Domaine Sibille: the Alsatian touch of Minervois

From Alsace to Carcassonne, Pierre and Barbara brought with them an experience with white wines, a desire to build their own project, and a wish to create wines that reflected their own style. In 2015, they settled in the Minervois region and embarked on their adventure: a journey through the vineyards, the terroir, and the wine.

Pierre and Barbara Sibille: a wine in their image

Pierre and Barbara worked for 20 years in Alsace. Pierre was an oenologist at a cooperative winery, and Barbara was a local government employee. The desire to start their own business and build their own project gradually took root: "We had a very specific set of requirements," explains Pierre. "Taking over an organic vineyard was the foundation. Since we loved Syrah and Grenache, we wanted to be located between Lyon and Carcassonne. And we didn't want to be too isolated." So, they chose Domaine Sibille in Laure-Minervois , near Carcassonne. Pierre and Barbara moved in during the winter of 2015. It was the beginning of their life as winemakers.

The sandstone terroir of the Sibille estate

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

The white wine region of Minervois

For Pierre and Barbara, the goal is to produce wines that reflect their estate. To achieve this, they've abandoned barrels and oak. "We have ripe, aromatic grape varieties that don't need barrel aging," explains the winemaker. For the red wines, a long maceration allows for the gentle extraction of aromas and tannins. As for the white wines, they are aged on their lees to enhance richness and roundness. Every step of the winemaking process is carefully considered to produce the wine they envision. "We carry out pre-fermentation maceration on the white wines to promote extraction, fruitiness, and roundness," explains Pierre. A unique feature of Domaine Sibille is that, in a region dominated by red wines, 40% of their 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 our white wines," emphasizes the Alsatian winemaker.

Organic farming as a given

“I worked in conventional agriculture for 20 years, and the move to organic farming was a personal choice. We wanted to produce healthy wines with minimal inputs,” notes Pierre. Economic motivations also play a significant role: “The market is really looking for organic wines. With conventional farming, we would have gone out of business long ago,” adds the winemaker. In organic farming, vine treatments are preventative 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 take fewer risks with organic, since we focus a lot on preventative measures. In any case, we had an extraordinary harvest and very healthy grapes in 2018, which was a particularly challenging year,” explains Pierre.

A beautiful 2019 vintage at Domaine Sibille

2019 was a year marked by drought and water scarcity. The rains that arrived midway through the harvest allowed the last berries to swell. "The pH levels are low and the acidity is very well balanced," Pierre rejoices. The 2019 vintage is therefore excellent, and, as a consequence of the heatwave, "these wines will need to age a little longer than the 2018 vintage," the winemaker explains.

Manon Mouly