La Durbane

Florence and Thomas, both PhDs in chemistry, are passionate about wine and have been running the family vineyard, La Durbane, since 2019. To do so, they left their jobs in the pharmaceutical industry and moved from Switzerland to their roots in the South of France, bringing their dream to life. The Giornal-Wesch family vineyard spans the Châteauneuf-du-Pape and Côtes du Rhône appellations and has been in conversion to organic farming since 2020. Local grape varieties are cultivated for La Durbane's red, white, and rosé wines. The grapes are harvested at optimal ripeness, according to the individual plots, and exclusively by hand. We have always carried out the winemaking process with precision, aiming to best reflect our terroir. Anecdotes from the estate: We decided to turn our background in chemistry into an asset. Since 2019, I've been managing the winery, conducting trials to test the potential of my terroir and to offer new wines. It's my scientific side that comes out: changing parameters, experimenting, the constant search for improvement and innovation. These trials will be produced annually in very limited quantities (around 350 bottles of each) so that you can discover my world. A little history of the estate: I'm Florence, a native of Caderousse, a small village on the banks of the Rhône, 10km from Châteauneuf-du-Pape. As a child, there were always fine wines on the table for family meals. And above all, a father passionate about wine, who realized his dream in 1999 and bought two plots of vines, one in the Côtes du Rhône appellation and one in Châteauneuf-du-Pape. At 18, I left to study chemistry, saying that one day I would come back. In the meantime, I met my husband Thomas, and we worked for seven years in the pharmaceutical industry in Switzerland. Feeling out of place, we decided to leave behind this predetermined future and returned to my roots in 2019 to develop the family farm. Together, we brought our dream to life! Today, our farm comprises 15 hectares divided between the Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Côtes du Rhône, and Vin de France appellations. The first change we made was to begin the conversion to organic farming. Thomas is German, and we lived in Switzerland for seven years: immersed in these cultures, we are very concerned about everything related to the environment. It was therefore natural to begin the organic conversion very quickly. But for us, reducing our environmental impact is a holistic approach: it's not enough to stop using synthetic pesticides; we have to go further. We therefore decided to establish wildflower meadows for pollinating insects and to replant hedgerows, which are reservoirs of biodiversity. We believe that attention must be paid at all levels, from implementing eco-design for packaging to planning the construction of energy-independent buildings, and including organizing vineyard work to reduce tractor travel. In the cellar, I, Florence, am in charge of winemaking. Our goal is to make Rhône wines that are easy to drink, drinkable, and possess all the complexity and elegance that our terroir can reveal. Far from the image of powerful, alcoholic wines, we offer wines with freshness and finesse. The pride of the estate, Florence and Thomas, both PhDs in chemistry, are passionate about wine and have been running the family vineyard, La Durbane, since 2019. To pursue this passion, they left their jobs in the pharmaceutical industry and moved from Switzerland to their roots in the South of France, bringing their dream to life. The Giornal-Wesch family vineyard spans the Châteauneuf-du-Pape and Côtes du Rhône appellations and has been in conversion to organic farming since 2020. Local grape varieties are cultivated for La Durbane's red, white, and rosé wines. The grapes are harvested at optimal ripeness, according to the individual plots, and exclusively by hand. We have always carried out our winemaking with precision, aiming to best express our terroir.