Domaine Rière Cadène
Roussillon | France
Located in Roussillon, between maritime influences and the foothills of the Pyrenees, Domaine Rière Cadène is a family estate whose winemaking history dates back to the early 20th century. The estate took its current form in 1994, when Laurence and Jean-François Rière took over the vineyard inherited from their family and undertook extensive work on the quality of the plots and the understanding of the terroirs.
The vineyard is spread across several complementary sectors of Roussillon, offering a great geological diversity.
- The white vines are located in Espira-de-l'Agly, on black schist and marl, which bring tension and depth to the wines.
- The structured reds come from the limestone terraces of Calce, a terroir renowned for its ability to produce dense but balanced wines.
- The more luscious reds come from the rolled pebbles of the Têt valley, around Perpignan, bringing suppleness and immediate fruitiness.
The vineyard is managed according to a long-standing commitment to organic practices, formalized by AB certification in 2016. These practices prioritize soil health and biodiversity: sowing cover crops, strictly limiting inputs, using plant extracts, and respecting natural cycles. This focus on living organisms results in a rich and balanced agricultural environment, observed daily in the vineyards.
In the cellar, winemaking follows the same principle of restraint. Interventions are limited to preserve the expression of the grapes and the soil, and aging is chosen to reveal the balance rather than shape it. Each cuvée seeks to faithfully reflect its origin, with profiles ranging from immediate appeal to deeper, more structured expressions.
In 2015, the estate was joined by Guilhem Batlle, nephew of Laurence and Jean-François, bringing a fresh perspective while continuing the work already underway. Today, Domaine Rière Cadène offers a precise and coherent expression of the Roussillon terroirs, through wines that are both accessible, deeply rooted in their landscape, and equally suited to casual dining and more demanding gastronomic settings.
