Cau Eden

Anecdotes from the Estate: Being a winemaker? It's simply the most fulfilling and beautiful profession for me. It's sometimes hard and physically demanding, but you never stop learning and meeting wonderful people. Working in the exceptional natural surroundings of Calce, between the sea and the mountains, making the wines we want to drink, is a privilege for me... A little history of the estate: Our 4 hectares of vines are located in Calce, not far from Perpignan, in the Roussillon region. Our vines are between 40 and 90 years old, planted on hillsides, with very low yields of 8 to 15 hectares, which is quite typical of Calce. The harvest is done by hand, in 12 kg crates. The terroir is geologically very diverse, with limestone, schist, and marl. We have 22 plots, some of which are adjacent, which we vinify separately using indigenous yeasts so that the terroir can express itself in our wines. Consequently, our micro-cuvées (never more than 1,000 bottles) are all very different from one another. We manage the grass by cultivating the soil with a shallow "Canadian" plow, and the ground cover is left natural. We also don't sow any plants; the balance of the ecosystem is a fragile one that must be respected and not disrupted by monoculture lawns. We are a "Vin de France" wine, but we don't undergo any certification process. After years of frustration and a yearning to become winemakers, the twists of fate led James and his family to the clay-limestone soils of Calce. Domaine Cau Eden began with plots of vines destined for oblivion, and a 1905 Marmonier press, completely refurbished for the 2011 harvest. Vinification takes place in stainless steel tanks, which must be kept meticulously clean, allowing us to use very few sulfites, mainly just before bottling. The vineyard plots are scattered throughout the commune of Calce, in the land of the relentless Tramontane wind. Most of the old vines were waiting for the uprooting subsidy to be replanted. Thanks to the help of neighboring winemakers and equipment donations, the family has been able to develop the estate! This way of working expresses a certain tradition, an expression of the terroir and the very essence of wine! Their three children run and play in our vineyards: no pesticides or synthetic herbicides are used, nothing that could make them sick or harm nature. Not to mention the wine drinkers and their dog Freddy! The pride of the estate, Domaine Cau Eden, is located between the sea and the mountains in Calce, Roussillon. James and his family don't want to over-farm their vines. They therefore manage their four hectares organically, without using any pesticides. Everything is done by hand, from the harvest to bottling, including printing and affixing the labels. They work with very low yields and produce natural wines in very small quantities: only 1,000 bottles per vintage!