The Domaine des Escaravailles at the top of Rasteau

This week, we climb to the heights of Rasteau in the Rhône Valley to discover Domaine des Escaravailles . Gilles Ferran tells us how his family conquered this challenging site and transformed it into the estate bearing the scarab beetle emblem (escaravay in Occitan). A family story driven by a love for the region.

Domaine des Escaravailles: A family history in Rasteau

My father handed the reins to me in 1999, but I had already been working with him and my uncle on the estate for about ten years. It was my paternal grandfather who founded the property. In 1953, he was the manager of a vast estate of over a thousand hectares. He had promised his boss he would buy up all the land available for vineyards in the region. My grandfather heard about this property and, after visiting it, brought his boss over. When the boss arrived and saw the place in the hills above Rasteau, with a crumbling sheepfold, no vines, no water, and no electricity, he immediately exclaimed, "What a sorry sight!" Yet, from the very beginning, my grandfather was convinced of its potential. Since his boss wasn't interested, he acquired the property himself.

While continuing his work as estate manager, he began working on the property. His two sons (my father and my uncle) quickly joined him to continue clearing the land and begin planting vines. Today, we own 40 hectares, almost all in one piece.

Domaine des Escaravailles, La Ponce cuvée

I grew up in the region and have wonderful memories of it. I spent a lot of time with my maternal grandfather in Cairanne : picking cherries, olives, and sometimes even harvesting truffles along the edge of the vineyards… It was a beautiful childhood… Today, we have also taken over the management of his estate in Cairanne. We are therefore fortunate enough to indulge our passion and produce a whole range of different wines: reds, whites, a little rosé, and of course, Vin Doux Naturels! Our range can thus be adapted to a wide variety of cuisines. Try, for example, the Rasteau “La Ponce” with lamb from the Pre-Alps! That's what we love most about wine: sharing the pleasure.

Our favorite wines from the estate:

La Ponce 2016

Naturally sweet white wine 2015

Heritage 1924-2016

Gilles Ferran, winemaker at Domaine des Escaravailles, has a new project: the creation of a direct sales cellar.

This location at the highest point of the commune allows us to bring a freshness to our wines, which balances the characteristic ripeness of Rasteau. Our vines are situated between 250 and 320 meters above sea level, so we experience slightly cooler nights and a slightly later ripening than the rest of the vineyard. I am also fortunate to be assisted by a very good friend, Philippe Cambie, a renowned oenologist from the Southern Rhône, whom I met at school. His expertise allows us to craft the red wines we love: luscious, fruit-driven, yet always elegant and fresh.

The project we've been working on at the estate for about five years is also nearing completion: the creation of a direct sales cellar on the edge of the road leading into Vaison-la-Romaine, which I expect to open sometime in May. This will bring us closer to potential customers, and we'll also have more space, with a storage cellar. We'll therefore be able to age our wines for a few years before putting them on sale, ready to drink!

Robin (The Grapes)