Sébastien Philibert, a return to his roots

Sébastien Philibert joined Château de Calavon and the Jas des Papes estate in 2016. Coming from a family of winemakers, a fifth-generation winemaker, his career has taken him from the Drôme Provençale region to the vineyards of Cahors, by way of Charente-Maritime. So, Provence represents a bit of a return to his roots. The terroirs of the Rhône Valley are familiar to him, while those of the Aix hillsides are a new discovery, even if the grape varieties are similar and complementary.

Meeting with a passionate winemaker!

"The legacy of Calavon and Jas des Papes humbles me."

It is with a touch of sadness that Sébastien speaks of Michel Audibert, the vineyard owner, who passed away last year. " He was a visionary and dedicated winemaker who did so much for the red wines of Provence. He spent a long time searching for vineyards in Châteauneuf to create this link between two beautiful red wine terroirs ."

For Sébastien, arriving in Calavon and at Jas des Papes feels like a third life as a winemaker. “ Michel Audibert gave me the opportunity to continue, to broaden, and to deepen my knowledge. We had a very strong, almost father-son bond. It was a true passing of the torch. He asked me to lead Calavon and Jas des Papes toward excellence. ” Deeply connected to the terroir, Sébastien quickly discovered its unique characteristics, its strengths, and the pitfalls to avoid. While he spends most of his time in the vineyards, his passion lies primarily in the work in the cellar. Not to mention the olive trees he is currently cultivating in Calavon. “ We replanted some this year; we now have 12 hectares, and eventually, we would like to produce table olives for our customers, and even have our own mill .”

Soil management contributes to the quality of the wines. 80% of wine is made in the vineyard.

Calavon is a somewhat capricious and unique terroir, with a microclimate that must be carefully considered. The harvest is very early, lasting six to seven weeks. " We have a wide variety of terroirs, ranging from deep clay-sand soils to shallow, stony slopes. While this diversity offers great complexity, it demands a great deal of observation and humility. What works one year may not work the next. And with climate change, we have to manage each plot individually, whether it's soil work, treatments, or irrigation ."

Another distinctive feature is that the vineyard includes 11 hectares of Carignan , which the Audibert family has always lovingly preserved. " It's a grape variety that has been maligned, but one that I love. I've been working with it for a long time. Today, we're getting sensational results. After the craze for Syrah and Grenache, we're realizing that this is a grape variety that has its place because it's early-ripening, and we can harvest it when it's fully ripe. That's important for the years to come, with climate change ."

Mass selections

A subject close to his heart, one that has always been practiced in Sébastien's family. " My father did a lot of it, my grandmother was passionate about grafting and always selected apricot trees, olive trees, and grapevines. She made her own rootstocks because there were no regulations at the time ." For Sébastien, the goal is to preserve the plant heritage, to maintain consistency in the wines. Clonal selection gradually leads to standardization. Today, there are yields, alcohol levels, but a loss of typicity: " we're moving towards standardized wines ." That's where massal selection becomes essential. When you select the best vines, you go beyond the existing potential.

"At Jas des Papes, we're still searching..."

When asked how he manages two estates as different as Calavon and Le Jas des Papes, Sébastien explains the complementarity he finds between them, the bridges he has built, particularly through the shared grape varieties. Even though the winemaking techniques and typicity are very different. Syrah in the Coteaux d'Aix and in Châteauneuf-du-Pape are completely different. Syrah performs better in Châteauneuf-du-Pape, imparting more freshness.

“ Châteauneuf is a terroir I know quite well. It’s a bit of a return to my roots for me; I used to have vines on hillsides and plateaus with a lot of pebbles, so I know how complex it is to work with this type of soil. On a half-hectare plot, you can find three, four, or even five different terroirs, which requires a lot of organization for the harvest. But you realize that once it’s in the vat, you find what you tasted in the vineyard. The Châteauneuf terroir is truly very expressive, and there’s a very deep, historical link between the terroir and the finished product. The deep soils produce wines that are smooth, silky , and that you won’t find further south. I’m also discovering the quirks of the appellation. But I’m lucky to have someone on site who makes the wine and who supports me well. ”

This beautiful terroir, in the eastern part of the appellation, produces fruity, structured wines with very fine tannins and a lovely elegance after aging in oak. And even though the team considers itself still in the process of discovery, the promising identity of Jas des Papes wines is already evident in the first vintages.

Find Sébastien's wines from Domaine de Calavon and Jas des Papes on Les Grappes