Domaine La Casenove

La Casenove is a family property in the Aspres region of Roussillon. We cultivate about forty hectares of vines and a few olive trees. This estate has been in our family since 1569. Two terroirs make up the estate and shape the wines. The first is made of sandy clays that extend around the farmhouse and in the old bed of the Réart. We produce round red wines with aromas of ripe fruit but with tannins that guarantee their good evolution, such as La Colomina. The other terroir, to the west, rests on large stony terraces mixed with clays and will produce red wines with tight tannins that should be matured ñ like La Garrigue and the Jaubert cuvée. The mosaic of terroirs is such that it is difficult to be categorical. Thus, the Grenache Blancs of the Clares vine is found in this area but with the reappearance of areas of gravel and sand, the wine is then just like the neighbouring reds: tense and crystalline. It will also be necessary to wait for him to deliver his truth. The vineyard is old, some Carignans were planted in 1934 and 1955, the Syrah reach their thirtieth year, Grenache Noir and Mourvêdre complete the vines. The centrepiece of the whites and the large vine called Les Clares, planted in 1949 with Grenache Blanc and Macabeu, Roussane, Torbat (Malvoisie du Roussillon) and Muscat, join the white collection. The pruning of our vines is done manually, as is the harvesting. The white grapes are pressed in whole bunches and the red grapes are destemmed and crushed directly above the vats without any mechanical transport. We often keep the stalks of the very old Carignans which give the wines a good hold. Many wild animals populate the estate: birds, small game, green lizards and very rare the ocelot lizard, snakes, etc..

Our story

The estate is certainly old, but the widespread cultivation of the vine at the end of the 19th century made us winegrowers, it is now a question of being winegrowers! Roussillon has all the assets to produce excellent wines thanks to its terroir, its climate and also the assertive character of its winegrowers who are aware of their richness and particularities. The generation that preceded me tried to bring these possibilities together and prepare for the present. Like my father, La Casenove's men spent their youth travelling the world and sooner or later came back to take care of the family property. I myself, in my late forties, found my way back. I have always loved wine and good food and suddenly life allowed me to compose my wine as I wanted with my vines and cellar, a royal gift. So I vinified the wine, of course taking oenological advice, but I have always decided on the final blends. I can only propose what I like. The most beautiful comment I received was: "You make wines without concessions"