.

Back to the wines because if there is one vintage that you absolutely must discover, it is the 2016 vintage : " The 2016 harvest was fantastic ," exclaims Aurélia.

"The white wine, a typical blend of Sauvignon and Sémillon, is wonderful. We have the fruitiness of Sauvignon and the richness of Sémillon. The wine is fresh, taut, very lovely. "

" In rosé, we have a sweet, candy-like aroma and a lot of freshness on the palate. Plus, I'm very happy with its color; it's magnificent. "

" The reds are incredible. They have superb concentration, a very pretty color, lots of substance, all with very expressive fruit. "

Our favorite wines from the estate:

Châteaux Huradin Liquoreux 2015

White 2017

Red 2016

In the vineyards, the Terra Vitis certification guarantees respect for the environment.

Aurélia tells us: “ We are Terra Vitis certified. Our approach is simple: we have our house, our garden, and then the vineyards. Our vineyard plots are the playgrounds for our children, who are 3 and 5 years old. There’s no way we’re not going to take care of our living environment . So we asked ourselves: what are we going to do to minimize all our inputs? We no longer use herbicides, we work the soil, and we use contact products, limiting them as much as possible. ”

Still in its early stages, the project is nonetheless ambitious: " For now, we're restructuring the vineyard, which is a bit aging ," notes Aurélia. " But after that, I 'd love to make a single-varietal Malbec. Ultimately, our idea would be to expand, which would allow us to experiment a bit. " Patiently, the winemaker emphasizes: " For now, we're laying the groundwork. Then, we'll allow ourselves some creative freedom. "

Has the dream come true? " We are delighted with our choice and truly thrilled. It was a very good idea. It's not easy, but it's very exciting. I advise people to try and pursue their dreams. "

Manon Mouly ( Les Grappes Blog)