Domaine Sibille: The Alsatian Influence in Minervois

From Alsace to Carcassonne, Pierre and Barbara brought with them their expertise in white wines, a determination to build their own venture, and a desire to craft wines that reflect their personalities. In 2015, they settled in the Minervois region and embarked on their adventure—one centered on vineyards, terroir, and wine.

Pierre and Barbara Sibille: a wine that reflects their personalities

Pierre and Barbara worked in Alsace for 20 years. Pierre was an oenologist at a cooperative winery, and Barbara was a local government employee. Their desire to start their own business and build their own venture had been growing for some time: “We had a very specific set of criteria,” says Pierre. “Taking over an organic vineyard was already the foundation. Since we loved Syrah and Grenache, we wanted to be between Lyon and Carcassonne. And we didn’t want to be too isolated.” So it would be Domaine Sibille, in Laure-Minervois, near Carcassonne. Pierre and Barbara settled in during the winter of 2015. It was the start of their life as winemakers.

The sandstone soil of the Sibille estate

The Sibille estate is situated on sandstone terroirs. The climate alternates between oceanic and Mediterranean influences, allowing a wide variety of grape varieties to thrive: Viognier, Chardonnay, Roussanne, Syrah, Grenache, Carignan, Marselan, Merlot… “Our vines grow on hillsides. The terroir gives the wines an acidic structure that we really love,” explains Pierre. In these regions where alcohol levels can easily reach 14%, the sandstone terroirs allow the wines to retain their freshness and lightness.

The Minervois White Wine Region

For Pierre and Barbara, the goal is to produce wines that reflect their estate. To achieve this, they’ve done away with barrels and oak. “We have ripe, aromatic grape varieties that don’t need to be aged in barrels,” says the winemaker. For red wines, a long vatting period allows for the gentle extraction of aromas and tannins. As for white wines, they are aged on the lees to enhance richness and roundness. Every step of the winemaking process is carefully considered to produce the wine they envision. “We perform pre-fermentation maceration on the whites to enhance extraction, fruitiness, and roundness,” explains Pierre. A unique feature of Domaine Sibille: in a region dominated by red wines, 40% of production is white. “We come from Alsace, where we gained experience with white wines. We didn’t want to lose our identity, so we decided to continue developing white wines,” emphasizes the Alsatian winemaker.

Organic Farming: A Natural Choice

“I worked in conventional viticulture for 20 years, and the shift to organic farming was a personal choice. We wanted to produce healthy wines using as few inputs as possible,” notes Pierre. Added to this are significant economic motivations: “The market is in high demand for organic wines. If we’d stayed conventional, we would have already gone out of business,” adds the winemaker. In organic farming, vineyard treatments are preventive and exclude the use of penetrating chemicals. Even years with high disease pressure, like 2018, don’t discourage the couple from continuing with organic farming. “I feel like we’re taking fewer risks with organic farming, since we focus heavily on prevention. In any case, we had an extraordinary harvest and very healthy grapes in 2018, even though it was a challenging year,” explains Pierre.

A fine 2019 vintage at Domaine Sibille

2019 was a year marked by drought and water shortages. The rains that came in the middle of the harvest allowed the last grapes to ripen. “The pH levels are low and the acidity is very well-balanced,” says Pierre with delight. The 2019 vintage is therefore excellent, and, as a result of the heatwave, “these will be wines that will need to age a little longer than the 2018 vintage,” explains the winemaker.

Manon Mouly